V. The part is called: The Car Conundrum
PART 5: I thought it might be of interest to share how we pulled off living in Italy for part of the year. I will post some steps we took.
We are in Puglia until the end of September, then back again in the winter.
The Car Conundrum when living in Italy.
Step 1: When we started down the path of living in Italy for part of the year, we had to deal with transportation. Visiting Italy as a tourist and renting a car for a week is much different than living there for 3 months (which is what we are doing now) and having transportation. We have a budget of what we can afford so our choices were not unlimited, but we realized that we did have choices.
Step 2: Choices. Upon investigation, we realized that our transportation choices include: not having a car, renting a car, leasing a car, or buying a car. Each of these choices has consequences.
Step 3: Investigation. Some of the consequences of each choice include: not having a car would require us to live in a bigger town or city; renting a car for months gets extremely expensive very fast; leasing a car is more affordable than renting but is still a considerable expense; buying a car requires that one have legal residency in Italy.
Step 4: Discernment and choice. Since we decided to take our sojourn in Italy step by step, we realized that the best step for us is leasing a car, and we found the best rates from RenaultUSA. You can only rent from Rome and Milan, but it fits our needs for 3 months.
Step 5: New possibilities. We have been here in Puglia for one month already and have realized that much of what gets accomplished is through relationships. We heard from other expats that it is possible to rent a used car from a small company down here for even less than leasing, so that seems to be the way we will go when we return in the winter.
Step 6: Residency. When one becomes a resident, one can legally purchase and own a car in Italy, but one should do one’s homework regarding that step.
Our adventure in Puglia is entering its second month and we are overjoyed and grateful here.
Watch for my book coming around the 1st of the year: "Stories from Puglia: Two Californians in Southern Italy".
More next time.
After a few years we still have the car cunundrum. Honestly, we have adapted to not having a car. We rent from a local car rental agency when friends visit, otherwise, we walk or take the bus.
Good guide books may have lots of helpful information, but what they don't tell you is always greater than what they do tell you. Your Car Conundrum is a good example.