ILA Magazine: The World’s Best Places to Retire Overseas Subscribe Now and Save 35% about subscribing to International Living Magazine 
Whether you choose to live near the Mediterranean, the Adriatic or the Alps, Italy offers the kind of life that can’t be duplicated anywhere else on the planet.
Known for its romantic cities, timeless hill towns, snowy mountains, idyllic islands and beautiful coastline, it’s one of Europe’s most magical and vibrant countries. The watery beauty of Venice. The heritage and art of Florence. The Eternal City itself, Rome.
And big-city life is only one option. Italy has many small art towns, which offer great attractions…medieval gems set amongst the lost-in-time landscapes of Le Marche, Umbria and Tuscany. These regions make up central Italy…and they’re places you could easily imagine yourself living. Towns like Urbino, Orvieto and horse-mad Siena. Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis…San Gimignano of the starry nights and medieval stone skyscrapers…
If you enjoy the good things in life, you should take a look at Italy. And that applies whether you’re considering buying an affordable home in the sunshine for retirement…or as a bolthole for holidays. Italy is the perfect place for enjoying extended adventures. Stay a month, stay a year, stay forever…
With thousands of miles of coastline and a mountainous spine, in spring the sea and mountain combination means you could be skiing in the morning and beach-bumming by the afternoon.
The sands on the Adriatic Coast are smooth and golden. And even in winter, the waves sing of summers to come. It’s a country of sizzling sunshine and balmy evenings, of fishing trips and harbours jostling with white-sailed yachts. Piazzas erupt with parties. Lengthy meals are enjoyed al fresco.
And the views from every village, town and city are sensational. You can always see another collection of spires, towers and rooftops lying like buried treasure in the folds of the mountain foothills.
For many people, where to find the world’s most passionately indulgent lifestyle is no secret. At the last official count, 4,570,317 foreigners were living in Italy. Living there and enjoying la dolce vita. That’s local lingo for ‘the sweet life’. And at a much lower cost than you might think.
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Italy offers endless sights and historical attractions; I could list a hundred just in Rome alone. There’s so much to see no matter where you go. But part of the pleasure of “la dolce vita” is combining sightseeing with unique only-in-Italy experiences.
“Rome is one of a kind. The modern city coexists next to ancient architectural feats. Cars weave around Roman monuments and new buildings adjoin Classical ruins. It’s like a living museum,” says Kelly Medford.
The smell of jasmine follows me down the river as I cycle home. On any given night, you can find my husband Rami and I at the park across the street from our place, sitting with our French Bulldog, looking out onto the city that I’ve chosen to call home.
Sitting at a cliff-side table overlooking the white-washed old town of Polignano a Mare, my husband Bryan and I marvel at how it manages to stay on its rock and not slide into the water below.
Italy. Its terracotta rooftops and rolling vine-covered hills, colourful cliff-side villages and fresh, flavourful, food and rich culture have captured the imagination of the world for decades.
It was on a trip to the central Italian region of Abruzzo in late autumn that David and Sharyn Collins stumbled upon their new home. “We stopped in Sulmona and fell in love with it. It is one of Italy’s best-kept secrets. Sulmona is right in the centre of a valley with lots of beautiful towns, unspoiled villages, castles and wineries scattered all around it in the mountains,” the couple say.