• 1st trip to Italy

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    Thanks for the interest and for a great idea. I have a few suggestions that may help. with the third and fourth week.

    First take a look at the type of climate you want to live in, Italy is mostly a mediterranean climate but parts of Italy are considered sub-arctic and some parts are very hot and very dry. ....

    Second look at the type of topography you want to live in! Mountains, seashore, valley, it is all here. Tuscany is rolling hills but Italy has a lot more and many places that are a lot less expensive. Umbria, Abruzzo and Le Marche come to mind immediatly for the small village, that very homey feeling with fresh local food and a sense of community,. But much of |Italy has that in its small towns. That is why I stressed finding the topography and the climate you want first.

    Finally for your last two weeks, I would rent a car and travel. and try to get lost. Italy has so much to offer that traveling might open your eyes to new things. Book BnBs or hotels on the fly and I have found that not using the standard BnB website can save you as much as 30% a night.

    You are definately in for a lot of fun... enjoy and I hope this helps make your journey even more successful. Chip Stites, Italy Correspondent, International Living Magazine.

  • Visiting Portugal

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    Hi @SDKRANZ1 Thanks for your question!

    The Portugal page on our website and our Portugal Guide have plenty of information you might find helpful on everything you need to know about moving to and living in Portugal.

    Here are the links:
    https://internationalliving.com/countries/portugal/
    https://www.ilbookstore.com/portugal-itinerary

    Best of luck!

  • Welcome to Italy!

    New Member Introductions
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    Hi Chip.
    I am a dual US/Italian citizen living half the year in our house in my ancestral hometown in bella Sicilia and half in our house in Tucson, Arizona. I speak Italian, French and Spanish and am retired but my husband (who speaks Spanish and is learning Italian) is not so we arent ready to sell the Tucson property and move permanently abroad. This background to explain that we're not beginners when it comes to msking our way through Italian bureaucracy and I'm not finding a lit beyond the very basics in IL to hrlp us prepare for the next phase of leaving the US for good. I thought the Bootcamp seminar sounded good but unfortunately its not online and we aren't going to Las Vegas.
    In sum, Im hoping you might be the person to offer the "beyond the basics" information we are looking for to prepare for the fulltime European life we envision that invludes a homebase, msybe a second rustic getaway and travel.
    First, although I am in the Italian healthcare sustem, my husband is not yet an Italian citizen so what health insurance options would he have here? Health insurance with his current job in the IS is one of the reasons he hasnt retired yet and a concern even when he is here on vacation.
    Thank yoh do much and I look forward to hearing from you.
    Christine Conte

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    Hello,
    I've been able to get more than a 90-day supply with the drs approval in the states before leaving, but my insurance would not cover anything over 90, had to pay out of pocket. Depending on what drug you need, I would see if it is available in that (or those) countries without a prescription. For example, I was able to get metformin for type 2 diabetes in Ecuador just by asking for it at the counter.

  • new here

    New Member Introductions
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    Hi Patrick,

    Congrats on joining the IL community, it's great to have you! Remember in addition to the wealth of articles being posted on the main website www.InternationalLiving.com and running in the magazine https://members.internationalliving.com/magazine-issues/2024/ there's also the IL YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@internationalliving/featured, great videos to watch while working out, commuting, unwinding, etc.

    Explore & discover - happy trails!

    Best,

    IL Overseas Editor Jess Ramesch