Decision to move to Italy.

Two years ago I made the decision to move to Italy. After several trips throughout many years, I fell in love with the country, the people and, of course, the food. I had traveled to many places, Spain, France, Mexico, England and Russia, but Italy had my heart. After reaching this decision, I began the process of narrowing down which region. I visited Bologna, Milan, Rome, Florence, Arezzo, Montecatini, Sienna, Parma, Montepulciano, Montalcino, Capri, Lake Como, Pisa, Carrara, Viareggio, Chianti, Greve, Umbria and Lucca. I narrowed it down to Tuscany and then chose Lucca. This is a magical town and I never wanted to leave.

Allora, Step 1 is done. I thought “okay the hard part is done”. Not so fast. I needed an Elective Resident Visa. To obtain a visa you need a residence and to rent a flat you need a visa….Hmmm. After searching flats online, I decided to hire Arletti Partners, a company to help with the relocation and the Visa. Additionally, a Codice Facile (a tax document) is needed to live in Italy. I also needed to obtain international medical insurance to obtain the Visa. A charming Englishman hooked me up with Cigna Health Care. The insurance in Europe is slightly less expensive and much better coverage than the US. Arletti found me a wonderful flat in the heart of Lucca. It is from the 1900’s and has all the Italian charm I was looking for.

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Allora, the Visa is underway and the flat has been found. I did not bring any furniture as most flats in Italy are furnished. However, the amount of clothes was overwhelming and honestly slightly embarrassing. Even after shipping 11 wardrobe boxes thought NY International Shipping. I still had 5 suitcases to take on a plane to Milan, a bit daunting. Once I arrived in Milan, it was a 3 hour drive to Lucca. I knew a bus or train was out of the question, so I hired a car. Expensive but worth it. Finally I had arrived in Lucca.