We are Debbie and Stijn and in 2020 we sold everything for a life of travel. We are initially focusing on Europe for our life of slow travel. After traveling throughout Portugal in 2020 and into 2021 we set off on a 7 month trip throughout Italy (July 2021 through February 2022). Upon arriving in Umbria mid August 2021 we were immediately drawn to this area, we felt like we belonged here as we had found our dream country home and settled down. We will certainly still travel but will use our Italian villa as our home base moving forward.
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There are 7124 questions in the question pool. I've been here 10 years and I'm still struggling. I'm an Italian citizen and brought my vintage vehicles from the US. It took 29 trips to the dmv and 2.5 years to register my vehicles.
Hello, I enjoy watching your videos I’m considering moving to Italy I would love if I could get some advice from you. It would be great if we could have a chat, please.
Thank you so much for the information. I do have several questions regarding moving to Italy. For my belongings that are sentimental (photo albums) and necessary such as (clothing, vitamins, and certain cosmetics), How difficult is it to ship clothing and household items such as pots and pans and cooking items you are very dependent on. Also, why do they not allow you to bring your jewelry? Are there any other items you can think of that cannot be placed in the shipping container? I am considering buying a fixer-upper but will need my tools. I got a rate of $65 for each 50lb box of items. I look forward to your reply. I truly appreciate you sharing your expertise. My best, Andrea
Shipping anything has gotten a lot more expensive in the past 5 years, at first COVID was to blame, then increased oil prices but those have now mostly gone away yet the prices remain where they are. We have friends who have moved here and had no issues bringing personal items or jewelry over, what makes you think that bringing it (assuming it's not a commercial quantity) is not allowed? You might even be able to carry it on the plane, perhaps smarter anyway due to potential high dollar and sentimental value. Alcohol is certainly difficult to ship; primarily because there has been a ton of fraud in the past they are strict about quantities. Tools could be useful but keep in mind that we have different power supply (not just plugs, also voltage) in Europe, meaning you would be forever limited to using converters. Between the cost of shipping and the risk of not being able to use your tools effectively I would suggest liquidating your tools in the US and buying new when you arrive here. It'll get you the mandatory European 2 year warranty and you'll be able to get them fixed as needed. We have heard good things about a service called sendmybag, it arrives quickly but is certainly not cheap. However; if you compare it to carrying it onto the plane as your third or 4th suitcase it is actually not a bad price. In general my recommendation is always to Marie Kondo your belongings before moving, it really has to have a lot of sentimental value to make the cut. We left the personal items you refer to (particularly art and photo albums) in a few boxes with family rather than attempt to ship it. As we've longed for specific things we have brought those back in our suitcases when we go back on our annual US trip to see family.
1:18 yeah it's not dodgy it's standard practice because the Italian government struggles with debt collection so they want you to pay immediately to be sure they'll get at least some of the money
We loved the video and so good to see you guys again! I know you’re busy, but thank you for sharing that. Love the chickens and their coop. They’re living the good life. Hope you guys received our email about plans, and have a great weekend! 🇮🇹 ciao❣️
And I am just confirming you guys still have an email and that we are corresponding with you both about a trip. Just making sure. ☺️ I am sure you understand. Have a great weekend. & ciao! 🇮🇹
Italy is very beautiful. Some of the people are friendly. However, I prefer to visit only. The bureaucracy is a real challenge with those not fluent in the language and business culture. It is also getting very crowded due to millions of tourists visiting major cities and many places of interest. There are often hours long lines that will impact your tourist experience and dollar value. I have had better Italian food in Manhattan and D.C. than in Rome. Suppose it depends on where you go.
This looks great ! Love the new planting at the garden and moving the Sequoia to a better place. You need to get yourselves a good livestock guard dog preferably a Maremmano to sleep with your chickens at night and protect the girls ❤
Obviously we will never know until it happens but so far there have been zero predator issues. The automated door locks them in right after dark and keeps them safe.
@@ouritaliandestiny7955 Keep in mind : If you had not allowed them to harvest previous season ,the people in the village would have known . You see, in Italy everyone is family 😉
The thing is, that several states in the US, make people with a non-US driver’s license take the full driver’s license test. That happened to me, when I moved from Switzerland to Nevada, USA. I’m now moving to Italy and can just exchange my Swiss drivers license to an Italian driver’s license, without taking any test. I have the feeling because the USA makes European take the full drivers license when moving to the US, the EU doesn’t just exchange driver’s license to Americans. 🤷🏻♀️ It’s the same with the ESTA and ETIAS travel authorization. Many Americans are angry that the European Union will have the ETIAS travel authorization from next year on and make American get that travel authorization to be able to enter the European Union. It’s just the USA makes us European get a ESTA to enter the USA and that since 2005.
This is not just for foreigners. As an American when I moved from New Jersey to Florida I didn’t have to do anything but switch my nj license for a fl license. But when I moved from fl to California I had to take a written and vision test (not the driving ironically. Makes sense like everything else in California). It just depends on the state/ commonwealth
We are in the middle of a hot spell but haven't reached 100f yet. We keep the shutters closed during the worst of the heat and then open it all up when it cools down. Fans do wonders. We do also have ac but rarely need to use it.
I am an American living in Italy, and just want to clarify, the written driver's test is also offered in French and German (on request and depending on the region in which you reside). English is not an option, however.
Here we go again...another entitled pushy Americans traveler with their attitudes of expectatuin that other people must fall into their American demands. Be more respectful! They just hurt the Italians! I would never wish to move there and live next to another rude Americans !
Plan to retire to Calabria. Ho la cittadinanza italiana. I knew about the test and the horsepower. Just was informed by Hertz that I got a ticket near Milano in April. Ugh🤦🏻♂️. They said to wait until the ticket is sent to my home in the states to pay it. Nothing is simple there.
I received 1 ticket in Oct 2022 in Calabria and 2 in 2023 in Firenze. The rental car company advised all and charged their fees with the same advice to wait for the citation to follow in the mail before paying. So far, nothing on any of them. Although I did have the process seen through to completion on a ticket about 10 years ago, I have my fingers crossed on the most recent wave. We'll see. Good luck on yours. Unlike what this post said, I have been told Italy has 5 years to process violations. Woo-hoo! 😂 You gotta laugh as crying does no good when they issue tickets like penny candy there. 🤷🏻♂️❤️🇮🇹
Thanks.. I have the ticket info and may just try to pay it. We have old tickets from the past too. This one however is in my name and I have the citizenship and I don’t need hassles down the pike. Nothing is ever easy or efficient there. The food makes up for it 😉
That's a lot. I paid in Spain for the same service plus a cassette inside eur 1800 in total. I heated my villa in Spain in winter with the air condition unit and if it was really cold and I wanted to have it warm and romantic I used the chimney with olive wood. The electricity costs were OK because you only need the ac unit for a few minutes to have warmth. I purchased a special vacuum cleaner for the fireplace for approx. Eur 300. This is very convenient. I also will have gas connection in Italy now. But I am very afraid of gas. I will see how expensive this will be. Thank you for your information. I paid the first installment for the house, hopefully I will get the house into my possession soon.
Agree. Wasn't cheap but we didn't really have a network to find multiple quotes. We would certainly consider electric for a quick heat boost but for now the pellets work well.
Being that I'm an American, who has decided to apply for Italian dual citizenship by decent, I was hoping you might be able to shed some light on how this may be different for me getting my license and purchasing a car..
You can purchase a car as a citizen even if you're not a resident. Were you to become a resident then you would need to obtain the Italian license as if you are an 18year old so keep that in mind when buying the car (keep it below the kw limit).
@@ouritaliandestiny7955 So, if I buy a place and don't live full time in Italy, I can keep applying for the international license and then buy and keep my car in Italy?
I believe so, yes. Here is a link I found: www.italian-desk.com/puo-un-cittadino-italiano-residente-allestero-comprare-e-quindi-immatricolare-un-veicolo-in-italia/
So nice to see you are both doing well! Your property is lovely and so peaceful. I loved getting to see your chickens, too. We had 4 chickens like the red ones you have in our home in Virginia and we miss them. We just arrived back in Albania this afternoon after spending 2.5 weeks in Abruzzo, Italy. We are so very excited because we put an offer on a house in Raiano and they accepted it! 😁👏🏻. So we are in the process of buying our Italian dream home. We probably won’t become residents for another 3-4 years, so we’ll be doing the Schengen shuffle. I’m still hoping that on one of our shuffle trips we’ll get to come and see you and your beautiful home! 😁🤞🏻 Every day we were in Italy I had gelato! 😉
Love your chickens…they are so calm, as a little girl I had a rooster chase me back to the house as I was collecting the eggs!!😱 Thank you for a great video!!
I don't believe it does, nor does a standard electric bicycle or scooter. There is a bike model called speed pedelec (my sister has one) which does require a license in Belgium. These bikes are extra powerful and reach speeds in excess of 30mph so they're almost like 50cc scooters hence the license/helmet requirement.
Hello Im thrilled for you guys making the move to Umbria ,its so beautiful and the rolling hills remind me of places in Montana but with amazing rock and stone houses centuries old. Villlas can be very affordable there even with acreage some with vineyards and olive orchards for under a million. I would like to know your yearly cost of living versus USA. Did you post a video about that? Thank you
Hi Rick and thanks for your comment. We haven't made a video about this but could certainly consider it as it's a hot topic for most people considering a move. In general I'd say cost of living is about half of what we were accustomed to in the US. We lived in Northern Nevada for the most part (Reno to be exact). Sites like Numbeo can also help you with comparisons although I'm not positive Perugia has sufficient data to offer the comparison. The biggest difference in cost of living can be attributed to a few key categories: 1. property tax is 0% currently in Italy for a primary residence 2. Healthcare is a lot cheaper, depending on your status it is either 2000 euro per year (for most retirees on the government system) or it's part of your income taxes for those that work. Co-pays are minimal with surgeries often costing less than a tank of gas. 3. Restaurants and food in general. We enjoy the local cuisine and go out quite regularly, we can have a nice meal with wine/beer, an appetiser and desert for about 50 euro. In our experience in the US it's difficult to stay below 100 dollars if you both have a few drinks. 4. Construction is cheaper here but an important piece is related to the red tape. Italy has excessive red tape, particularly for construction projects. However; if you have a project where you are updating an existing space then you don't need any of the permits/engineering consulting so the cost is way lower. Most blue collar professionals (electrician, plumber, builder, ...) here charge 30 euro or less per hour. Hope that helps to understand a bit where the difference may be. Fuel for your car is a lot more expensive (about 8 to 9 dollars per gallon currently) which is partly offset by the fact that you will most likely end up driving a much smaller and more efficient vehicle here. American amenities are also going to be more expensive if you can even find them (good luck finding a double shot soy macchiato on ice :-) ).
It sounds like some kind of hell.. Sure go visit there have a good time but why would you want to live there? Go where you are treated best.. I have been to Italy and everybody speeds, parks illegally, smokes , drinks to much, the trains are late, businesses closed when they are supossed to be open and tourists are fair game for exploitation... They treat expats badly with the selective tax system on property, cars insurance, banking, health care ... capital gains.. Its a country run by socialist gangsters that is going down the tubes...everybody with money or any ambition has left.
