Our Italian Adventure: Searching for a Home in Italy: Our Priorities

PART 113: It might be interesting to share how we pulled off living in Italy for part of the year. I will post some steps and what we are learning along the way.

We love every minute of it, and what was once a dream is our life!

We live in Tuscany in the Fall, then back again in the Spring, and in California for the rest of the time (in a previous blog, I explained why we live in Italy only part of the year).

Step 1: As we explore areas in Italy, we are discovering some gems worth sharing. Some are well-known tourist magnets, and others are lesser-known but always amazing.

This week, let's explore our priorities and criteria for searching for a home in Italy.

Step 2: After a thorough search with some unexpected twists and turns, we found our home in Italy. As we explored different areas, towns, and geographical positions in the country, we came to the realization that no location or home was perfect. We understood that we needed to prioritize and decide what aspects were most important to us and which ones were less so.

Maybe sharing the criteria we used to find our place could help others.

Step 3: Needs and Wants

When we were looking for a place to live in Italy, we had trouble finding one that met all of our needs and wants. Everything we were looking for seemed important, so we were reluctant to make any compromises. As we continued our search, we began to realize that it would be helpful to differentiate between what we absolutely needed and what would just be a nice bonus. Here are some of our findings.

Step 4: Must haves

• We had a set budget to stick to, considering our retirement savings. It was crucial for us to find a property within our budget.

• We were looking for a place with at least two bathrooms or one big enough to add a second bathroom.

• We were keen on finding a home with historical character to make our life in Italy unique compared to California.

• Proximity to essential services such as gyms, supermarkets, and other amenities was important for us.

• We were particularly interested in living close to historical and cultural areas, which led us to focus our search in the northern parts of Italy.

• Since we planned to use our Italian home as a base for traveling around Europe, we prioritized finding a location with easy access to other European countries and nearby airports.

• We were also conscious of the overall mentality and openness towards diversity in the area, especially as a gay couple.

• We preferred a lively town with a vibrant community over a quiet village with limited social activities and a dwindling population.

• Living in town was a priority for us as we wanted to immerse ourselves in the local community and establish connections with our neighbors. We also wanted to be able to walk to cafes and restaurants.

• Lastly, we wanted a location with easy access to and from Rome, as it's the city we frequently visit and use as a hub for our travels.

Step 5: "Mandatory" requirements that turned into "nice to have":

Our criteria changed, and what started as essential sometimes became optional. Some of the criteria that are "nice to have but not essential" include:

• Having a train station in town: We realized that we would limit our options if we only looked at towns with train stations. Since we are comfortable with driving and renting a car in Italy, this wasn't a major factor for us.

• Street life: One of the main reasons I wanted to live in Italy was the vibrant street life I experienced in Rome. However, we discovered that only the larger towns or cities have the kind of street life I was looking for, and most of these places are outside of our budget. We believe that building local friendships will help fulfill this aspect of Italian life.

• Roof terrace or yard: Both of us enjoy entertaining, but we found that many homes in the historical centers of the Tuscany area we were considering lack outdoor space. While having outdoor entertainment space would be wonderful, we decided to treat this as a "nice to have" in order to achieve our goal of finding a place in or near the historical center.

Step 6: What we found.

I never thought that we could afford to live in Tuscany, so I never investigated the area from that point of view until our local friends in Puglia urged us to go there and look at the Monte Amiata, as well as other areas. We found housing that fit our budget. When we zeroed in on a house, we found a two-bedroom/one-bathroom place in the historical center of Arcidosso. Before we made an offer, our realtor did the footwork to find out if a 2nd bathroom could be built; the answer was affirmative.

Since Arcidosso is a fully functioning town, with friendly neighbors and residents, we soon developed a sense of belonging. With no train station, we would need to rely on our car, but we could also drive to Grosseto, 45 minutes away, to access a major train hub. We don't have a terrace or yard, but we do have a 16th-century house with wood beam ceiling and terrazzo floors in the beautiful medieval center of Arcidosso, which is full of symbols of the Knights Templar and hints at a fascinating history near the Via Francigena pilgrim route.

We had our second bathroom built and upgraded the house to American standards (new kitchen, new windows, washer/dryer, cozy living room) and now have a place in Tuscany that we can actually call home. It seems unreal, but it is true.

Insights:

Deciding what is essential and what is optional when searching for a house in Italy is a necessary step for a dream to become a reality.

More next time.

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