I live in Galicia (Spain), near some of these villages. I've been to some of them personally and they are beautiful. Creating a tech community in one of them has crossed my mind several times.
Positive:
- Calm and beautiful places, surrounded by hills, forests, rivers... a good place to think and to develop new ideas.
- Affordable houses and terrains.
- Galician goverment gives money and help if you want to move in.
- Airports nearby, London is 3-4 hours away by plane.
Negative:
- Most of these buildings are in ruins.
- Poor infrastructure or none at all: you'll miss water, electricity and phone lines. No mobile communications, for sure. Phone companies don't help much either.
- Roads that lead there are often difficult and dangerous.
- No other villages or cities are close, so no hospitals, supermarkets or other services nearby.
Hope this helps.