Fernando, 39, has spent the last 17 years as the only full-time resident of Benamira, a small village in southern Soria that once counted more than 200 inhabitants. What began as a plan to save on rent for a few months became a long-term commitment to a way of life few would choose and even fewer sustain.
He works weekdays maintaining local roads, but his days follow routines city dwellers rarely experience. He runs through the hills and tends a vegetable garden, then spends time reading, cooking and writing. Humor is part of his survival strategy. “I’m a stand-up comedian by necessity, there’s no one else to talk to,” he jokes.
Despite the isolation, Fernando insists his solitude is a conscious choice, not a sentence. He rejects the label of hermit. His job brings him into contact with others, and on weekends, Benamira briefly comes alive as families return to their ancestral homes. Of the 58 houses still standing, only two are used year-round; most open only in summer or for short visits. For many, Fernando’s presence is reassuring: he is the unofficial caretaker, the one who keeps watch when everyone else is gone.
The pattern of seasonal and infrequent occupancy extends well beyond Benamira. Heraldo-Diario de Soria, reporting housing-use data from Spain’s National Statistics Institute, said 13,240 homes outside Soria city were classified as vacant because they recorded no electricity consumption, about 38% of the housing stock in the rest of the province. A further 18% had sporadic use. The figures offer a broader measure of the gap between the number of homes in rural Soria and the number regularly occupied.
Life Far from Madrid
Fernando’s decision to stay reflects both economics and personal preference. He earns about €1,500 a month and spends roughly half on essentials, including food and utilities. Transport accounts for the rest. With no rent to pay, since he lives in a family home, his cost of living is a fraction of what it would be in Madrid, where a single room can cost as much as €700 a month. Renting an entire house in Benamira, by contrast, might cost just €200-250.
He believes these figures point to a real alternative for those priced out of Spain’s cities. But he is clear-eyed about the obstacles. The nearest hospital is 90 kilometers away. Public transport is nonexistent, and power outages are common. “Here, we’re completely on our own,” Fernando says.
That isolation reflects a broader territorial challenge, not simply a matter of declining population. Mercedes Molina, a human geographer and emerita professor at the Complutense University of Madrid, has described depopulation as “more than a demographic problem” and “a territorial crisis.” She says it brings demographic and environmental consequences, while also affecting social and economic life. In an interview with SoriaNoticias, she argued that people considering a return to rural areas need concrete reasons to move. Benamira’s low housing costs, in other words, come alongside practical questions about transport and healthcare, as well as the reliability of basic services.
The Challenge of Repopulation
Interest in rural life is not lacking. Fernando says Benamira has received more than 400 inquiries from people hoping to move there. But without a coordinated plan or resources to support new arrivals, the village remains largely empty. The lack of public housing makes it difficult to reverse the tide of depopulation, while limited basic services add to the problem across much of rural Spain.
Projections underline the scale of the challenge across the province. El Día de Soria has reported that more than 100 Soria municipalities could disappear within 50 years under current demographic estimates, while stressing that these are projections, not fixed dates or certain outcomes.
Provincial authorities have also directed funding toward the issue. The Soria Provincial Council’s Commission for Demographic Challenge and European Funds approved five new subsidy lines under Plan Soria 2026, with a planned investment of €595,000, information from Europa Press. The measures form part of a broader institutional response to rural decline. But the commission’s reported approval does not, by itself, ensure that a village will gain permanent residents.
Still, Fernando has no regrets. Asked what he would do if offered a free apartment in Madrid, he answers without hesitation: “I’d take the keys, rent it out, and come back here.” He imagines his future in Benamira, perhaps with a family, while holding on to the peace he found 17 years ago.
Spain’s “emptied” villages, including Benamira, are at a crossroads. Low living costs and tranquility attract some, while inadequate infrastructure keeps most away. As the country debates how to revive its rural heartland, Fernando’s story shows both the promise and the limits of life on the edge of abandonment.
