La Dolce Vita Means "the sweet life..." and Life Gets no Sweeter Than in Sunny Italy
Italy has a staggering amount to offer travelers...and residents. Romantic cities. Timeless hill towns. Snowy mountains, idyllic islands, and a rivetingly beautiful coastline. Plus, outside the major cities, homes start at a mere $50,000—or less.
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View Italy in a larger mapFast Facts
View Italy in a larger map
Population: 58,147,733
Capital City: Rome
Climate: Predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south
Time Zone: GMT+1
Language: Italian
Country Code: 39
Coastline: 7,600 km
Location: Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea
Italy Articles
In a place where your dollar goes further… where today’s economic crisis is creating new opportunities… instead of taking them away.
Where costs of living, healthcare, and property are still affordable – like they once were in the US. And you can still live luxuriously… even hire a maid… on nothing more than your social security check.
Discover our top retirement destinations for 2012 at International Living’s Seventh Annual Ultimate Event.
Together-forever partners. Passing fancies. Torrid affairs. Love comes in many guises— and Italy was made for amore. Yet although Florence is a love song to art and culture, it doesn’t fit my idea of a romantic summer getaway.
The couple’s 300-year-old Italian farmhouse is now open for business. ©Melissa Ruttanai
As newlyweds, Ashley and Jason Bartner were beginning a new phase in their lives. Jason was a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York City. Ashley was an aspiring actress. But when they stepped off the plane for their honeymoon in Italy, they had no idea how different life was about to become.
If a small Italian farmhouse with a vineyard sounds sweet, then look to the Abruzzo (pictured), a region of southern central Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea.
I’m in northern Tuscany’s Lunigiana, the “Land of 100 Castles”. Originally built in the late 12th century, Fosdinovo is one of its best. Crowning a hilltop, it’s a square, fortress-like structure with inner garden courtyards and gorgeous tapestries. Incredibly gruesome stories, too.
In October, the real attraction in Le Marche, Italy is white truffles. If you’ve never tasted a truffle, you may not see the point. After all, as the fruiting body of an underground mushroom it doesn’t sound that nice. But don’t be fooled, these “diamonds of the kitchen” are highly prized. In 2007, a single white truffle weighing 1.5 kilos fetched the record price of $330,000.
Ask any Italian about Tuscany, Lombardy, or the Veneto and they can rattle off a list of the attractions of these well-known regions. But bring up Le Marche, scrunched between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea, and they may fall silent. It’s a mystery why. Less than three hours’ drive from Rome, Le Marche features sandy beaches and great seafood on its Adriatic Coast, rolling hills topped with medieval fortified towns and villages to the west, along with snow-capped peaks in the south. You’ll find a musical heritage, too…composer Rossini was born here.
The only sounds are waves lapping against the hull and the occasional fl ap of a sail as it captures the gentle breeze. Gliding through the turquoise waters of the Aegean aboard our yacht Destiny, we’re leaving the Greek island of Milos and heading west into the southern Ionian Sea. Our next destination is Elafonisos, one of the largest inhabited islands in the Peloponnese, known for its sandy beaches.
I’m sitting in the sun outside Concetta’s bar, sampling the local nectar. It may sound suspiciously like relaxation, but don’t be fooled. This is work—I’m researching longevity. This could be the key to rewinding my biological clock (yours too). Intense purplish-red, Cannonau certainly tastes healthy. And it’s only $2.10 a glass.
The economies of the PIIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Spain) are in disarray. Europe is in the throws of a banking crisis brought on by (among other things) exposure to Greek sovereign debt. Many of you have been asking if now is the time to jump in.
I realized I had the expertise to share my knowledge of Italy along with the necessary skills to travel there. That’s when I considered leading tours, and I conceived the idea for my “First Trip to Italy” tour. My first tour was an 11-day Italian Sampler. My goal was to visit the major icons of Italy (Rome, Florence, and Venice) while teaching Italian-specific travel skills to first-time Italy travelers.
Here’s a round-up of some of the travel-related stories that have been making the news around the globe.
For many folks, the drive down California’s Highway One epitomizes the road trip. The views are glorious. But it’s hardly the only stretch of road that’ll make you stop and stare. That’s why we asked our International Living editors to tell us about their favorite road trips. Here’s the list below, in no particular order of preference.
Around an hour from Rome, Lago di Bolsena shimmers in the Lazio sunshine like a liquid forget-me-not. Unlike northern Italy’s lakes, Bolsena is almost unknown to foreign visitors. But so too is the Maremma, the old name for northern Lazio and the southernmost reaches of Tuscany.
Europe has so much to offer a potential expat…great food, a diverse choice of cultures, stunning countryside where life is quiet and relaxed and the buzz of everyday life seems a million miles away, awe-inspiring mountains for skiing and soft, sandy beaches for wiling away summer days…
But isn’t Europe expensive? That’s the observation we hear most about Europe and the answer is that Europe can be expensive…unless you know the right places to look!
In this report we’ll tell you about our favorite places in “Romantic Europe” and hope to make you dream of new places in the “Old World.”
From steaks in Buenos Aires to tapas in Madrid, some cities are worth visiting for the food alone. Below, our writers give their tips and recommendations for eating well in 10 of the world’s culinary capitals. First up is Bangkok. Bangkok’s lower Sukhumvit Road area is an oft-missed foodie’s paradise.
The Latin phrase festina lente (make haste slowly) suits the Maremma in Italy. It’s as if the air compels you to slow down and really savor Italy’s sweet life. But why savor it only on vacation? A move-into village house could be yours for $63,000. And consider this: You’d only be a 90-minute drive from Rome.
Known as the “Etruscan Coast,” golden beaches fringe the Maremma—the historic name for part of southern Tuscany and northern Lazio. Overlooked by the ancient Etruscan stronghold of Populonia, this beach is on the Golfo di Baratti.
No wonder Pistoia is Tuscany’s least visited city. One guidebook describes it as “gloomy.” The phrase “murderous reputation” also appears with alarming frequency. Obviously I had to go take a look. It sounded like my kind of place.
In this video, IL’s European editor, Steenie Harvey is bathing in history in Tuscany, Italy. The hot springs near Saturnia in southern Tuscany’s Maremma region were used by both the Romans and the earlier Etruscans.
First it was the acrobat tied up in a tree. Then the three-headed woman with a snake slithering from her posterior. Now there’s a naked warrior with a belly big enough for Sumo wrestling… No, not a Tuscan freak show—it’s Piazza Matteoti in the northern Tuscan town of Pietrasanta. And these are only three of the town’s many bronze and marble sculptures.
Many Italian towns have a Bar Michelangelo. But few can claim that the country’s most celebrated artist and sculptor lived and worked there for four years. Pietrasanta can, and you’ll find its Bar Michelangelo on Piazza del Duomo, the cathedral square.
In the heart of Licciana Nardi, the three-bedroom house I’m viewing doesn’t require any work. It has 1,290 square feet of living space, and a cantina for storing those lovely bottles of wine and olive oil. A covered terrace overlooks the town’s old borgo (main laneway).
There’s a world of difference between Northern Tuscany and Central Tuscany. Most foreign visitors only explore the Chianti villages and the “Golden Triangle” cornered by Pisa, Florence and Siena. But unless you veer away from the well-trodden paths, you’ll never realize how affordable Tuscany can be.
My nose keeps getting distracted—the air is scented with fresh foccaccia bread and cornetti, Italy’s version of the croissant. As real estate agent Sylvie points out, this house comes with breakfast on the doorstep. A traditional bakery is just across the street.
In the third in this series of just-back-from-the-field briefings, IL’s Roving Euro Editor, Steenie Harvey, pulls back the curtain to reveal a hidden part of Tuscany.
Steenie found some amazing deals here and she really has a passion for the region.
In this video, IL’s European editor, Steenie Harvey, shows footage of The Devil’s Bridge, in Borgo a Mozzano, Tuscany (Lucca province). There’s a colorful story attached to this bridge—and it’s also a great area to seek out affordable properties.
In this video, IL’s European editor, Steenie Harvey, is in Marina Pietrasanta, one of the most attractive resort towns on Tuscany’s Versilia Riviera in Italy. The backdrop is the Apuan Alps (whose white marble was hewn for Michelangelo).
The cost of living in Italy can admittedly be high. But even in glamorous Tuscany, they can also be affordably low. As always, much depends on your lifestyle—and also your location. Most people have heard of the Tuscan cities of Florence and Siena. But go to a city like Pistoia and your cost of living will be low.
You don’t have to live in Italy to get married here. Although there is quite a lot of legwork and paper chasing involved, countless American citizens have tied the knot in Florence, Rome, and many other cities. If you are thinking of an Italian wedding, check that rules haven’t changed with an Italian Consulate office in the U.S.
In this video, International Living European editor, Steenie Harvey finds something “unusual” at the antiques market in Florence, Italy.
In this video, International Living European editor, Steenie Harvey visits the antiques market in Florence, Italy, which takes place on the last Sunday of each month. The venue is Piazza de’Ciompi and the surrounding streets.
In this video, International Living European editor, Steenie Harvey, tries tripe in a restaurant in Florence, Italy. Although the Italians are renowned for their fantastic pastas and pizzas, Steenie wouldn’t recommend trying tripe!
An apartment of 50 sq. mts. (537 square feet) in the prime spots of northern Italy’s cities can be expensive–as much as $650,000. But look to its warmer southern regions and property prices in Italy fall dramatically.
Go light on breakfast. Avoid the van selling roast pork. Spurn the gelateria with pistachio ice cream.
A crispness in the air promises Mediterranean winter is on its way. Trees have turned gold, the Tiber is wreathed in early morning mist, and buying cones of hot, roasted chestnuts doesn’t seem a crazy thing to do. Under winter’s pale blue skies, Italy’s capital is back in the keeping of its inhabitants. Back to its ravishing best.
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In a place where your dollar goes further... where today's economic crisis is creating new opportunities... instead of taking them away.
Where costs of living, healthcare, and property are still affordable – like they once were in the US. And you can still live luxuriously... even hire a maid... on nothing more than your social security check.
Discover our top retirement destinations for 2012 at International Living’s Seventh Annual Ultimate Event.
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