We moved to a city centre flat in Italy 3 years ago. I love Italy and would like to remain, but the biggest problem we've had has been noise - in this building and in neighbouring ones.
This includes in the neighbouring flat which had work which started with two days' notice (stuck up on front door) and went on for 7 months. Life was intolerable. I work from home, and I can't work while the neighbours are tearing up the floors and smashing down walls.
There are no detached houses in this city and so a move to one would involve a move to the countryside and a very different way of life. City life is great and I would miss it, but then we'd get a terrace and space.
But, from what I read, this is the only way to be sure of having a home I can live in and work from. It seems odd that in a country where so many live in flats, the noise laws are non-existent. I shouldn't play music very loud, obviously, as it would disturb others and I have no wish to do that, but I could use a pneumatic drill for days or weeks on end ruining life for everyone else if I wanted to.
Our friends think it a drastic step in search of peace and they actually think it a little strange that I have an issue with this. I'm not looking for silence, I don't mind when a neighbour drills into a wall to put up a shelf, scrapes a chair across a floor, or has a party now and again. You get that in flats. But I am looking for somewhere where I can be guaranteed that nobody else can ruin our quality of life for half a year if they feel like it.
Is a detached house the only possible option to ensure that?