Thread: southern italy; a no-brainer?

a knowledgable n.italian told me that living in the south is 30% cheaper than in the north. also, of course the weather is warmer down there. it's historic and tranquil, wow! isn't this the obvious place to go for retirement? and yet, going by these forums, south italy doesn't seem to be popular, compared for example to s. spain. why is this? of course there are many things to consider. can an oldster like me find reasonably- priced health-care? is it difficult to get a residence visa? for a person who lives modestly, how much does it cost to live there? please weigh-in and if anyone needs info on living in canada, the states, croatia, or uruguay, I'll do my best to help because I have lived in all of these places. many thanks, sincerely - clepington

Do you speak Italian? That would be a help I guess. It always used to be the poorer part of Italy didn't it and, therefore, a bit high on the crime rate. I don't know if that is still the case.

hi, it puzzles me that my thread seems to have been virtually ignored! By all reports, Brits are all over Europe living the expat life. Seems logical that a fair portion of that number probably live in Italy. (or have researched it on-location)
I am also a participant of an expat forum in S. America, where I live. It is an American expat forum (US). The participation within that forum is astonishing! Many enthusiastic people chatting, participating; covering a myriad of subjects. It is just continually buzzing!
By comparison, it seems like this Brit forum is in need of urgent resuscitation!
What is the problem here? Is it that there really are very few responders? Maybe most people who have previously registered, are no longer enthusiastic, and have turned their attention elsewhere. Looks like it.
I just do not believe that no one out there has any knowledge to share about the South of Italy.
Maybe I am an idealist, dreamer, but I believe that an expat forum is a fellowship; people with things in common, helping each other.
Sorry, criticism does not come easy to me but I just do not see any of these things happening in my first experience here in the "Brits Abroad"

A happy new year to all, sincerely, -Clepington

My take is that forums go in fits and starts and it's all down to whether people want to participate or not. I think you also get people interested in certain countries flocking to the most popular forums.

I've not seen a lot of participation from certain European residents, not a lot from Asia residents (I'm in Asia). You do seem to get a high number of posters from US and Canada on this board.

The problem with forums is no-one wants to participate in an empty forum and you've got to start somewhere so, good for you, keep plugging away about Italy. I guess the more you post, the more it will come up on search engines, and then you'll get some participation. Andy, any views on this??

I wish I had something to say about Southern Italy but have never been there unfortunately. Presumably you have to be EU citizen to live there? Do they have any of those nasty wealth taxes there (like France, Spain)?

Hi Skink.

Yes your quite right about this forum, i haven't heard from the owner Tim in months.

It seems as soon as the members get the information they require they leave, it's just a handfull that stay and help others out.

Just wish we had more members like you 2.

Happy New Year to you both.


Andy

Need to give Tim a little nudge :v_SPIN:. I must admit I've not been posting much on here lately though I have a good excuse as we have moving plans this year and there is soooooo much to do.

I don't know if we're allowed to do this here, but I have a website geared to living in different countries. It's purely informational, we're not selling anything. If the moderator allows, here's the web address:
www.achangeoflifestyle.com

Best to all... a Yank soon to be a Brit!

No idea about Italy, but I will be interested in what you you think of it as I seriously thought about moving there. I moved to Brazil instead. Bahia is not tranquil.

Southern Italy, Bari, Brindisi are good areas to consider. Cheaper than the north. Also check out Sicily. Another great place to relocate.
Jann