Planning for your life in Italy.
Join the conversations: planning for your new life, heating options and regulations, Davis Cup champions, the mystery of Italian ruins and more.
It all starts with a plan. 📋✅🗓️
Do you remember the first time you realized a new life in Italy was possible? It’s an exciting moment that is typically followed by intense emotion, many questions, and a desire to GET THE BALL ROLLING! As someone who regularly puts the proverbial cart before the horse, I can relate.
It’s so tempting to fervently pursue the goal by focusing on the fun stuff: searching for property, analyzing train routes, planning holiday celebrations in your new Italian home, even decorating your soon-to-be kitchen…all before you even figure out how you’re going to make all of this happen. Sometimes exuberance can cloud judgment.
We’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating: having a plan is the best way to ensure your dream becomes reality. This is more than just circling a spot on a map. Citizenship opportunities, visa requirements, tax implications, currency exchange, and logistics are all crucial aspects of this journey. One of the biggest obstacles to success can be the temptation to rush through the process.
It can be overwhelming to sort through all of the regulations and requirements, but we're here to help.
We have a ton of FREE resources to help with your first steps. Check them out here. ⬇️
Heating Options and Regulations 🔥 🧣 ❄️
Winter is rolling in quickly, so it’s the perfect time of year to talk about heating a home in Italy. This is a less-than-exciting, practical topic that is truly necessary to consider, particularly in the property search process. Many houses in Italy are not insulated for heating efficiency. That, combined with the temptation to renovate for “open concept” living makes heating a challenge.
There are essentially 3 main ways to heat an Italian property: bottled gas, city gas, and pellets. Let’s take a look at each.
🔥 Bottled Gas - This option typically involves an external tank and a propane delivery service. While this option provides a consistent heat source, it is extremely expensive to heat a home in this way, sometimes prohibitively so. Prices are tied to world events and can fluctuate greatly.
🔥 City Gas - Properties in and close to bigger cities and towns are often on city gas. This is more economical. In some situations, your apartment building may have communal heat, where gas is centralized and costs are split among residents.
🔥 Pellets - In many Italian homes you’ll find a stufa that can burn pellets as a heat source. Pellets are often made from eco-friendly materials like crushed olive pits. Stufas can be connected to radiators and some models have blowers to help distribute the heat generated by the stove itself.
Some other options include wood-burning stoves/fireplaces and electric units that can heat and/or cool individual rooms.
⚠️ Ready to crank the heat at the first sign of chilly weather? Before you crank it up, you may want to pump the brakes. In Italy, the date you can turn the heat on, and the length of time you can run it each day, are regulated by the zone in which you live. You can read more about the regulations here, but this is a snapshot of the zone restrictions:
Zone A (Lampedusa, Linosa, and Porto Empedocle): 5 hours daily from 8 December to 7 March
Zone B (Reggio Calabria to Palermo and Catania): 7 hours daily from 8 December to 23 March
Zone C (Naples, Cagliari and Bari): 9 hours daily from 22 November to 23 March
Zone D (Rome, Florence, and Pescara): 11 hours daily from 8 November to 7 April
Zona E (Milan, Turin, and Bologna): 13 hours daily from 22 October to 7 April;
Zone F (Cuneo, Trento and Belluno): no limitations
👉🏼 Tip: The maximum temperature allowed is also regulated. This year, the max temperature has been set at 19° C (~66° F).
👉🏼 Tip: Setting up utilities in Italy is not an easy process. It could be one of the more frustrating experiences so be aware that the process takes time, patience, and persistence.
The heat source issue is significant enough to possibly impact your decision on the type of property you buy or rent. Overlooking its importance could be a very expensive mistake. Don’t forget, you can always wear a sweater inside!
Gli Sport - Team Italy Wins the Davis Cup for the First Time in 46 Years! 🎾 🏆 🇮🇹
It’s no secret that Italians love their sports and tennis is no exception. For many tennis fans around the world, the Davis Cup, also known as the “World Cup of Tennis,” is the highest honor in men’s tennis, aside from the four “majors” (the Australian Open, Wimbleton, the French Open, and the US Open). This event brings teams together from around the world, competing for a total of four weeks, spread out over the season. The finals just wrapped up in Malaga, Spain and, this year, team Italy raised the “world champion” trophy.
The last time Italy won the Davis Cup was 1976. Since then, the Italian team has played in 4 finals but never made it back to the championship podium… until this year.
Superstar Jannik Sinner showed why he’s considered one of the most promising young athletes in the world with his impressive defeat of world #1 Novak Djokovic in the semi-final between Italy and Serbia. He then cruised past Australian Alex de Minaur in the final. Other players on the Italian team include Matteo Arnaldi, Lorenzo Musetti, Lorenzo Songego, and Simone Bolelli.
Fans of Italian tennis have much to be excited about as the Davis Cup team is very young and was able to win without the help of an injured Matteo Berrettini. Winning back-to-back Davis Cups is rare, but Team Italy’s youth and momentum should propel them into 2024 with the desire to do just that.
Do you follow Italian tennis? Let me know in the comments.
Warning: Italy May Cause Stendhal Syndrome ⚠️
Maybe you’ve seen a dramatic portrayal of someone seeing a beautiful work of art and immediately fainting at the sight. For some, this may be more than drama. Actually, there’s a scientific term for the psychosomatic condition believed to be caused by extreme artistic beauty: Stendhal Syndrome, otherwise known as Florence Syndrome.
According to a BBC report, doctors in Florence see extremely emotional reactions to artwork about 10-20 times a year (some sources claim the number is closer to 100). This reaction can include fainting, a racing heart, nausea, dizziness, and tears. There is no official treatment but relaxation and breathing techniques are often encouraged.
The condition was named after French author Marie-Henri Beyle (pen-name, Stendhal). According to his book, Naples and Florence: A Journey from Milan to Reggio, he had a physical reaction to the artwork he saw during a visit to the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence in 1817. He summed up the experience by saying:
“I was in a sort of ecstasy, from the idea of being in Florence, close to the great men whose tombs I had seen. Absorbed in the contemplation of sublime beauty . . . I reached the point where one encounters celestial sensations . . . Everything spoke so vividly to my soul. Ah, if I could only forget. I had palpitations of the heart, what in Berline they call 'nerves'. Life was drained from me. I walked with the fear of falling.”
Samantha talked about Stendhal Syndrome during the last How to Move to Italy Bootcamp:
With every great change, there are risks. Starting your new life in Italy could be overwhelming for the senses…maybe in the very best way. Between the architecture, artwork, landscapes, and food, there is no shortage of overwhelming beauty, not just in Florence, but in all of Italy. So if you’re going to be diagnosed with anything, Stendhal Syndrome caused by exposure to extreme beauty may not be all that bad.
What are your thoughts on Stendhal Syndrome? Has a trip to the Uffizi moved you to tears? Let me know in the comments.
Location Spotlight - Monopoli, Puglia 🛶 🌺 🌵
Between the busy cities of Bari and Brindisi on Puglia’s Adriatic coast, you’ll find a beautiful fishing village bursting with character and sounds of the sea. White-washed buildings stand in stark contrast against the colorful flowers and cacti tumbling from terrace gardens. The monochromatic architectural landscape splashed with green and red shutters and sea-blue doors. Here, you’ll find the perfect balance of serenity and activity.
This characteristic town is beloved by locals and visitors alike for its Baroque churches, winding alleys filled with shops selling artisan products, quaint cafés, and quiet little nooks that invite weary travelers to relax for a spell.
Tradition and cultural heritage run deep in Monopoli, as they do throughout Italy. One of the most celebrated events is the feast day of the patron saint, Madonna della Madia. According to legend, an icon of the Madonna drifted into Monopoli’s port on a boat in 1117. This mystery is commemorated twice a year, on 15 August and 16 December. Other elaborate celebrations include Holy Week and the feast of the Santi Medici Cosma and Damiano (the first weekend of June).
If Puglia is a part of your property search, know that, with a population of over 50,000, Monopoli is not a 7% town, but there are several close by. As with many southern towns, the cost of living in this area is quite favorable when compared to the rest of Italy. Here is a snapshot of recent housing costs:
Last Sunday’s Vendita newsletter included this ⬇️ lovely property featuring two independent units and a sea view in Monopoli for under 300,000 €. Did you miss it? Be sure to subscribe via email, or join our Telegram channel. It’s completely free!
Is Monopoli on your list of places to visit? Let me know in the comments.
The “ruins” of Italy - Why are there so many? 🏠
Imagine you’re taking a drive through a rolling Italian countryside. The windows are down and the wind touches your cheeks as you take in the beauty…and then a dilapidated ruin on the side of the road catches your eye. It’s partially obscured by overgrown bushes and there’s a tree growing through what was once a roof, but you can tell that, at one time, this was loved as somebody’s home.
You wonder who you need to call to take this ruin off their hands. Surely a deal awaits…
Not so fast. While the 1 € home scheme has inspired people to think this way, purchasing one of these properties it’s always easy.
So how do these properties go from once habitable abodes to crumbling structures? It often has to do with Italian inheritance laws, which say inherited property must be divided equally between family members. So when a property owner passes, ownership can get complex.
Smart Move Italy once helped a buyer purchase a home that had 17 owners due to inheritance laws! This property was not a ruin but it illustrates the point that the ownership web can be sticky. The ruin that catches your eye could be owned by a number of people. Getting all the owners to agree on how to handle the property is difficult and the issue can be further complicated when you factor in sentimental value (which, in Italy, can’t be underestimated).
Some owners may not want to pay the taxes on the property. Others may want to sell. Still, others want to maintain it and keep it in the family. Negotiations and discussions can be drawn out for a long period of time, sometimes for generations.
Another important point to consider is the cost of renovating a ruin if you do happen to purchase one. You need to find out how the property is classified, if there is any historic designation, what types of permits are needed, etc. This is yet another facet of property ownership that can get more complicated than anticipated.
Each one of these ruins has a story to tell. They often inspire us to imagine what could be done with a restoration project and a little passion (oh, and a lot of money!). In most cases, imagining what could be is where the journey ends but that doesn’t stop us from dreaming.
Have you been tempted by a ruin? Tell me about it in the comments.
ASA (Ask Samantha Anything)
Email us at sophia@smartmoveitaly.com to submit your questions.
Dear Samantha: I am curious about alternative medicine options in Italy. Is the practice of functional medicine, chiropractic, and/or naturopathic medicine popular and, if so, is it covered in the public system?
Dear Carrie: My Italian friend once told me that Italians visit the herbalist first, the doctor second, and the longer I live here, the more I notice the acceptance to a natural approach to health and medicine.
They are however, rather superstitious and believe in subtle things like going out with wet hair will make you sick, or you can't swim until three hours after you eat, or my personal favorite, if the cold wind hits your neck (un colpo d'aria) it can cause a stiff neck, headache, a cold or even indigestion (hence all the scarves).
Health and wellness is a major priority in the Italian lifestyle and they know their bodies well.
You can find pretty much any type of alternative medicine in Italy from the very strange to the very accepted like items from a Parafarmacia which is like a pharmacy without the ability to fill prescriptions. Think herbs, natural remedies, vitamins etc.
Gifts for the Italy Enthusiast 🎄 🎁 🥂
Looking for the perfect Italy-inspired gift this holiday season? Be sure to check out Smart Move Italy’s Facebook page for a handy gift guide, launching 1 December. ⬇️ Don’t forget, you can always share Italy Per Te with a friend for FREE! The more the merrier.
As 2023 begins to wind down, we’d love to hear from you. How has Italy inspired you this year? What information have you found most valuable and what would you like to learn more about? We truly appreciate your feedback.
Thanks for reading and for being part of the Smart Move Italy famiglia. A presto!