Soon I will retire and me and my husband would love to live in Italy for a few months. Because rents can be high in the bigger cities, would like to find a smaller city to rent in, preferably with a train station so can make day trips. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding bargain cities to rent in? We're talking 500-700 euros/month maybe.

My husband has some family in Benevento near Naples...maybe we could look into that.

I speak some Italian and can get by pretty well so a city with few English-speakers would be OK.

Y'all write now, y'hear?

Welcome to the forum:)

I am sure some Italians who are living the good life in smaller cities will step forward to reply to your question. In the meanwhile here is a thread that might give you a few ideas on smaller cities to live in:

http://my.lifeinitaly.com/showthread.php?p=3419#post3419
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Freelance writer: http://www.writers.net/writers/46455

I would contact the relatives near Naples and see what they can come up with.
Casale in Abruzzo (http://villacasale.net)

Great place...

A recent survey has demostrated that life is more expensive in Southern Italy rather than in the North. I would choose Toscany, Umbria or Marche.
Good luck
Gabriella

Hi dear, but that sounds strange to me.On the contrary north is more expensive than south Italy.I live in Friuli Venezia Giulia (North-East)and here life is quite expensive than Rome or Naples.Where did you read the new?Also bread, pasta, milk are expensive than South.For example very soon here will start the winter season, so more money about heating, petrol,every item of clothing, in short,life generally is more expensive.:(
See you

Dear Madam, I am the owner of an apartment in Florence, with a double bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, it is fuly equipped also with washingmachine and very nice furnitures. If you are interested , see http://www.bbplanet.it/casa-vacanze-il-balconcino-firenze_s13065/it/ that is a website where I am advertising my flat so that you may see photos and a deep description. I can make for you a price of 750 euros per month, escluding the expenses for electricity and heating, that will be paid according to consumption. You may email me to benedetta.marini@fastwebnet.it. Thank you, Marisa Benedetta

I really like and recommend la molta bella northern Italian city of Verona in the region of Veneto.(VE-ne-to)(capital Venice) Verona is the very romatic city of Romeo and Juliet. I lived in Italy for 2 years in Vicenza which is only about 30 minutes from Verona. Use to go to Verona almost every other week-end. Besides Verona being known as the city of Romeo and Juliet it is also know as la piccola Roma(Little Rome)because it has an intact Roman type Colosseum and many other Roman ruins. Verona was an important city of the Roman Impire. At first glance you think you are looking at the Roman Colosseum. Verona is also a very pinteresco medieval city as in the times of Romeo and Juliet would suggest.

As if all this weren't enough Italy's largest lake, Lake Garda is just a few minutes away from Verona. What a gem of a place Lake Garda is! Molto bello! Grape vinyards all around a beautiful countryside. Portami la!! Take me there!!!

In addition Verona is only about an hour and a half from Venice and only half an hour to some of the best snow sking in Europe.


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OK if you're seriously wanting to rent within the Benevento/Caserta/Avellino triangle area for a while then you wont have any problem in finding a good apartment or even a small house for 700 euros a month. I know the Campania area well and if you need further help.. just shout out and I'll try to point you in the right direction.

Agree with posters above who encourage focus on southern 1/2 of Italy if $ is one of your major concerns. Rental prices will likely be a good deal less in this area.

Italy has a lot to offer of course, but I think that before considering a move and a change of life style you really to think about what is right for you and the sort of location that you would prefer to be in.

Personally, I would identify potential areas and then visit them during the winter and not just in the spring or summer. You will be surprised how different things can be during the winter months and some of the picture postcard, idyllic locations can be very bleak and isolated during the winter.

The cost of living in Italy is generally high, although there is a level of dispersion across the regions with the south being less expensive in some things, but not all. Having said that, in my experience with conveyancing, the south tends to have more legal snags with real estate and so it pays to be extra vigilant.

You might be interested to note that the Il Sole 24 Ore recently conducted a survey on the best place to lice in Italy. You can see the results at:

http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/SoleOnLine4/Economia%20e%20Lavoro/2007/12/qualita-vita2007.shtml?uuid=fb77952a-ac6f-11dc-b9ad-00000e25108c&DocRulesView=Libero&area=box03