8593 Why did you come?

Warm and abroad did it for us, so the snow in Puglia before Christmas was not a welcome sight. Apart from that, we didn't want "Blackpool on the Med", so Spain was out, neither of us particularly like France, and we thought Greece could possibly be a bit primitive for full time living (sorry Greece), so Italy it was.

Background, sun, business and had had enough of London.

promise of work (never happened), sun, scenery, UK overpriced and over chav-ed and lovely Italian women

Fell in love, and got tired of flying back and forth. One of us had to move...but now fly back to the UK to work periodically, so that I can keep my professional qualifications current! :eeeek:Never even been to Italy before I flew here, to check out the place that I now live! Was thinking of moving to Greece, as I have family there, but now, I have family here!

[quote=Nardini;80981]I came here because of love, putting it simply.[/quote]

Putting it simply, that's the best reason I've ever heard. Well done Nardini, you love-struck puppy :laughs:

#1

well I came here with my (Italian) wife nearly a year ago, but we have more or less decided to return to the uk. She can't find work, is bored and frustrated, and being near her family drives her nuts. I have work, but can do it from my computer anywhere. I won't miss the dreadful bureaucracy or the breathtakingly cynical and corrupt politicians (see the Mastella fiasco: Mrs M has roses strewn in her path, for God's sake!). I'll miss the sunshine, the landscapes and the food. Not that I'm that keen on the UK either, but at least you can work there..

We will return often though.

[quote=gradese;81017]well I came here with my (Italian) wife nearly a year ago, but we have more or less decided to return to the uk. She can't find work, is bored and frustrated, and being near her family drives her nuts. I have work, but can do it from my computer anywhere. I won't miss the dreadful bureaucracy or the breathtakingly cynical and corrupt politicians (see the Mastella fiasco: Mrs M has roses strewn in her path, for God's sake!). I'll miss the sunshine, the landscapes and the food. Not that I'm that keen on the UK either, but at least you can work there..

We will return often though.[/quote]

Hi Gardese.

Sorry to hear of your situation. Your courage and frankness should be applauded by all.

And as you say, you can return as often as you like.

#1

OK, so half an hour to the Med is an exageration. 35 minutes drive then from Cassino to Gaeta. But if I put my foot down and drive Italian style, then it is half an hour.
maralyn

My answer to the many friends who asked 'Why Italy?'

was 'Why Not!'

and this was the essence of an article I wrote for Italymag. when we first moved here.

Was just going to start a list but I think we have done that so many times before....

However, just reading about the 10's of 1000's of UK ex-pats in Spain who risk losing everything they have - they cannot stay and they cannot leave. I thank my very lucky stars that I was not pulled to Spain.

Italy may produce many bureaucratic nightmares but I haven't heard of thousands of houses etc. being demolished because they were built illegally - albeit with 'planning permission' from corrupt planning dept. officials.

Buona Domenica

[quote=numerouno;80853]Hi D & R.

The 6th 'B'........don't you like his songs? :laughs:

#1[/quote]

his songs are OK, but have you ever seen him being interviewed ?

[quote=deborahandricky;80898]his songs are OK, but have you ever seen him being interviewed ?[/quote]

Oh yes, now I get your drift.

Watched him being intervied by Big Al on his Happy Hour last week....bloody awful, I agree.:dull:

#1

wine, food, wine, people, wine, property prices, wine, weather, wine,shoes, wine, fresh mountain air, wine, good water, (dont drink much of that!) oh and the wines cheap as well.
I could quite happily never leave Italy again, I hate flying, and well I hate Britian, (no point emigrating if you like the place)
Royal family- bunch of inbred brain deads should have been drowned at birth.
British government- more people opt out of voting in UK now than actually vote ( if you have a choice of 3 idiots you can only pick an idiot)
weather -grey for 8 months, 2 weeks of sunshine (usually in October when your bikini is under the bed in a suitcase)
Food- fresh veg means a week old shipped from another country that has sunshine , restaurants extortionate, wine £10 a bottle for anything worth drinking.(and thats in a supermarket)
Property prices- derelict farm in yorkshire- half a million (derelict farm in northern Italy E50,000)

I LOVE IT HERE!!

As to coming to Italy - I just love it - people friendly and patient with my pitiful Italian, the sunshine, countryside, food, I could go on and on. Downsides - awful litter, and roadside hoardings in the country.

Off work with "stress", living in rural (ish) Sussex in a street with very "nice" neighbours, watching Tv, cannot remember if was no going back , or a place in the sun, Robert came home from work, and I said OK lets move to Italy. he thought I was barking, but after much discussion and research we came to Marche, bought our house within 5 days of searching, I feel I have come home at last.

Its strange, I have peace and calm, which after 30 years working in the caring public sector I need, we have land, lots of cats, and good friends.

I still wake up on a Monday morning thinking of my previous careful life and my nasty boss, and very needy clients but not often.

What a relief
A

We simply love the place; however, we are not living there permanently. We come and go, as many times as we can, each time discovering or rediscovering something. Nothing is perfect, but this is quite close to it.

A&R,you might want to correct a typo in the second para!

You may be right Robert - but there again you maybe wrong...surely someone has to care about the pubic bits??!!!!!!

now I understand the naked gardening fetish! Care for those pubes!!

I do not live in Italy, but every time I visit I feel more myself than anywhere else.
Laroma

[quote=numerouno;81021]Hi Gardese.

Sorry to hear of your situation. Your courage and frankness should be applauded by all.

And as you say, you can return as often as you like.

#1[/quote]

Thanks for the kind words, but it doesn't feel like a courageous action, rather one born of necessity. We haven't finally made up our minds, as my wife has a couple of irons in the fire that might still bear fruit (sorry about the mixed metaphor).

I cannot believe it!!!!!!!. I have done it again.

It has ruined, what I thought was a meaningful post...drat that last glass of wine. Oh well I am mortified.Have now edited the post.
A

I came here because of love, putting it simply. Although, it isn't that simple really, of course. My wife and I had been living in separate countries for about 3 years before I made the decision (with her, of course) that I would shut up shop in England and move here so that we could be together full-time. The best idea that I ever had, as it turned out as it coincided with my wife slowing down her own globe-trotting activities. Brilliant timing!

But, other than that, Italy is a beautiful place to live - so long as you take notice of the fact that Italy is slightly different to England and you will never change it. That's an order, by the way! ;)

You haven't forgotten about our very own singing "B", have you? Aptly named as well! How can one forget "Meglio una canzone..."!

[quote=numerouno;80899]Oh yes, now I get your drift.

Watched him being intervied by Big Al on his Happy Hour last week....bloody awful, I agree.:dull:

#1[/quote]

Luv big Al, my FBLOH cant stand him........but then again she only has the choice of " a glass of wine or a fruit based drink"

I`d been to Italy loads of times with my work and really liked it...then I came to Abruzzo on a press trip and fell in love with it..

I`d always had a dream to open a cookery school, and a series of spooky coincidences came about and here I am....

It was a scary thing to attempt for me, but a very cherished friend had just died and made me really think about how much I would regret getting to my last day and not at least giving it a go..

It`s still early days and a big melting pot of magic, missing home sometimes, laughter, tears, frustration and that wonderful feeling when you just look out to one side and see the icing topped mountains and then to the other side and see the sparkly blue sea - and you just want to breathe deep and shrug your shoulders and do alittle dance for being given the chance....

Liz

I hope to be moving permenantly within the next year, we bought our house nearly a year ago in the Cassino mountains in the Abruzzo/Molise/Lazio national park. We are right in the mountains, views to die for, half an hour to the Med, 1.5/2hrs to Adriatic, 1/2hour to ski slopes.

Have visited various parts of Italy over the year but came to this area and stayed in my brother's holiday house. He is married to Irish/Italian with her family here.
What attracted us to buy here is the lack of UK people (we are the only English that we know of). Would hate to live as an ex-pat with loads of others similar around me.

But the main reason we bought in Italy is because of the wonderful culture, the wonderful scenery just about everywhere. The history, the weather both winter and summer, the food, the wine, the welcome from our neighbours, the friendliness of everyone,...... need I go on.

I have lived in France, didn't want to go back there, lived in Cyprus, lived in Denmark. Denmark was great but lousey weather and too flat.

Italy was our favourite choice everytime we considered over the years buying abroad.

Now we have bought abroad and will be moving over hopefully by the end of the year.
maralyn

[quote=Maralyn;80851] half an hour to the Med [/quote]

Thats flying time, yes?

#1

[quote=deborahandricky;80677][B]Blair
Brown
Bush
Bloody Taxes
Bloody Weather
Blunt[/B][/quote]

Hi D & R.

The 6th 'B'........don't you like his songs? :laughs:

#1

[FONT=Book Antiqua][SIZE=3]Why did I move to Italy: To learn the language and later " l'Amore " :laughs:[/SIZE][/FONT]

Because it's simply the most beautiful place on earth. We've been fortunate enough to travel a lot and between us have lived in a dozen different countries but there's nowhere as lovely here. An American friend staying at Christmas gave me a book that quotes Edith Wharton, "why would you want to be anywhere else when you can be in Italy?" Absolutely.

Weather had little to do with it for us, we moved here from the Middle East where the climate (July/August aside) was far better. But there's something about this country. It's not just the fact that it's so culturally rich (tho' that helps). What's that statistic Aretina quotes, 20% of the Unesco World Heritage sights are within 2 hrs' drive of Arezzo? That is staggering, isn't it?

But there's more. Another quote I cut out from the International Herald Tribune recently, "All the world loves Italy because it is old but still glamorous. Because it eats and drinks well but is rarely fat or drunk. Because it is the place in hyper-regulated Europe where people still debate with perfect intelligence what, really, the red in a stoplight might mean".

Sure the bureaucracy can drive you barmy. Sure Telecom Italia are absolutely the lowest form of life. (I still don't have a phone line - it's been out of order for 6 wks now so can only post from Net cafes or friends' computers.) But in the greater sphere of things, what's a telephone line? What are 5000 forms that you don't understand a word of? I just look out of my window or even lie on the sofa and look up at my beautiful ceiling and think, who would want to be anywhere else? Not me, that's for sure.

[B]Blair
Brown
Bush
Bloody Taxes
Bloody Weather
Blunt[/B]