Should you buy in Italy?

Affordable homes
Italy has a reputation as being quite expensive compared to neighbours like Spain and Greece. You can very well find eye-watering prices in places like Venice, Milan or Florence, but much of rural Italy is deeply affordable. When buying a house in Italy, try swapping Tuscany for Umbria, or Messina for Trapani, and you’ll find property cheaper by over €400/m².

Lower cost of living
Italy has a reputation as being quite expensive compared to neighbours like Spain and Greece. You can very well find eye-watering prices in places like Venice, Milan or Florence, but much of rural Italy is deeply affordable. When buying a house in Italy, try swapping Tuscany for Umbria, or Messina for Trapani, and you’ll find property cheaper by over €400/m².
There are many homes for sale within a few minutes’ drive of an Italian town. Here you can benefit from lower property prices and still have all the amenities you need close by. For example, $162,000 might get you a two-bedroom unit in Orlando, FL. But, for the same price in Puglia, you can buy a detached three-bedroom villa with a big garden. Plus, it will be a short drive to sunny beaches, interesting towns and an airport.

Great climate
Imagine being able to sit out on your balcony or in the garden with a drink well into November or spending summer at the beach or exploring the local markets — the climate is key to la dolce vita.
Most of Italy has a Mediterranean climate, with cool wet winters and hot, dry summers. The mildest weather is along the coast and in the southern regions, including the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. Winter temperatures seldom drop to freezing in the south, while summers often reach 35°C or higher. In the mountains cold air from northern Europe can bring snow, even as far south as Mount Etna on Sicily. There are 294 ski resorts in Italy, mainly in the Italian Alps in the north.
Every season adds beauty to the landscape, including fields of poppies and sunflowers, autumn leaves, snow-capped mountains and summer beaches. In Italy you know you are going to get plenty of sunny weather to plan days out over the summer.

Stunning landscape
The landscape of Italy is very diverse. The Alps and the Dolomites in the north have snow-covered peaks, icy glaciers and fertile valleys. In their foothills are large and beautiful lakes such as Lake Garda and Lake Como. Down through the centre of Italy the mountains are dotted with pretty hilltop villages, and a short drive away you are in the flat plains that run along the coast. Within a single region you can often find plains, hills, mountains and a beautiful coastline.
Seven of the cultural landscapes are so outstanding that they are recognised by UNESCO. They include the vineyards of Piedmont, the Amalfi coast, Cinque Terre and the Val d’Orcia. Nature is well protected in 25 National parks and 147 nature reserves. Grapevines and olive trees grace the landscape across the country. Most of Italy’s olive oil is produced in the southern regions of Puglia, Calabria and Sicily, however, so this is where they dominate the landscape. You will also still see many small fruit orchards and vegetable patches – you might even buy one yourself!
If you want to live somewhere with a stunning vista, check out the best places in Italy for natural beauty, which we cover later in this guide.

Delicious food and wine
Italian food is fresh and simple cuisine that makes the most of what is grown locally. Each region, town and family has its own special dishes that reflect what is produced in the countryside and sea near their home. Italy is well known for its healthy Mediterranean diet, and also for pizza, pasta and gelato. The flavours in a true Italian pizza and gelato are like nothing tasted anywhere else in the world due to those fresh Italian ingredients.
Wine, cheese and pasta are an important part of any Italian meal. Pasta comes in almost as many shapes as there are days in the year. Wine prices straight from your local winery are very affordable, so you’ll be able to raise many toasts to your new home.

Italian culture

Italian culture is steeped in the arts, family, architecture, religion, food and music. Italians actively strive to keep alive the traditions they are so proud of. Visit any town and you will find that the historic centre still feels very Italian, with any foreign restaurants and shops allowed only on the outskirts. Even there you will find very few. Events held in the piazzas are usually annual festas that have taken place for centuries, rather than put on just for tourists.
Family time is very important to Italians, with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins regularly gathering around the lunch table. It’s commonplace to see families with young children out late in the evening. Even better, youngsters respect the older generation, as their grandparents play such a big role in their daily lives. Traditional arts and crafts, songs and dances are all passed down, along with the secret family recipes.

Healthy lifestyle
If you want to live a healthier lifestyle, look no further than Italy. For the price of a city unit in US, you can buy a villa in the Italian countryside and enjoy the fresh air and outdoor lifestyle. Why not grow your own veg or buy it from the local market or farm store? It’s easy to eat well and live a healthy lifestyle, away from the temptations of all the processed food found in US supermarkets and the city fumes and work stress.
The great Italian weather gives you more opportunities to get outside and enjoy your garden. Go for walks, cycle and enjoy relaxing past times like yoga, horse riding or swimming.

(Source: Propertyguides.com/italy/living/culture-and-customs)