# Help me narrow my choices...what do you LOVE about where you live in Italy?



## Melissa58275

At the end of the year, I'll retire from my job in the US and hope to fulfill a life-long dream to live for at least some period, possibly forevermore, in Europe. Italy is a top candidate largely because I want a place with a mild year-round climate and where I can get the required long-term residency visa/permits reasonably easily.

I'm doing a lot of reading and some browsing of real estate sites to try to narrow the choices of promising areas to explore more fully and visit. I'm finding that difficult, partly because so many places sound wonderful and partly because I don't have strong inclination about some key questions: Large vs. small city vs. town, mountains vs. ocean. I could be happy in any of them, depending on what else they offer. So far the only criteria I'm sure about:

Mild year-round climate
Affordable property prices or long-term rentals
Cost of living (including taxes in the total) that is no higher than in the US, and preferably lower
Relatively good access for travel to the rest of the country and continent
At least one good option for intensive language training
Some place I can walk to at least a handful of restaurants/cafes plus green grocer or farmers' market on a daily basis (and preferably butcher and/or fishmonger)
A vibrant and welcoming expat community nearby


Any suggestions? Tell me what you love about where you live, please. I so wish I could spend a year or two traveling about finding the perfect place, but I think I've got to narrow the choices, at least a little!


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## NickZ

Some of those things are at odds with each other.

Most of the places with lower costs of living don't have the best travel links or large expat communities.

For that matter the costal areas with the milder climates will also be higher costs.

You're likely best concentrating on the western provincial towns. There are places in Tuscany and Lazio which might fit your needs if you can live without large numbers of expats. The high speed rail line makes most of the country easy to access. Plenty of regional airports for short hops around Europe.

OTOH Chiantishire will tend to be expensive. So decide on what you can live without.


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## Melissa58275

Thanks Nick: 
I probably mispoke when I said a vibrant expat community. When I really think about it, most of what I want an expat community for is support and help in the early months...and that's what online forums like this are for, right? I don't have any interest in living in an English-speaking enclave. What would be the point? 

Help me out though....Western provincial towns? such as? 
How about Abruzzo or Puglia...do they seem like good bets? I don't need fabulous connections for travel...after all, I'll have all the time in the world...just connections that aren't ungodly expensive.

Thanks!


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## pudd 2

Melissa58275 said:


> Thanks Nick:
> I probably mispoke when I said a vibrant expat community. When I really think about it, most of what I want an expat community for is support and help in the early months...and that's what online forums like this are for, right? I don't have any interest in living in an English-speaking enclave. What would be the point?
> 
> Help me out though....Western provincial towns? such as?
> How about Abruzzo or Puglia...do they seem like good bets? I don't need fabulous connections for travel...after all, I'll have all the time in the world...just connections that aren't ungodly expensive.
> 
> Thanks!


one word Abruzzo


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## NickZ

Melissa58275 said:


> Help me out though....Western provincial towns? such as?
> How about Abruzzo or Puglia...do they seem like good bets? I don't need fabulous connections for travel...after all, I'll have all the time in the world...just connections that aren't ungodly expensive.
> 
> Thanks!


How are you traveling? The train from lets say Bari to Rome is at least four hours. 

OTOH Rome to Venice by highspeed train is 3.5 hours. Considering Venice is about 100km further then Bari that gives you an idea how much faster the high speed train can be. A trip to say Florence is little more then a cross town trip with the highspeed train. 

If you book in advance the highspeed trains are fairly cheap. Rome to Venice tends to start at €30 one way. 

You don't have access to the highspeed train on the east coast. So you're either taking the slow train,bus or driving.

The two Roman airports tend to have more flights and therefore cheaper rates. Take a look at skyscanner or other travel sites. 

If it was me I'd take out a map showing the rail lines. There isn't a huge difference between any of the towns in Lazio or Tuscany if you avoid the touristy ones. In other words if you need to look up the name it's likely a good deal. Avoid the ones at higher altitude if you're worried about winter cold. OTOH if you're worried about summer heat look at the towns at higher altitude.

Outside of the areas that vacationers,tourists or expats have driven up the prices all these towns have fairly similar prices.

Honestly I'd throw in the whole coastal area from the French border. 

Do this. Go to Google maps and start plotting out drives from any of these places. You'll find some places are more convenient then others.


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## Melissa58275

Nick: Thanks so much...great suggestion! 

Looks like I'm gong to take next Feb. to do some exploring.


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## pudd 2

Melissa58275 said:


> Nick: Thanks so much...great suggestion!
> 
> Looks like I'm gong to take next Feb. to do some exploring.


feb is a good time to explore not to cold , and abruzzo is builtiful that time of year , as for transport were we live we have aniternatian aiport within 35 mins 

Pescara , which all so has a very good railway station with links to every were in italy exept rome which takes six hours on rickety slow tracks , but their is a wonderfull bus service everry hour to rome it takes only 2 .5 hrs and costs 25 eros or there abouts cheaper if you book ahead . and trains are so cheap and puntual its unblelivable also busses 

any come and explore abruzzo you wont belive how buitiful it is but you must take into count it is a large region with masive changes in the the type of roads and inferstructure from goat tracks to good hyways , 

good luck and if you need more imfo on abruzzo weve been here ten years since retiring and lov every minute


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## tftjr

Emilia-Romanga. Mostly Romanga. I live in Cervia on the Adriatic and I love it. It doesn't cover all of your requests but it's a great place. Bologna, Rimini or Ravenna could definitely work for you.

Mild year-round climate - *YES*
Affordable property prices or long-term rentals - *YES*
Cost of living (including taxes in the total) that is no higher than in the US, and preferably lower - *YES*
Relatively good access for travel to the rest of the country and continent - *YES*, BOLOGNA (HIGHWAYS, AIRPORT, TRAINS)
At least one good option for intensive language training - *MANY*
Some place I can walk to at least a handful of restaurants/cafes plus green grocer or farmers' market on a daily basis (and preferably butcher and/or fishmonger) - *ABSOLUTELY*
A vibrant and welcoming expat community nearby - *RIMINI, RAVENNA OR BOLOGNA*


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## sylsmum

*Modena*



Melissa58275 said:


> At the end of the year, I'll retire from my job in the US and hope to fulfill a life-long dream to live for at least some period, possibly forevermore, in Europe. Italy is a top candidate largely because I want a place with a mild year-round climate and where I can get the required long-term residency visa/permits reasonably easily.
> 
> I'm doing a lot of reading and some browsing of real estate sites to try to narrow the choices of promising areas to explore more fully and visit. I'm finding that difficult, partly because so many places sound wonderful and partly because I don't have strong inclination about some key questions: Large vs. small city vs. town, mountains vs. ocean. I could be happy in any of them, depending on what else they offer. So far the only criteria I'm sure about:
> 
> Mild year-round climate
> Affordable property prices or long-term rentals
> Cost of living (including taxes in the total) that is no higher than in the US, and preferably lower
> Relatively good access for travel to the rest of the country and continent
> At least one good option for intensive language training
> Some place I can walk to at least a handful of restaurants/cafes plus green grocer or farmers' market on a daily basis (and preferably butcher and/or fishmonger)
> A vibrant and welcoming expat community nearby
> 
> 
> Any suggestions? Tell me what you love about where you live, please. I so wish I could spend a year or two traveling about finding the perfect place, but I think I've got to narrow the choices, at least a little!


Best place to go is Modena, it's a great size, very vibrant, easy to cycle around, great food especially in the covered market, easy to meet people.


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## Fliss59

We're also trying to decide on a region to retire to. We're looking in Abruzzo, Le Marche and Umbria. We were in the first two a few weeks ago and both seem to be lovely regions. We're off to Umbria in September. Lake Trasimeno is surrounded by some lovely towns and it's between Florence and Rome so good connections. However this means property is more expensive but well worth a look.


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## Melissa58275

The more I read, the more I find out about my options, the more difficult it seems to be to make some decisions. I THINK I've narrowed my first cut down to Lecce or to Syracusa, Ragusa or Modica in Sicily. That's for the ITALIAN choices, that is. I'm still weighing Valencia, Girona and maybe Malaga in Spain as well. And even Malta remains a possibility.

Plan to visit all of them over a 2-3 month period next winter and spring. But I'm also preparing myself for the possiblity that I'm just not going to be ready to try anyplace for a prolonged test (6-12 months) until I've traveled a lot more. Seriously contemplating going homeless for a year or two...simply traveling from one spot to another in Europe and elsewhere, staying for periods of 1-3 months in any given place (keeping in mind the Schengen agreement rules).


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## Fliss59

Have a great time looking. Personally I don't think you can beat Italy. Our house will be on the market next week so hopefully it won't be too long until we move out permanently.


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