Thinking of retiring to Italy

@Billstod Congrats on retirement.  I'm guessing you've been to Italy before, so you know about the food, people and places...along with all the wonderful things to do/see here.  In looking for places to buy, I would recommend do a bunch of searching online through real estate agencies in and around the areas you are interested in...my wife and I did this "pre-exploration" for about 2-3 years before moving here in the fall of 2021.  We have found life here is wonderful and we recommend it to everyone who is willing and able to do the necessary work (with the necessary patience).  Here are some basics:1)  You can only be in Italy up to 3 months on a travel visa...therefore, you'll need a more "robust" visa to live here more permanently.  There are several visa possibilities, so I would check with the local consulate and ask them for your best option.  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel … taly.html2)  Once you arrive you will want to get 4 pieces of documentation/identification:Permesso di soggiorno (permission to stay in the country without having to renew a visa).  This process should be done within the first few days/weeks of arriving.  There are local agencies that can help you fill out the forms (especially useful if you don't know the bureaucracy [more about that later] or don't know Italian very well).  Some agents speak English...do some online research to find the best one in your area.Codice Fiscale (a tax code assigned to you by the Italian government for tax purposes).  This can usually be done online and is fairly straightforward.Carta d'Identita (an identification card that shows where you live and that you're a "temporary" resident)Tessera Sanitaria (health card) You will need to enroll in the local health care system (but you will find the price well below what you pay in the US).All these items are covered in more detail here: https://www.thelocal.it/20210927/the-fi … -to-italy3) Be prepared to have your run-ins with the Italian Bureaucracy.  It's an adjustment to get used to and will be very frustrating at times.  At other times, the processes seem to go so smoothly; it's weird.  Most of all, don't get discouraged...just think about the fact that the "dolce vita" does come with some conditions and the bureaucracy is just one of them.  (My recommendation...have an extra espresso, sit, try to relax and enjoy the little things).4) My wife and I did bring some useful documents with us like copies of our birth certificates and marriage license.  We also recommend acquiring an International Drivers Permit (from your local AAA offices) as it's useful if you want to rent a car until you get you permanent Italian license (that's a whole other ball of wax that we haven't explored yet).  Also, get yourself some traveler's health insurance until you get your Tessera Sanitaria.  Emergencies happen everywhere and it's important to be prepared.  Last item that's useful is make sure all your US documents (US Passport, State Driver's License, etc.) are not going to expire any time soon.Hope these items help you with your plans...good luck (buon fortuna!)

@Billstod How r you

Hello All,
My wife and I are thinking of retiring to Italy. We have so many questions and have actually done a lot of research but were still lost. We will be retiring with a nest egg along with a combined Social Security of about 6k a month. Things that are important to us are to be near a very good hospital for Cardiology I had a triple bypass in 2020 (suggestions on Places to live or look). We would like to find a safe area where we can actually have a home close to or in a city, not an apartment-style living.

We would prefer to be in the upper central part of Italy. One other thing that seems hard to find an exact answer to is how much will our Social Security be taxed.

I know I have asked a lot already so I will leave it at those questions for now.
-@Billstod

How r you

@Billstod How r you
-@hazratbepary4

This isn't a chat room.  Please use the PM function to message users with individual questions.

Do you have a question or information to offer on the topic?

Romaniac

Im going through the process atm from the UK.

We are going for an ERV, it’s essentially a retirement visa. We found utilising a solicitor specialising in this invaluable as what appears to be straightforward isn’t 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

we use Studio Legale Metta, not cheap but comprehensive and worth it

Congratulations on your retirement. Do explore FB groups such as U.K. citizen's rights beyond Brexit. It's absolutely wonderful. You have to apply to be a member. Once you're in you'll find a lot of info on the hyperlink and you can also post specific questions.

Healthcare in Italy it's a postcode lottery a bit like in the U.K. Private healthcare is very good and cheaper than in the U.K. but with your existing condition it would be expensive.

I live in Tuscany and I'm very happy with my choice of town (I live near Volterra, Pisa province). You ought to look at small towns or villages with easy access to larger cities especially if you want to avoid apartment living. I would stick with the Pisa or Siena or Lucca provinces. Not to say other cities in Tuscany aren't great but I found some to be rather isolated and isolating. Volterra for instance is very car oriented as public transport is lacking. Do consider the weather and how the hot summers would affect you. We don't have the same weather in Italy we had 30 years ago. The four seasons are no longer as climate change is in full swing. Personally  I've chosen a place at almost 500 mt above sea level as I cannot stand the increasingly sweltering summers we are experiencing in this part of Europe. We do have mosquitos and gnats but not as bad as in some places. . I'm only an hour from Pisa and yet I find summers are way too hot in Pisa or Siena and winters a lot damper in Lucca for instance... Climate can change even within relatively small areas.  I also deliberately avoided very touristy places as they're totally dead in winter and offer very little to long term residents. Like you I made sure I was near a decent  hospital. In Tuscany healthcare is normally  good. I also wanted somewhere with a fairly large international presence as my husband's Italian is fairly poor and learning after a certain age isn't easy.

Do visit several places, Italy is fairly big and really varied. Bureaucracy is a real pain, do not underestimate this. It's mind boggling at times! Getting to know locals can also sometimes be a problem.

Do your research and with a bit of luck you can find the right place to retire to. Your combined monthly income should allow you a very comfortable life. Some italian pensioners here live on state pensions of around €700 per month or less. I wouldn't recommend that! Especially as getting older you might need extra help like a gardener or cleaner or (hopefully not!) carer .. and those are expensive!

Last bit of advice: beware estate agents and find a good cross border accountant to help you navigate the complex and expensive fiscal system. Good luck!

Be very aware of estate agents!!