INSIDE: Ravello’s Hotel Caruso 3 One Couple Who Retired in 5 New Hotels in 6 Pros + Cons of Retiring in Italy 8

The Skinners retired in Umbria A Romantic Renewal in dream of Ravello ® og-tired from a challenging D daylong hike, we drag our rain soaked, mud splattered bodies through the doors of a modest hotel off the main square in Ravello. I’m worried about my husband. He’s too quiet and I wonder if all those shepherd’s trails, serpentine turns and stony steps above Volume 8, Issue 1 www.dreamofitaly.com February 2009 the Gulf of Salerno have done him in. ITALY But when we leave our fellow hikers at the front desk and sequester ourselves The Rewards and Realities in our room, he suddenly comes to life. of Retiring in Italy Emulating James Bond, he rushes to the window and draws the blinds. He Though not apparent at first, those attempting to speak Italian and gestures to me to be quiet and dramati- Tsettle in Italy and you’ll discov- seem to genuinely appreciate any effort cally waves his arms to keep me from er that Italians are a study in to do so. collapsing on the bed. Uncomprehen- contrasts. The same easygoing shop- ding, thinking him utterly mad, I head keeper who lets you pay for your food Yet while Italian locals may be friendly, toward the shower, but he blocks the whenever you get around the efficiency can make door. to it, can turn into an new American arrivals impatient, pushy cur- crazy. Old hands urge “Not yet,” he says. “We’ve got to get mudgeon behind the patience. One expat says out of here.” wheel of the car, or stand- she has come to an abid- ing in a long line. ing acceptance of the “What?” I cry. Discovering how much Italian bureaucratic ways more there is than meets and has developed a He shushes me and now, I know he’s the eye with the Italian “two-trip rule.” “It takes gone completely bonkers. people can be fascinating. at least two visits to do anything. If you go to the comune office or to the “We’re leaving,” he says, grabbing my Expats universally wish they had questura in , it will take at least hand. “I’ve got a surprise for you.” learned more of their host country’ s two visits to accomplish your goal. language before making the move. This can be very trying until you real- And indeed he does. Like a magician While many Italians who live in the ize that this is just the way it is and pulling a rabbit from a hat, he extracts major cities and more visited areas you start to plan on getting something a carry-on bag from his suitcase, tells speak some English, most Italians in done in two trips not one,” she says. me to throw in something nice, then all smaller towns don’t speak any. Italians but steamrolls me through the door. We are generally warm and patient with continued on page 4 continued on page 2 More than 6 million Americans live abroad. A Romantic Renewal in Ravello continued from page 1 “Beckoned by the view, bejeweled Amalfi Coast,

skulk out of the hostel, bags in hand, as a solicitous gaggle of staff surrounds Janet escorts us to our suite; a room cross the piazza where couples gather us. Everybody seems to know who we called “The Trilogy” for its three lancet for drinks at outdoor tables and chil- are. windows that frame the sea beyond. dren pass soccer balls back and forth in Beckoned by the view, we step out on a ritualistic affirmation of sunset; we “You’re late,” says a posh woman who the private patio to find we dangle wind through a narrow hugs me and introduces above the bejeweled Amalfi Coast, an alley or two and climb a herself as Janet. She eyes impression made more vivid by the deluge of steps. me curiously. “If you need champagne we sip. We’re still in hiking a hairdresser or makeup togs when the phone rings. “The wed- Moments later, an elab- ding planner is here,” says our posh orately carved, pillared mother hen. portal flanked by stone lions greets us. Through Still speechless, I rush to the bathroom it, across a cotto-floored, to shower. And that’s when I balk. It’s vaulted room, a riveting such a sybaritic room, so indulgently seascape is captured in Roman and marbled and luxurious, I a panoramic window. It consider skipping draws the eye like the this whole surprise horizon line in a land- renewal of vows scape painting. I conclude we stand at artist, thing to just linger the threshold of a private villa—until a I can in the tub. But I get doorman materializes, urges us inward arrange it.” I look toward my over it, and without and says, “Welcome to the Hotel husband who shrugs. Then, she the help of the 2 Caruso.” continues. “Explain it to me— make-up artist, I this renewal of vows—what is manage to look We cruise passed the Neapolitan-style it exactly? We don’t really have slightly presenta- furnishings and mosaic-covered walls it in Italy.” ble. of this former 11th-century patrician’s palace timidly. My first instinct is to “Yes, explain it,” I say, looking at my Downstairs, we meet the wedding smarten my untidy hiker’s hair. gloating husband. planner, Linda Gatto who runs La Preening, I dust off my dirty shorts just Lampada di Aladino (Aladdin’s Lamp), creators of custom weddings along the Amalfi Coast. In tow, she has her mother, Carmen, and Giovanna da Amato, a charismatic poet who will Amalfi Coast preside over our ceremony. Someone hands me a bouquet of white roses. A concierge smiles and tells us we “look much better.”

Naples My husband, Carl, having organized Ravello all of this via the Internet, greets Linda like an old friend and at that moment Salerno Sorrento we all connect in a joyous sort of

Amalfi union. These are our metaphorical

Positano maids of honor, or best women—as it Capri were.  A 1903 New York Times article made we step out on the private patio to find we dangle above the an impression made more vivid by the champagne we sip.”

Surrounded by our Italian intimati, we can go inside to la cappella, the hotel’s glows with the successful outcome of walk through a garden infused with historic chapel.” his wedding vow secret plot. Delirious, the seductive scent of lemons to an I decide it might be a dream, but when imperious infinity pool. Posed there, “No.” Tantalized by the scenery and the waiter returns he carries my bou- veritably floating above a sea awash the palpable tenderness of the tiny quet, left behind somewhere like with a thousand turquoise tones, we crowd, I say, “This is perfect,”— and Cinderella’s shoe at the ball. We place hear our serenade: the dulcet song of everyone nods in approval. Giovanna it in a vase and ponder this place— the waves. Suddenly, it thunders. wraps us in a ribbon marked with col- Ravello— where dreams fuse with Alarmed, Janet says, “If you’d like we ors of the Italian flag, then reads reality.

—Becca Hensley

Wedding Planner Austin-based freelance writer Becca Hensley Linda Gatto speaks just enough Italian to get her in trou- La Lampada di Aladino ble. A pasta fanatic, poet and mother of three, Viale degli Eucalipti, 18 she is also senior travel writer for Austin Monthly. Her work has appeared in Salerno National Geographic Traveler, Robb (39) 089 751294 Report, American Way, Forbes and Self. www.amalfi-wedding-planner.com

poems and speaks of beautiful things The Details like love, peace, and commitment. Just  as we say a few romantic words to Hotel Caruso each other, the ceremony ends and the Piazza San Giovanni del Toro, 2 rain begins. dream of 3 Ravello ® (39) 089 858801 We run for cover and staff appears www.hotelcaruso.com from the woodwork to wrap us in ITALY Rates: Start at 620€ per night for a double thick towels, hand us champagne and Kathleen A. McCabe room, with breakfast. escort us to the hotel’s restaurant. On Editor and Publisher The hotel offers a daily, complimentary boat the way, Linda tells us this is her first excursion for guests to sightsee in Positano vow renewal, though she has organ- Copy Editor: Stephen J. McCabe ized weddings on every sort of boat, in Design: Leaird Designs and Amalfi. Avid hikers will enjoy trails that www.leaird-designs.com begin near the palace and lead through the helicopters hovering over Capri, in vineyards, Norman towers, grottos and Dream of Italy, the subscription newsletter covering mountains, along cliffside paths and through Italian travel and culture, is published 10 times a year. idyllic villages. Motor and sail boat trips can gardens. “Anything is possible,” she Delivery by mail is $89 per year in the United States and be arranged for visits to Capri and beyond. says. $99 abroad. An Internet subscription (downloadable PDF) costs $79 per year. Subscriptions include online Try a Watsu class in the hotel’s infinity pool access to over 60 back issues and regular e-mail updates. or work out in the fitness center with Since our ceremony is symbolic, there’s Three ways to subscribe: panoramic views. When dining at the no paperwork, a plus considering the 1. Send a check to Dream of Italy, P.O. Box 5496, Caruso, don’t resist regional specialties. Try infamous bureaucracy of the Italian Washington, DC, 20016 2. Call 877-OF-ITALY (toll free) or 202-297-3708 buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes and basil, system. But Linda knows how to navi- 3. Subscribe online at www.dreamofitaly.com (Visa, lobster medallions with green beans and gate that with ease, and many from Mastercard and American Express accepted) oranges from Sorrento and ravioli filled with across the globe have been married Editorial feedback is welcome. E-mail: [email protected] red onion and Cetara tuna. under her tutelage here on the Amalfi Advertising opportunities are available. Coast. E-mail: [email protected] Copyright © 2009 Dream of Italy, Inc. All Rights As quickly as they emerged to admin- Reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without per- ister their magic, our new friends mission is prohibited. Every effort is made to provide information that is accurate and reliable; however, vanish. I glance at my husband who Dream of Italy cannot be responsible for errors that may occur. ISSN 1550-1353 www.dreamofitaly.com the Hotel Caruso famous in the U.S. Retiring in Italy continued from page 1 There are no restrictions on who can be a frustrating process,

Health/Medical Residency and Red Tape Though a true comparison, of course, depends on where in the U.S. or All Italian residents have the option of If you’re a U.S. resident and planning Canada you come from, it now costs joining the national health service, to stay in Italy for less than 90 days, about the same to live in Italy as in the Servizio Sanita Nazionale (SSN). technically you’re supposed to register United States; more in cities like Rome, Americans who wish to join are with the local police department Florence and Milan; far less in rural required to show the previous year’s (questera) and receive a “stay” visa villages and hill towns. tax return and will be asked to pay within eight days of arriving. Few peo- 7.5% of their net income to join the ple actually do this, however. This Cristina Fassio of Expatsinitaly.com sums national plan. The minimum yearly “stay” visa can be renewed for an up what costs more and what costs payment is 400€ per person. Local additional three months. less: “Wine is less expensive and gaso- branches of the national system line is much more expensive. administer the services. Visits to If you’re planning to stay six months Electricity, phones and heating are all primary care physicians are free, while or longer, you will need a permesso di at least double what you would pay in tests and visits to specialists require a soggiorno per dimora (residency permit). America. Food can be less expensive small co-payment. (An MRI, for The process is similar throughout EU but international foods are consider- instance, might come with an out-of- countries. To do this, you have to plan ably pricier.” pocket cost of 35€.) well ahead. The process for this begins with obtaining a residency visa before One category where costs are obvious- Some expats choose to keep up their you leave the States. You will be ly much higher today is housing, American or international health insur- required to show proof of independent whether you decide to rent or buy. This ance if they can; many U.S. policies income and a clean criminal record. is especially true in the big cities. A will not cover expenses abroad. Those Pinning down the exact amount of recent study concluded that rental 4 policies that do provide international income is hard to do in Italy — it rates in Italy have doubled since 1999. coverage usually require that the sometimes seems to change with the Rome and Florence had the largest patient pay out of pocket in full and be location of the consulate or the time of increases, an average of 128%. In gen- reimbursed later. To cover their bases, year. You’ll need to check yourself eral, the further south you travel in Barbara Skinner and her husband (who when you’re ready. You will also need Italy, with the exception of perhaps the moved from Kentucky to Umbria) to show an Italian rental agreement — Amalfi Coast, the cheaper the cost of chose both to join the Italian SSN as ahead of time — or proof of ownership living, sometimes up to 20% less. well as maintain their American insur- of Italian property. ance. “It’s a Blue Cross-Blue Shield The lira-to-euro conversion followed policy that also covers us here in Italy, Once in Italy, you must pay a visit to by the weakening dollar was a one-two so anything not covered by the Italian the local police department to fill out punch for expats and those considering system is paid for — or at least 80% of an application for the residency permit. the move. Various surveys have esti- it! — by our BC/BS policy,” says You will need to bring three passport mated the cost-of-living increase Skinner. “It’s too good a price for us to photos, a marca di bollo (administrative brought about by the euro conversion drop it, and if we ever do return to the tax stamp you can get at the local post at 10 to 20%. Those who moved here States we’ll be covered.” office) and proof of health insurance. post-conversion have seen the weaken- ing dollar take a bigger and bigger bite Americans should keep their U.S. Costs of Living out of their bank accounts and have health coverage, or take out a tempo- had to adjust accordingly. rary policy, until after they have Retiring in Italy used to be especially completed all of their paperwork in attractive to Americans because the Real Estate Italy. Why? You need to show proof of cost of living was traditionally some- health insurance in order to receive a what lower than in other leading There are no restrictions on who can stay permit. And you don’t get Italian European countries. Due to the euro buy property in Italy, although foreign- health insurance without a stay permit. conversion, inflation and the weaken- ers find it can be a frustrating process, ing dollar, those days are over. filled with plenty of paperwork and 1 € = $1.26 at press time endless negotiations. Expat retirees continued on page 8 Due to difficult eviction laws, Italians of can buy property in Italy, although foreigners find it filled with plenty of paperwork and endless negotiations.

RETIREE PROFILE The cat lovers who found a 900-year-old house in Tuscany

Name, origin: Diane, 63, and rural Italy but close enough to Worst: My husband’s stroke in Peter Voigt, 71, from Ormond, major cities—Pisa, Genova, January. We are so lucky that Florida. Firenze, , etc.—that we he suffered no long-term physi- always have access to big-city cal effects but when it How long in Italy: 1 year. attractions. It is in the moun- happened it was very scary. I Where: We live in Pieve di tains but only 30 minutes to felt completely helpless, unable Crespiano, in an area known as the sea. There are craggy to understand what the doc- Lunigiana. We’re in the north- mountains, deep valleys, and tors were telling me and not west corner of Tuscany. We rolling meadows. We have knowing how to ask the ques- bought a 900-year-old house ancient towns and hundreds of Pieve di Crespiano tions I wanted to ask. We came that is built into the wall of the castles, but have amenities like through it OK but it was not a how much we love their borgo and overlooks the supermercati, ATMs and a wide good time. country. Taverone River. selection of pet supply Miss: Family and friends first. stores—very important to us It also helps that the majority Occupations: Both of us are Then ethnic food. since we brought our 10 res- of people here are liberals, like retired Federal employees and 5 us, and as opposed to Bush Advice: Rent first. Since we had we worked for the Department cued cats with us. and the Iraqi war as we are. (To 10 cats to accommodate, we of Education in the Office of My community: While very few be honest, it was the Bush win didn’t have that luxury so we Student Financial Aid. Luckily, of the locals speak any English, in 2004 that provided the final bought immediately. we don’t have to work in Italy. they are patient with our push for us to make the move. attempts to speak Italian and Also: Don’t be afraid of follow- Reasons for moving here: We We didn’t want to live in a have welcomed us with open ing your dreams. We asked have dreamed about moving to country that would choose arms. There is a reasonable ourselves what would happen Europe since we retired in such a government.) if we didn’t like living in Italy December 1996. But for family number of English-speaking Best: When you wake up in the and reached the conclusion reasons we couldn’t, and we people here from the UK, U.S., morning to the sound of the that we’d just come back to traveled throughout Europe Netherlands, and Denmark and river, singing birds, and the the U.S. After a year, we are so instead. After a trip to Italy in with the Italians, we have quite church bell pealing out the glad that we took this chance 2003, we decided that this was an international hour, you realize that you are and made this move. It is a where we wanted to social set. The living a fairy tale. When the vil- dream come true for us and we live. I discovered expats here are lagers invite you to join them in love it. Lunigiana on the part of the local an impromptu festa and you Internet, through community. All of us spend an evening drinking local a local real estate socialize with the wine, eating local food and site. The descrip- Italians, participate in singing all the songs they have tion sounded so perfect to us community activities, and feel been singing for generations, that we came to see for our- as if we belong here. The locals you know you are not in selves. While here, we fell for are so warm and so friendly Kansas any longer! the area and the people. It is and they really appreciate just ten prefer to rent homes to foreigners. News, Tips, Deals

New Hotels to Check Out and Check Into

Town House Brings More start at 80€ per night and include free Inglese, Villa Garibaldi and Villa Trabia nearby. Luxury to Florence Wireless Internet access. (39-033-1278911; A modern restaurant exe has also opened in www.hiltongardeninn.hilton.com) This the hotel. Though Florence already has a nice selection September, the doors will open at Hotel Ibis The Excelsior is the second Hilton in of luxury lodgings – including the Four Milano Malpensa, offering 188 soundproof, Palermo; about a mile from the new Hilton is Seasons Hotel which opened last year – the amenity-filled rooms, free outdoor parking the Hilton Villa Igiea Palermo which offers company behind Europe’s only 7-star hotel and a business center. (39-199-129999; more of a resort atmosphere. Rates at the (Milan’s Town House Galleria – featured in the www.ibishotel.com) Excelsior start at an affordable 95€ per night. June 2008 issue of Dream of Italy) has (39-91-7909001; www.hilton.com) Look for brought its particular brand of magic to yet another Hilton – Des Palmes Hilton town. Town Fashionable Hotel in the Palermo – to open in the city by the end of House Palazzo Works 2009. Vecchietti is made Italian fashion house Moschino is in the up of 12 luxuri- process of transforming Milan’s historic rail- ous apartments way station on Viale Monte Grappa into a housed in an his- New Golf Resorts new hotel called Masion Moschino. The exte- toric 15th-century palaz- Golfers rejoice! Two new golf resorts are 6 rior of the chic zo. Each apartment or opening this year – one at the top of the hotel will remain “space” as they are called, country and one at the bottom. In the region neoclassical but has its own kitchenette of Trentino Alto-Aldige, the Andreus Golf and the interior will and more importantly, its Spa Resort feature own butler who can cater will open this Moschino’s noteworthy contemporary style. to every whim and need April. The 5- Each of the 54 rooms and 15 suites will be of his guests. (39-055- star resort unique and the designers have hinted at the 2302802; www.townhouse.it) has been built theme of fairy tales and fables. next to the Passeier-Merano Golf Course. (www.moschino.com) With the nearby Alpine town of Merano is More Lodging Options at known as “the city of flowers,” the resort Milan Malpensa and its surroundings offer picturesque land- Hilton Adds Second scapes. (39-0473- With Milan’s Malpensa Airport some 25 Palermo Hotel 491330; miles from the center of Milan, travelers with Palermo’s Excelsior Palace Hotel was built in www.andreus.it) Also an early morning international flight often 1891 for the Palermo this spring the find themselves wanting to spend the night International Exposition. Verdura Golf and Spa closer to the airport rather than stay at a Hilton Hotels has renovat- Resort will open on city hotel. With two new hotels opening at ed the former 19th-centu- the southern coast of Sicily, about an hour Malpensa, they have a few more choices. ry palazzo and re-opened from Palermo and 15 minutes from Agrigento. Building on the success of the Hilton Garden it as the Excelsior The $165 million Rocco Forte resort will Inn Rome Airport, Hilton Garden Inn Milan Hilton Palermo. The have two championship 18-hole golf courses. Malpensa has now opened three miles from hotel is surrounded Guests can also enjoy the wellness center the airport. The 207-room hotel is in the by Liberty style villas which will specialize in thalassotherapy, Somma Lombardo district of Malpensa, close in a green area of the utilizing salt water. (39-06-32888832; to the convention center and a five-minute city with the Giardino www.verduraresort.com) walk from the historic Viscounti Castle. Rates It takes about 90 minutes to walk fr and Events G

corresponding rates. VeniceConnected.com religious pilgrims and other visitors. Located offers parking reservations, airport transfers on Calle degli Albanesi, just a stone’s throw on Alilaguna, transit passes, museum tickets from St. Mark’s Square, Alla Basilica offers two (city-owned museums only so far) and pass- courses – a pasta dish and a main course es, and even paid bathroom service, available such as grilled steak or seafood – plus bread by the day or week! Wireless access and and water for 13€. An appetizer costs 5€ and casino admission is free with the purchase of dessert is just 3.50€. The restaurant has 120 any other service. seats and serves lunch on a first-come, first- City of Venice Unveils  served basis between noon and 4 p.m. New Booking Web Site Groups of 50 or more can call (39) 041 Also in Venice: 5220524 to reserve the restaurant for The city of Venice this month launched the dinner. Apparently neighboring restaurants Web site VeniceConnected.com (in English and A Bargain Lunch have now lowered their prices in response Italian) offering visitors discounted rates for Try to find a bargain meal in Venice…near St. to the competition posed by Alla Basilica. booking their museum and transportation Mark’s Basilica…and you have an impossible passes and the like before arriving in Venice. task at hand. Well, it may have gotten a bit Visitors need to log on at least 15 days easier with a unique new restaurant that before their visits to get the best prices. opened this month. St. Mark’s Procurators, Once they select the dates they will be visit- the non-profit organization that operates ing La Serenissima, they’re told whether the the basilica, has opened a low-cost restaurant 7 visit falls under the high, medium or low run by a local catering company. The idea is demand time period and will be offered the to make a visit to Venice more affordable for

From Farm to Fork: A New Tour for Families

Context Travel and Insider’s Italy are two com- pared. The guided program explores • with a chef followed by a in her home panies that specialize in unpeeling the layers sustainability with a focus on locally owned • A day devoted to seasonal produce on a of Italian culture and history. businesses and use of public farm, vineyard, or olive estate in Naples The two have joined forces transportation to visit various to create a fascinating new sites. The cost of the tour is 995€ and includes all tour designed specifically for lunches, tickets and tours. The price does not Highlights include: families with children. From include accommodations, but Insider’s Italy Farm to Fork, Roman Culture • Visit the Colosseum and the can help with reserving a hotel or apartment for Families is a five-day pro- Markets of Trajan rental. This is for set dates with gram combining farm visits Via Appia to discover a maximum of eight partici- with market tours, cooking lessons and meals ’s culinary roots pants. A private tour can be exploring the sustainability of the Roman diet arranged at any time for an • A day outdoors at Ostia and how Italians have remained so connected additional fee. For more infor- Antica or along the Appian to the land and the food it produces. The mation, call (215) 392-0303 or Way activities are specifically planned based on visit www.contexttravel.com. the ages of participating children and are • Visit to Pompeii and the to Colosseum aimed at helping kids understand where explore the roots of Roman and Neapolitan 1 € = $1.26 at press time good food comes from and how it is com- food om one end of Venice to the other. Retiring in Italy continued from page 5

should be realistic about what they struction narratives well know. It retired postal workers from Kentucky want and put time into finding the requires both patience and cash. who live in Umbria on their $2,500 a proper people to help them. Renovation is more expensive than in month pensions, have put their house the U.S., because the required building up for sale. They purchased it when Sheila Leavitt, who calls herself the materials are heavy brick and stone. A one euro was the equivalent of 94 Italy House Scout, is an American who typical renovation in central Umbria for cents, and plan to move to a smaller owns her own home in Sarteano, example, cost about 1,200 to 1,500€ per apartment to reduce their monthly Tuscany, and helps Americans find square meter. Permits are also a chal- mortgage payment. They’ve had to properties for sale as well as navigate lenge: they can take months, even give up on their travel plans, but the ins and outs of the buying process. years, to obtain, especially if your prop- they’re not giving up on Italy. She urges her clients to think hard erty has an historic design or might be about whether they Mortgages as we really want to own a Upsides to Retiring in Italy Downsides to Retiring in Italy know them in the home in the country- U.S. are relatively • The savoring of life; la dolce vita is • The dollar’s fall against the euro makes side and consider all still alive and well in Italy. Italy expensive. new in Italy, but are of the up-keep that not difficult to property may require. • The sense of community • The wheels of bureaucracy secure. In order to “Some people think and the noisy warmth of turn excruciatingly slowly. get a mortgage, you family life. they want a villa in • Need to be in pretty good have to secure a the country, but it’s a • With 3,000 museums and shape; Italy is not disabled- or codice fiscale (Italian lot of work and can 60% of the world’s art, wheelchair-friendly. tax number), and Italy is culture heaven. be isolating,” she says • Great Italian food, but little women must present and suggests clients • Good, affordable health variety in ethnic dining. copies of their birth look at buying the care. and wedding certifi- 8 • Corruption: Italy does not get high marks center of smaller • The mild Mediterranean weather. from Transparency.org cates showing their towns, especially in maiden name, as more affordable southern Tuscany. in the vicinity of ancient ruins. One under Italian law all house and car family has tried for a decade to get a purchases are always in a woman’s While prices vary, an apartment in permit to build a swimming pool to no maiden name. You will need the codice need of restoration may sell for 80,000€ avail, as there are Etruscan ruins lying to open a bank account, etc. and cost the same amount to fix up. beneath their land. Many more of these apartments are Once you find the property you like, going on the market as the Italian pop- The Voigts say they hesitated because you sign a compromesso, a private ulation ages and the birth rate drops. of the plunging dollar, but went ahead contract between you and the seller Properties in the country are currently anyway, paying 320,000€ for a 3-bed- signaling intention to buy, and make a were selling in the range of $185 to room, 2-bath renovated borgo in deposit of about 20% of the purchase $315 per-square-foot in 2007. Tuscany that was in move-in condition. price. The notario, a public notary who They appreciated that the house had does not represent either party, wit- Due in part to extremely restrictive all of the modern amenities, a huge ter- nesses the closing and present the new building laws, there is very little new race overlooking a river, and no land to owner with a rogito, a deed of sale. construction in Italy. The choice usual- have to maintain. The Markells still Annual property taxes in Italy are very ly comes down to purchasing a rent their furnished two-bedroom low. modernized property for a higher price apartment in Rome’s Trastevere or spending a small amount on a home neighborhood (at 2,800€ per —Kathy McCabe

in need of restoration and planning on month) but insist that local help This is an excerpt from a chapter that the edi- putting the money in on your own will be crucial to finding an tor of Dream of Italy wrote for Retirement modifications. apartment they would like to Without Borders by Barry Golson with Thia buy. “But we’ve put that off Golson. Copyright © 2009 by Barry Golson. Renovating a home in Italy is no easy indefinitely until the dollar Reprinted by permission of Scribner, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc, N.Y. task, as readers of innumerable con- recovers some.” The Skinners, Grappa comprises 20 % of liquor sales in Italy.