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Life in Italy isn't focused around having a career and earning a lot of money, at least not the way it is in the U.S. Life here is about family, friends, and community. Having enough time to spend with the important people in your life is the Italian ideal of luxury.
The town itself is as charming as any you’ll find nestled in the Italian hills. Just 27 miles north of Rome, it’s a sleepy collection of cobblestone streets, endless views, and wonderful restaurants. A place to escape the hustle and bustle of Rome, feel welcome, and walk streets steeped in history.
On that exploratory trip, we fell in love…with the people, the food, and the wine in every town we visited. We had purposefully visited small towns to see if these were places that could become our overseas retirement home. The answer? Yes…we were retiring to Italy.
Italy has so much to offer that it's hard to find just a few towns among so many. But let's focus on walkability, relatively flat terrain, proximity to the sea, and warm weather! One of the best features of Italy is the variety of coastline, beaches, and geography available to everyone. Let's start on the Adriatic Sea… and go north along the coast to the twin towns...
From my earliest trips through my years of living here in Italy, I’ve never experienced a moment of feeling unsafe. I once rode the wrong bus in Rome to an outer, densely packed and squalid area; I have wandered country roads at night, and stumbled my way through a decidedly sketchy part of Naples, but never felt I was in danger.
Out on the terrace, the sun dips into a velvet night. The only sounds are the wind in the trees, the birds, and the wine swishing about in my glass—the perfect end to a perfect day. My wife, Shonna, and I have been living in Rieti, Italy for five years, now. I wish we’d come earlier. Then again, plenty of people can never make up their minds to the move at all.
The first time I tried retiring, I failed. It’s simple enough: I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t think I would need one. Retiring may be one of the most significant changes in our lives. I would rank it up there with getting the first job, getting married or divorced, or losing a loved one...
We start at 7 a.m. The first arrival is 66-year-old Marcello, who pulls the fine-mesh nets under the trees that are to be harvested that morning. Olives are a precious commodity, so while there’s a degree of lightness about having me and my wife, Shonna, join in, there’s a seriousness to the business too.
The video you are about to watch was taken in lockdown, and the only reason I was able to go out and shoot it was a friend, ex-Carabinieri (National Police force), who was a great help. Thankfully, Rieti was one of the last places to see the surge in cases and one of the first to see the fall in numbers...