Expats living in Italy

by Diane
(Diano Marina, IM, Italy)

Diano Marina (Imperia)

Diano Marina (Imperia)

I am an Italo-American who decided to retire and move to Italy....my ancestors are from Liguria and indeed my elderly parents still live here.
We live in the beautiful town of Diano Marina in the province of Imperia. We are literally a stone's throw from the French-Italian border, a mere hour from Nice's airport.

The weather here year round is wonderfully mild, except for the famous months of July and August which can be quite hot, especially when we get those heat waves from Africa known as "anti ciclone africano".

I always advise our friends to skip those two months as the tourist population swells incredibly, making travel difficult.

We shy away from the private beaches, they are very expensive for our retired budget. But we do have a few stretches of free beach and you can also rent a chair and umbrella there for a reasonable sum.

Andrew's reply: What a gorgeous part of the world to retire to Diane...lucky you! I know this part of the coast fairly well as we love spending the summer's down the road in San Lorenzo al Mare. It is a charming and delightful coastline to be able to call home.

I agree though about July and August being too crowded. I remember that when we used to live in Turin we'd drive down on weekends from April until the end of June. After end June it was just solid congestion all the way along the coastal road from Savona to San Remo. The beaches were full to bursting and you'd wait forever to get served in restaurants.

Regarding your comments about the beaches; I too am not much of a fan of the private beaches and actually prefer the free ones, those where you can put your towel down wherever you like and aren't confined to regimented lines of deckchairs. All along the coast there are enough free ones to satisfy - except for July and August when they get a little crowded.

Thanks too for the photo, if you have anymore I'd love to see them.

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starstarstarstarstar 		Diano Marina in winter?
by: Rich

I would be interested in hearing from people living in Diano Marina to hear what life is like there in the winter months. Obviously this is a very personal opinion, but I would still love to hear what you feel the pros and cons are.

I am also an American of Ligurian descent (eastern Riviera) and very familiar with the coastal region, east and west. I have often thought of relocating there. Having visited Diano Marina recently — and really liking it — got me thinking of relocating again.

I have spent most of my life in smaller cities (population under 100,000) both in the states and here in Europe (I live in Austria). I’ve only been to Liguria in the spring, summer and fall. I’m sure I’d enjoy living there in those months. Somehow not so sure I’d enjoy the winter quite as much. Obviously I would spend a winter there before relocating. But any input from, others would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks Rich
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Why not Milan or Valencia?
by: Andrew

I'm not sure how long you need to live in Italy, but I'd suspect once you have a full-time job you should not have a problem. You could always organize a mortgage in Holland if all else fails.

I really like Valencia but just much prefer smaller Italian cities. Some smaller cities that I feature on the site which I love are Padova, Verona, Urbino, Ascoli Piceno, Vicenza and Lerici. I don't like Milan because it is a big, expensive, dirty city and the out-of-control graffiti really irritates me. You get it all over Italy, but Milan, Rome and Naples seem to be the worst.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Living in Italy - response to Andrew
by: Mark C

Hi Andrew, I really appreciate your response. Some very good points.
Can I ask WHY you don't rate Valencia?
And why NOT Milan?

How long would we need to live there for before a mortgage can usually be organised?
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Life can be Wonderful Mark
by: Andrew

Some parts of Italy are friendlier than others. There is lots of bureaucracy but it doesn't mean you can't still live a good life. There are not really extremes between rich and poor except in the south and mortgages can be organized after you have lived there for a while and if you have a fixed and full-time job.

I've spent a lot of time in Valencia as my father lived near there and if I had to choose I'd choose Italy. Not Milan though. Somewhere like the Veneto (https://www.italymammamia.com/veneto-italy.html) is lovely.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Moving to Italy ??
by: Mark C

Hi everyone, I am british and my wife dutch, we have 3 kids. We live in NL currently but we have an opportunity to live in Italy. I am able to go and work with our Italian organisation. We WERE hoping to move to Valencia, Spain however this is uncertain.

Regarding Italy we have the impression that it might be for us for the following reasons,

Lots of rules and social controls
Even more bureaucratic (too much?)
It doesnt seem to be any balance, its rich its poor, its mega busy, its quiet countryside.

We have read expats saying that contrary to popular belief, the Italians are not as welcoming as perceived.

It also seems very expensive and mortgages seem impossible to access.

Can anyone offer their opinion?
Many thanks!

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