Decision to make

Hi and welcome to Expat.com, chiara!

Hi Chiara:

You might want to consider the Marche region.  it is more affordable than Tuscany or Umbria.  I have found it to be a real gem, not overrun by tourists so that it feels in some ways more authentic.  The adriatic side is wonderful in the summer, and there are mountains nearby for winter activities, and some wonderful hill towns to enjoy.

Good Luck to you!

hi, my husband is in Tuscany and i will be joining him soon, i am from Alabama. I spent 2 months with him last year in Tuscany and it is beautiful, although all of Italy is beautiful, truly! You can rent an apartment in a little town in Tuscany for 700. a month , nice and furnished,in the off season (although it is tourist season now) so look around and do not let generalizations keep you away. Yes, it is now an international tourist destination but there are possibilities there. Decide where you want to be according to the size of the city, whether or not you want to be close to the sea, weather should be considered, Tuscany can get cold in the winter, so that would be a factor. Rome is beautiful and yes a large city, so there are more opportunities for expats but you will find that everywhere you go, someone speaks English. If you want to be in Tuscany, there are so many wonderful little village towns that you might be happy in with affordable rents. I am not informed about the school districts, so I can not give you any information there. Siena and Umbria would be nice, also Gambassi, Certaldo, Catlefiorentino. Good luck~!! San Gimigniano, is nice. Also, Genoa and the surrounding towns are nice and near the sea, this is in the Liguria region.

Thanks guys
I need to consider schools also...I have 4 small children and one on the way so will need a pretty big house also.  I would like to buy something after a few months also, so need to rent in an area which is affordable for buying so that I can look around.
Has anyone out there moved with small kids, and how did you find the schools and language issues?  My kids are pretty used to moving at this stage, but at least in the UAE the schools are english speaking.  I've looked at the international schools there in Italy and they are expensive so are out of the question.
Thanks

Hi Chiara, I moved to Milan from Dublin last year with my 8 year old daughter. I decided against sending her to an English or international school and it was the best decision I ever made. She was fluent in 6 months and has come on amazingly in the last school year. We live 20 minutes to the west of Milan in a small town in the country. I find that the community in these small towns is fantastic and there is always something going on. From here we can be in the centre of the city in 20 minutes. The mountains are a couple of hours to the north and the sea in Liguria a couple of hours to the south. Where I live there is 60 plus km's of bike track and lots to do. I would recommend you send your kids to a state school and I guarantee they will love it! Good Luck!

Hi Christina
Good to hear!  That was what I thought myself, that in the long run they're better off in a state school.  Actually, we're from Mayo/Galway ourselves!  Will pm you if and when the plans get a bit further along.
Thanks

Hi Chiara, I agree with the person in Milan from Ireland. I am learning Italian and once you and your children are immersed it will be easier to learn. Italians can be tolerant of you not speaking the language if you at least try...do not worry about making mistakes, they are easy going, laid back and friendly, so will proabably laugh with you while you are learning. It may be difficult at first for you and your children with the language but again, your new Italian hosts will be patient and tolerant of you while you learn as long as you ae making an effort. You and your children can also learn online before you go with programs like Rosetta Stone and Livemocha ( this one is good  ...you can get feedback from an Italian who is also learning English and in return you critique their progress)As was stated earler regarding schools, I see that the small villages in the north are very family oriented and the children of all ages play together in the commune ater school, everyone looks after the children and the children are happy. As the saying goes: It takes a village. You will find that here in the small towns. However the state schools may be rated, I think you will be pleased because the children are determined to learn and are in a safe secure environment to learn so if your own childen are eager to learn they can do that anywhere if placed in the right environment and they get an added bonus here they become fluent in one of the oldest and most beautfiul of languages! Tuscan dialect is the closest associated with the ancient Roman latin in both written and spoken form. So good luck!!!! And again, as for housing, yes Tuscany can be expensive but you can also find something that is what you are looking for....seek and ye shall find :-) You can also go online and look up real estate in Tuscany and  see all the options from renovated villas in the Million and up price range to a small townhouse around 160,000. and an apartment in town from 100,000. so look around in all the regions on these sites... nd I found lots of information from reading through everyone's blogs in the different regions... Bonserra Ciao Bella :-)~!!!