# Todi, Umbria



## Larry and Arlene

Are there any English speaking ExPats with experience living in Todi? We are relocating mid-2013 from southern California. A particular question, what do car owners do with their cars?


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## casa luminosa

Hello. We live four months of the year near Todi. Glad to be of help. Some people simply leave their car at their home. Others store the car with friends. We leave our US registered car with a local mechanic who services the car and stores it outside with a cover at a cost of 40 Euros per month.

Mike and Rebecca


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## Larry and Arlene

Many thanks for the reply. We plan to live In Italy year-round. There are many places we want to revisit and immerse ourselves longer and there are many more new places we want to explore at leisure so a car being accessible is important. In addition, we expect being visited by not only family plus a lot of "friends" we forgot we had. So being the local, mobile tour guide will be part of our "duties" as ExPats. It looks like one has to find an out of the historical center resource for storing a car in some level of security.


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## PauloPievese

Hi Larry and Arlene. Saw the 'getting to know you' thread you started. Dropped you a line there; hope you have time to answer. Love Umbria; lush, beautiful, lightly touristed. However if you plan to go from there to anywhere it can be a trip. I tried attaching a link to an Italian rail map but the forum czars won't let me. It shows approximately zero trunk lines through Umbria. I'm just sayin' .... =Paul=


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## Larry and Arlene

*Rail linkage*

Hi Paul-

Actually the main north-south rail and Autostrada A-1 goes right through Umbria. There are a number of Express train stops in Umbra on the Rome to Florence and on to wherever line. Very close to Todi is the Orvietto main line station with acres of free parking at the station. So from our experience Umbria is a good transportation access spot.


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## Falcio

Hello there,
I live in Umbria, not too far from Todi.

All depends from where you plan to go, but I would suggest you bring along your car and then just park it where you will be staying; at least that's what everyone does around here. Fear not, for car theft (or acts of vandalism) isn't anything common in Todi and it's surroundings.
Public transport isn't quite practical in small cities and it might be completely absent in surrounding villages.
As you said, the Autostrada A-1 will take you pretty much anywhere trough Umbria and it's very easy and quick to reach from Todi. Also, the railroads will connect you to every city. There is a station even in Todi itself, so you shouldn't really need to get to Orvieto by car; Italian trains are expensive (althoung not nearly as much as fuel!) but they will take you to any city in the country.


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## casa luminosa

There is a small Umbrian rail line separate from the national railway which runs primarily from Perugia to Terni. It's cheap and reliable. However, I agree that in order to really experience Umbria you need a car.


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## PauloPievese

But, having a car, gorgeous. One of my richest memories is back-roading up to Gubbio then down to Assisi and over the mountains to Francavilla al Mare.


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## Tony Inwood

*LIving in Todi*

My wife and I were recently in Todi, viewing properties in the Centro Storico. Your posts are very helpful. We love the town and the area, but were somewhat concerned about the local public transport. We rented a car in Florence and drove down to Todi, as it seemed very difficult to get there by train. We have thought about owning a car when we retire to Italy, but it is impossible to get any information on the internet about owning, registering and insuring a car after just moving from the USA. I know it will take a while to get the Italian Drivers License sorted out...so it would be a while driving with the US LIcense and International License. Any info would be great. As well as general opionions about living in Todi. Thanks and nice to meet you all.

Tony and Karen


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## Larry and Arlene

*Todi*

Hi Tony-

We loved Todi but the transportation issues and the somewhat typical Tuscan hill town steep grades on streets gave us pause. We are still in good health but definitely senior citizens. Looking to the inevitable, we decided there would be a day when those hills could become an obstacle. And yes, we wanted to do without car for awhile anyway until we had some on the ground idea of what our budget was going to be and the raft of issues in understanding vehicle ownership and operation in Italy.
Our solution, look 'off the beaten path,' We crossed the Apennines and settled in Ascoli Piceno, Le Marche. It is a provincial capital with lots of services at hand, a long cultural history (pre-Roman), has a rail spur to the Adriatic Coast, is flat and generally lower costs than in the tourist dominated areas. We have been here ca. 9 months, are renting, still no car and absolutely love this place. A very active community with lots going on and some of the friendliest people we have ever encountered.
We use public transportation most of the time and have rented cars as needed. Rome is 170 KM away. Best wishes with the search! It can get confusing but give yourself time to also stay in the prospective place and just see how it 'feels' before you decide.


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## pudd 2

Tony Inwood said:


> My wife and I were recently in Todi, viewing properties in the Centro Storico. Your posts are very helpful. We love the town and the area, but were somewhat concerned about the local public transport. We rented a car in Florence and drove down to Todi, as it seemed very difficult to get there by train. We have thought about owning a car when we retire to Italy, but it is impossible to get any information on the internet about owning, registering and insuring a car after just moving from the USA. I know it will take a while to get the Italian Drivers License sorted out...so it would be a while driving with the US LIcense and International License. Any info would be great. As well as general opionions about living in Todi. Thanks and nice to meet you all.
> 
> Tony and Karen


car is no problem nor licence there are legal ways round all these problems and I said legal as someone I know has helped many aMERICANS THOUGH THE MAZE that is Italy , when youn have more posts I will pm you his contact details , and references from americans hes helped he is Italian American and speaks perfect American and a bit of English opcorn:


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## Tony Inwood

*Todi*

Larry and Arlene,
Thank you for the update.... Yes... the local transport is one of the things we are looking at. I have found Bus lines from Todi Center to both Spoleto and Fabro, and that gets you to the train station. Also a bus each day from Todi Center to Rome. I have spoken to an insurance agent in Todi who was very helpful and gave us price quotes for the size car we would be purchasing. Not bad... and it certainly takes all the "what if's" out of the discussion. But... Trade -off's ... Again, thank you for your input. We very much appreciate it.... Good luck and have fun on the coast.

Tony and Karen


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## Shaka

*Retiring to Le Marche?*

We are considering Le Marche area and also the Sulmona Area in Abruzzo to retire too.
We too are concerned with accessibility to transport ,good health care and integrating into a vibrant community.What were your initial difficulties and what advice could you give us. We will be visiting your area in Sept this year.
Looking forward to hearing from you 
Helen


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## pudd 2

look the Adriatic side of the mountane better weather better roads vews of the sea better hospitals much better


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## Larry and Arlene

Hello Helen-

Finding a place where one is comfortable is a very individual thing. From our other posts you will see we are very happy with the choice of Ascoli Piceno in Le Marche. We have a blog that we can share to give you some more detail on why we are happy with this choice. If you send us a private message, we will be happy to provide that to you. For this purpose we will simply say we were looking for the same things you have laid out and found it here. As far as we are concerned we have happily found a new home with a widening circle of new friends.
Best wishes


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## dmduncan64

Tony Inwood said:


> My wife and I were recently in Todi, viewing properties in the Centro Storico. Your posts are very helpful. We love the town and the area, but were somewhat concerned about the local public transport. We rented a car in Florence and drove down to Todi, as it seemed very difficult to get there by train. We have thought about owning a car when we retire to Italy, but it is impossible to get any information on the internet about owning, registering and insuring a car after just moving from the USA. I know it will take a while to get the Italian Drivers License sorted out...so it would be a while driving with the US LIcense and International License. Any info would be great. As well as general opionions about living in Todi. Thanks and nice to meet you all.
> 
> Tony and Karen


Hello Tony, we saw your post regarding a car in Todi, thinking you may have news to share given the post was last year. My wife and i are moving to Umbria region from US in early 2017 and have the same question regarding a vehicle.


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