Moving to Italy. How to Decide Where to Live. North? South? Central?

Moving to Italy is no easy task. I offer my 12.5 years of living experience in Italy to help you narrow down your choices a bit. There are many factors to consider and the goal of this video is to bring a few thoughts to mind while making your choice. Yet, at the end of the day, it really depends on the individual and personal needs. On that note there are different types: City vs rural, sea vs mountain living, living near other expats and lastly, which area of Italy is right for you?

Where to live in Italy exactly? Italy offers many different realities and this greatly depends if you live in the North, Central or Southern areas of Italy. I personally have lived in the South and Rome and I have traveled all over Italy, so I humbly declare that I have a good idea of what to look for when moving to Italy and most importantly, HOW to go about doing it.

Please remember that these are merely my own observations based on my own experiences. Put simply, the opinions of some dude who makes videos on Youtube! Take it with a grain of salt. Buona visione!

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🔎🔎 Jump to a specific part of the video:

00:00 Intro
00:47 it depends on you
01:04 Are you crazy?
01:14 Southern Italy
03:03 Torre Del Greco
03:17 Northern Italy
04:27 English speakers
05:02 Central Italy
05:40 Earthquakes
06:09 Geological features
06:52 The sea
07:36 Big City Living
08:02 Scout out the area
08:29 Reach out to others
08:53 Retiring in Rome?
09:17 Enjoying the big cities
09:36 Expats
10:15 Take an Italian course
10:55 airports
11:17 Work
12:01 Passive Income
12:16 Remote working
12:24 My ideal town
13:45 Frase Italiana Della Settimana
14:00 Support the Channel. Pray for Ukraine.
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[Jeffreyb]

Great job. Wow, there is a lot to consider. I would love to someday move to Italy. Being retired work is not a factor. I’m trying to talk Barbara into buying and apartment somewhere in Tuscany, maybe Arezzo. We shall see. Looking forward to meeting up again in April.

[danielaf]

Thanks for acknowledging the existence of central Italy, hardly anyone ever does (including Italians) and it does actually have an identity of its own, which neither like the South or the North!

[carolinagandolfo]

That’s so true! Also, southern Italy is cheaper 😎

Something I appreciated a lot was when you mentioned geological factors. Many people in America, for example, think of Italy as a country that only offers monuments and good food. Not many tourists actually know of the natural beauty that surrounds Italy, so thank you!

[jrthiker]

You really nailed all the important points, bravo! My husband and I bought a house in Abruzzo (TE) in the town where his paternal grandfather was born before moving to south Jersey. He also has roots in Calabria and Sicilia, and got his citizenship, I'm applying for mine now. We chose Abruzzo because we had been visiting relatives there for a good 20 years. While we love Sicilia and Calabria, infrastructure and access to top medical care is not as good. Abruzzo also reminds us of Seattle/PNW where we are in the US with the mountains and ocean, lamb/seafood, great wines, and laid back lifestyle. We plan to retire there full time in several years. We spend 3-6 months a year there and can go months without hearing a word of English. Learning good intermediate Italian (level B1 or B2) no matter where you end up is crucial as outside of the big cities and tourist centers few people speak English proficiently. Everyone has a favorite part of Italy, you have to find what region resonates with you before settling down. You were very diplomatic about the north/south differences. Abruzzo is technically south, but the abruzzesi consider themselves central. As our neighbors say...."We don't have the crazy intensity of the north, and we are not as slow as the south. We are the most normal of Italians." HA! Abruzzo was traditionally the summer/winter playground of the milanesi and bolognesi, but during the pandemic the Romans rediscovered us for the beaches and mountain hiking. As Toscana/Umbria/Puglia became popular and expensive, people have begun to come to Abruzzo.

[ChristinaNicci]

Great videos! I found you while doing my research for dual citizenship. Thanks to my great grandfather who was born in Sicily, I qualify! These videos have helped me out so much. My husband and I will eventually be moving to Italy.

[dAILite]

In 2017 I visited Italy with my husband. We stayed there for an entire month. We drove around from Milan to Bellagio all the way to Rome. I loved the north. But I know it’s a bit pricy! We would love to come again and visit the south for sure!

[michellemason]

Really wish you would have discussed the weather in all seasons in all areas. Including potential hazards each season. For someone looking for low humidity in summer combined with limited snowfall and mild winters, a summery of each area would really help me decide.
Health care access inc doc, soecialists, clinics n hospitals.
Public transportation access in all areas inc air, rail and bus
Maybe another video with these topics would be most helpful.
Thanks

[vitaaeris]

I may be biased as I’ve lived here my whole life, but I feel like central Italy is a good amalgamation of north and south Italy. Putting Rome aside as it is its own world, most towns in Umbria and Toscana are very small, community rooted, with great food, history and environment. Country side and nature all around is also stunning. It is decently organized (Toscana and Lazio better than Umbria, as the latter one has way less people living in, mostly older citizens). It’s a great place overall. If you want a European-like experience then Milan and its surroundings are a better place for it, but when it comes for northern beauty I’d definitely recommend the alps territories… even though you’ll meet more German/French speakers than Italians there.

Sadly yes, earthquakes are a reality. Cities are pretty safe despite it, thankfully, it is the old towns that run more risks, like Amatrice. Great video! ❤

[hubieheathertoes]

Nice, precise, conscise and to the point. I love how you don’t sugarcoat things and even with such a short length of the video, you put a great deal of effort into subtleties and differences. Thank you, buddy. I will probably will never live in Italy but l can’t say l am not encouraged. Or discouraged by certain places.

[spdelco]

Hi David, great video. Very helpful.

[justmaribx]

I always appreciate your videos. As someone who is new to living in ROME 🙏🏼

[BrightStar]

Excellent commentary. Coherent and clear thoughts. Plus, your voice is beautifully clear. I need an area that is relatively flat so I can walk to groceries.. Likeo Tropea, can't walk stairs. Thank you, Ted.

[kallobarb]

Amazing video. Please make more. I'm considering retiring here eventually, but need more info. before making that decision.

[CalabriaDreaming]

Hey thanks for the shout out!! Great video and info as always. I still think everyone should move to Calabria of course but you honestly can’t really go wrong anywhere you go. Looking forward to a collab soon! I’ll be coming to Rome at some point. Un grande abbraccio

[sevecdc]

Hi David, I enjoy your videos ❤ I'm a Canadian living in Italy.

[gularslan]

Hi David, thanks for your videos❤ ı really get the best info from them . I am going Venice to live 2 years and ı need to find accommodation 🙈 all piece of advice is really appreciated. Thanks a lot… regards from Turkey 🤍

[alejandrosalcedo]

Thank you!! Very good points to consider 👍 great subject.

[WireItalia]

Thanks for this beautiful interesting video. As an Italian I think it all depends on how much you can fall in love with a place. According to clichés, the North is more devoted to work. The South has the extraordinary scenic beauty. Sardinia has a Caribbean beauty, I don't know if there is enough work. The same thing for Sicily. Beautiful, but I don't know from a working point of view.Without considering the economic issue, I would be undecided between Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, Liguria, Sardinia and the smaller islands.

[robjus]

My family came from Trentino. You made me smile when you discussed the bus. Then I thought yes why wouldn’t it arrive on time? People need to rely on a schedule so there is an obligation to be on time. I would describe people from Trentino as a mix of the best. German efficiency and Italian warmth.

[andrewdiprose]

Catania province would be a great place to live including accessibility to the airport.