12/09/2025
Well, First of all, thank you everybody for such kind support on my text, that gives an inspiration 🙂
So this post, i would like to dedicate to the question: HOW?
Let's say, i am now in my 40's, 50's, 60's. Living Anywhere in USA, and for last 20 years i have been in Italy several times, i dream about it, but always something comes up in my head, that i can't do it. Not enough money, 9 to 5 job, children has to go to school and etc..
The journey to Italy, starts in each and everybody heads. I am a fan of a saying, if you can image it, you can make it. It is so much in my life.
So easy step's, which based on my experience i can suggest:
Put the target's. for example in 3 years, i want to live in Italy, set your timeline. Write it.
Put the criteria, clearly on the paper, or on the phone, that would follow you all the time, make an ideal place, later you will make compromises.
Travel to Italy, with a mindset, like you are searching for a neighborhood house in USA, go to Milan, Rome, rent a car, and travel, take your vacation, not only to see tourist places, but the places from the map according the climate.
When traveling take 1-2 days in every location, and look threw the eyes you are living here, see as an expat, not a tourist.
When you narrowed your locations after several visit's rent a flat, a house for a long term rent. you are allowed to be in Italy on 3m+3m bases.
Set your life that you can be 50 USA % vs 50% Italy.
Start part time living, don't be afraid of a rent cost, your bad decision with location, or straight forward buying a house, will cost you much more, then 1 year rent.
Once you settle with location, start searching for property, in case it is not a big city, then you will find a lot of more interesting and affordable places, going in domestic agencies, or even maybe approaching the Villa you like directly, then scrolling real estate website, where in some regions, properties sits for 2 or more years with 10-15 higher prices then the market.
Once you are aware about exact location, but didn't buy the property, naturally by spending 3-6 months there, you will find friends, people you know, local administration, local immigration officers, local advocates, local real estates and the paperwork will be 10 times easier to do then jumping straight in. You will save time and money.
Journey to Italy starts today, and step by step, even with small budget, you can do it.
Now coming to my example, before finally moving to Italy, i have been in this country more then 15 times, in various locations, from Como, down to Sicily, Sardinia, Capri and etc. But all the time either as tourist, or on business trip's. When decition came to move, i shortlisted the criteria's,
which was:
weather
Proximity to International big airhubs
Sea
Mountains
and much more.
Of course as an "normal" expat i was thinking about Tuscany, i loved the place, but when i ran threw all of those criteria's, a lot went missing. Then other places, until we decided, Rome or suburbs.
Then we took a plain, rented a car, and studied every area of Rome, by spending 1-2 nights in each of those, and trying to put it in our heads as we live here.
Guess what, the picture and the reality became totally different. Then we started searching in the suburbs, or more even outside Rome. Well again it turned out to be totally different then on google maps, or logic thinking. For example Fiumicino or other coastal areas should be a perfect match, but ..... who has been there, knows what i mean. So by ending long story short, we ended up in a coastal area, between Rome and Naples, where it is as i say "Grey zone" of the World, everybody knows those 2 mega cities, but very very very little knows what is in between.
The sacrifice we had to make, was English speaking community. But even though, you go and handpick (if it is allowed to say) English speakers, or take a train and in 1 hour or 1.30 you are in Rome and Naples with huss and fuzz.
so for me it turned around totally different then i was thinking in advance, bus surprisingly it matches the picture i drew in my head 15 years ago.
Now, Please, share a story, of your step's the one's that has moved to Italy, how did you process all that?
And the ones, in the process, please share how are you doing your steeps.
Cheers, or salute 🙂
