One Town, Three Lenses
How the Same Italian Village Looks to Three Very Different Expats
So you think you’ve found it: your town. Olive trees. Espresso for €1.20. Locals calling you tesoro by Day 3. You start picturing your name on a buzzer. You start wondering how to move your dog. You even start liking the smell of burning trash on Tuesdays.
But slow down. One person’s dream village is another person’s daily struggle. Because “good” isn’t universal — it’s entirely personal.
This article walks through the same Italian town from the perspective of three different expats:
a solo retiree
a couple with a dog
a digital nomad
Same piazza. Same butcher. Same festas. But completely different needs, rhythms, and red flags.
The Solo Retiree: Peace, Belonging, and the Right Kind of Routine
What they’re looking for:
Simplicity. Familiarity. Safety. The dream is a stable daily rhythm with friendly locals, fresh food, good walks, and someone to call if the boiler explodes. They don’t want nightlife. They want roots — even late in life.
What matters most:
Walkable access to essentials: café, farmacia, doctor, market, ATM
A community where people notice if you’re missing from the piazza one morning
Language accessibility — either some English speakers or willingness to learn
A resident-friendly ASL (local health authority) with reasonable wait times
Low stairs or elevators in housing, and a nearby clinic or emergency room
What to watch out for:
Loneliness if the town skews too young, too touristy, or too private
Towns that shut down in winter or lose half their population after Ferragosto
Subtle ageism or cliquishness from locals who don’t warm easily to strangers
Towns with no expat presence — which sounds romantic until the water pipes burst and no one understands your frantic hand gestures
How to scout it properly:
Visit in winter, when the piazza is empty and real life shows its face
Ask the café owner if the same people come every day — consistency is a sign
Sit on a bench for two hours and watch. Who walks by? Who smiles?
Attend a town festa, even just as a guest. Were you ignored or pulled into a dance circle? That tells you everything.
The Couple with a Dog: Nature, Neighbors, and Not Feeling Trapped
What they’re looking for:
Charm, space, and connection — not just with scenery, but with people. They want peace and nature, but not isolation. They want a life where both humans and hounds are happy.
What matters most:
Access to green space — trails, olive groves, or even just quiet streets
Pet-friendly rentals with outside space or flexible landlords
A local vet with decent reviews (ask at the pharmacy — they always know)
Enough going on (events, groups, neighbors) to avoid the dreaded “it’s just us and the dog” dynamic
Grocery stores with long hours, because the dog always runs out of food on Sunday
What to watch out for:
Fireworks during festas (terrifying for dogs — but never listed online)
Tight quarters or paper-thin walls in older buildings
Locals with zero tolerance for barking or dog poop faux pas
A vibe that skews too sleepy — charming to visit, deadening to live
How to scout it properly:
Ask locals with dogs where they walk and shop — they’ll be honest
Look for signs (literally): parks that say “vietato ai cani,” vets with weird hours, cafés that shoo pets away
See what’s posted on bulletin boards: is there a dog group, adoption day, agility class, or nothing at all?
Ask your rental host or neighbors about festa season — do they use fireworks? Are there processions?
Visit the pet store. If there isn’t one, or it’s 40 minutes away, that’s a clue
The Digital Nomad: Speed, Flexibility, and Human Contact After 5 PM
What they’re looking for:
Romance — but functional. Beauty — but bandwidth. A life that feels Italian, but doesn’t drop Zoom calls or close every shop at 1 PM on the dot.
What matters most:
Actual broadband speeds — not just “sì, c’è internet.” You want 100 Mbps, not “my cousin’s nephew handles the Wi-Fi.”
A SIM card provider that works in this part of the valley
A place to work in public: cafés, libraries, or bars where no one kicks you out
A mix of locals and expats who don’t vanish after sunset
An easy route to a city with coworking, tech support, or flights
What to watch out for:
Dead zones where even 4G can’t penetrate stone walls
No print shop, shipping options, or even a place to buy a replacement charger
Rental hosts who don’t get remote work, and cut the power at noon to “save”
Locals who treat you like a tourist, not a resident, no matter how long you stay
How to scout it properly:
Buy a local SIM card and walk the town — literally test signal in every piazza
Ask to run a Speedtest.net on the rental’s Wi-Fi before committing
Talk to the barista about “smart working.” If they roll their eyes, you’ve been warned
Visit in mid-week, mid-day, and after dark. Is there life, or just echoes?
Look at local Facebook groups or town WhatsApp chats — are they open to newcomers, or closed loops?
Some Factors That Matter for Everyone
Language: Whether you’re 28 or 68, the level of English in a town matters. And so does your willingness (and ability) to learn Italian. Want to feel welcome? Show you’re trying. Even bad grammar counts more than silence.
Bureaucracy: Stop into the comune or post office and ask a basic question. Watch what happens. That’s your future.
Local economy: Is there a market? A ferramenta? A bank? A place to buy wine, trash bags, and duct tape in one run?
Community events: Not the brochure ones. The poster-taped-to-a-tree ones. Are there chess matches, book swaps, or sagras?
Seasonality: Some towns are ghost towns for nine months, then a flood of tourists for three. That can be heaven or hell, depending on who you are.
Wrap-up
You can fall in love with a place. But you have to ask the right questions before you move in. Don’t just picture your gelato ritual — picture your Tuesday when your sink leaks, your dog is scared of fireworks, and the nearest internet café is also the bakery and closes at 12:45.
Scout smart. Ask locals. Stay curious. Stay skeptical.
And most importantly, try on more than one lens — even if you think you already know who you are.
Still figuring out where you fit in the Italian landscape? Drop a comment.
And if you missed Part 1 and Part 2 of this summer series, catch up now at caesartheday.com.
Bravo, Caesar! As a dual US/Italian citizen (with 0-27yo in the US & 27-71yo & counting in Italy), I commend you on these articles which I’ve shared with others like me & my husband. Even after all these years of renting, we’ve learned a few new things, esp since our lives in Florence and now Rome have engaged all three lenses over time! And I’m considering sharing with Italian friends who would appreciate the clarity!
I’ll just add a titbit: a PostePay account is worth it if you can get one - to avoid those nasty ATM fees - with bancomats all over Italy. Same for a regular bank account depending on the bank; check fees & accepted cards. Also a WISE account is a good idea; you can open one to handle multiple currencies and it is not considered a bank account for US tax reporting because it is a “financial service.”
Unfortunately the Banca Etica will not take on US clients as they do not want to participate in reporting requirements on US citizen holdings abroad. Kudos to them, but unfortunate for us.
Lastly, the degree & complication of a bureaucracy is very much in the eye of the beholder. We have experienced outrageously outdated services in France & Germany; tedious, righteous behaviour in the US. Italy is amazingly digitalised when you know how & where to look.
Great read!