Self sufficient is it possible?

[maddy1]

Hello all, i stumbled across this forum while searching for property in south of italy, my plan is to sell up here in the UK and move to italy in the hope of becoming self-sufficient to a certain extent, eg, grow my own stuff, have solar panels for electric, that sort of thing.

A bit of back ground,

My father is from italy just outside Naples, and moved here to the UK 50 odd years ago, he goes back a couple of times a year, I've been going there since i was 2, i am now 50, although I've not been for a few years, so i know what italy is like, and i love it, but i cannot speak the lingo, my mum is english,

Now what am i asking?

Does anyone know of a good place/part in italy where i can achieve this? i would like it where the weather is the best hot and sunny and warm short winter. i suffer very badly with Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and have to take medication for most of the year so i don't have much of a good life here in the UK due to long winters and very short summers,

you are maybe wondering why i don't ask my dad, well he is very negative about it and tries to put me off, we most times end up arguing, don't ask me why he is like this as i don't know, so when i found this forum with others who have already moved to italy i thought why not ask here, it seemed to be a God send.

Sorry for any bad spellings i have used a spell checker so hope it is ok.

Thank you all and thank you for a very good forum.

[MaidenScotland]

Hello Maddy and welcome to the forum

Hopefully someone who is in Italy will read your thread and get back to you.
Good luck in your search

Maiden

[sheilamarsco]

hi maddy what an interesting posting. well i don't really know where you could go where the winter was short and warm in italy. i live in the central part of italy and although there's always guaranteed long hot summers the winters can be very cold. they are certainly shorter than in the uk and almost always with some sunshine during the day but not guaranteed. perhaps sicily or somewhere further south would suit you best. i wouldn't worry too much about your father when and if you do decide to move he'll be the first one saying what a good idea it was!!

[maddy1]

Thank you both for your replys,

I did wonder about Sicily as it is further south, i suppose i should take a look to see what properties are for sale,

BTW, i am not a sun worshipper in the fact that i don't lay in it all day just to get a tan, but as i mentioned i suffer with SAD and being in the sun stops most symptoms that i get in the winter and am able to stop taking anti-depressants, it also gives me loads of energy that i am able to work hard, out side of course, unlike the winter.

Thanks for listening.

[pudd 2]

hi madi abruzzo by the coast far from the grand sasso in a place called fracavilla the hav only had snow twice in a hudred years and they grow strarberrys out side and get verry erly crops and can get two crops of a lot of things in a year there are palm trees and sub tropical plant growing in the gardens . and they have water in the sumer time ulike down south in italy .dont take my word for it google fancavilla al mare Iused to suffer from sad but even were i live pretoro in the mountains above francavilla i no longer sufer the winters are shorter here and plenty sun and it hardly drops bellow freezing in our village google pretoro as well

[italy]

i was reflecting on this the other day.... cause at the moment a lot of Abruzzo has snow... and the temps are quite low.. for Italy that is..

i kept trying to choose places to live .. like you i appreciate sun.. and i love where i live.. just thinking that there would be a more ideal area... and trying to work out where...

a big fallacy is that south of Italy has no winter or rain.. it does.. and summer heat and insects can be unbearable..

so coastal towns to me are out.. they have higher winter temps because they are close to the sea.. but often we look down to the coast and its covered in mist and cloud...

my thought would be an area that is max ten kms inland from the coast but at a high level.. many of the coastlines in Italy rise quickly after the coastal plain and this has the benefit of giving you summer breezes and much less humidity whilst maintaining good winter temps

the secondary factor is that mosquitoes inhabit many of the more humid coastal areas in massive amounts and i have an aversion to that particular insect and hate the thought of plastering myself with chemicals or having to live my life going out when they are not so likely to eat you alive.. being from Naples you will appreciate that fact as there were many plagues there in the past brought on by this insect .. and it was thanks to Mussolini that many of the problems with the swamps and breeding places were eradicated as a source of disease although they still remain in abundance...

maybe a place like Latina.. over looking the bay of Gaeta would be suitable.. its a spectacular coastline there and there are many places perched above the coast that offer views right down to the bay of naples so it would be in view and reasonably close to visit..

i do think unless you can afford the amalfi coast that Campania in general is a difficult place to settle... as you go south things become more unsettling as places to live.. many people from the UK find the endemic cruelty to domestic animals in the south an impossible thing to live with and have to leave.. i have experienced many expats that lived in Puglia who bought when it was a region promoted in all the news articles on the next wonderful place to move deciding that they were going to leave as the thoughts of facing another shopping trip driving around dead and maimed dogs and cats along the journey was just too much..

its funny how these things never seem to be around during holidays .. its only when you live in a place things become very evident and quite disturbing.. not just in Italy.. it happens in most areas of Europe as you move further south.. Southern spain has even worse problems..

anyway if you find the ideal place let us know.. or maybe not..we will all be coming to live..
although i am very content where i am... central Italy Abruzzo .. near to the coast.. 20 minutes and to the snow.. 30 minutes.. but also have family with a place in Latina.. and it would be the most ideal place for me if i wanted to wake and see Naples every day.. Amalfi if i could afford a home there would maybe be no 1.. if it was Abruzzo i would suggest a town above the coast such as colonnella or Guilianova alto...but you will not get the bay of Naples..

[maddy1]

Hi all,

Thanks again for your replies, I will try to do some more research on the places you all have suggested,

The exact place my father is from is, Alvignano, Caserta, Italy, about 30 mins drive buy car, from Naples, also my older sister and her hubby have got a flat in Alife, Caserta, Italy, and its slightly up the mountains, i went there about 3 odd years ago in the middle of October and it was warm enough to just have shorts on, now this was ok, but its the rest of the year and jan, feb, march, april that im worried about,

I can handle a few months cold rainy days, but if its 5/6 months then I've got problems, i know this is going to be a tough one to sort out, and greatly value all your patients and replies.

Some more facts, (sorry for long post)

About 18 years ago when i was a lot younger and fitter ( i still suffered with SAD) i went to Spain, on my own for 3 weeks to check out working, (i was a brick layer builder) living/moving, and schooling, i had 3 young children, then i took my wife and 3 kids on holiday to show her what it was like, i thought all was good when we got back off holiday,

then she dropped the bomb shell, she said the kids were to young to move and did not want to chance it, and would move when they are all grown up (which they are now) so for the sake of our marriage i never moved, I did like Spain a lot, it is warmer for longer than Italy, (i think?) and better schooling for the kids, but that don't matter now,

Ok here goes the crap stuff,

Now as my kids have all grown up, the youngest being soon 19, i thought now was the time to move, (in about 1 years time) not a selfish ambition but for health reasons, she still says no, and has walked out on me and moved to her mothers, i told her as my health has got worse, mostly because of this cold damp climate we get here that we can move maybe to Italy and try and be self sufficient and maybe get a little bit of outside work here and there to have a little bit of money, i do have my house here which i am selling i only have a smallish mortgage, so if we were wise then we could manage, so it looks like I will be moving on my own, she did say If i loved her i would stay, i said i do love her but feel her motive is a selfish one, and mine being for health reasons, and if she loved me she would go, she said she loves me but wont leave the UK, i know its a hard thing to do to move but she has had 18 years to get used to it, anyway she has moved out so that really says how much she loved me.

Ok i am very sorry for boring you with all that but felt i had to tell it as it is, as it might affect the replies i get as to where to move to, i am still after being Self sufficient, so please keep your suggestions coming i really do appreciate them.

Thank you

[bunty16]

Originally Posted by maddy1

Hi all,

Thanks again for your replies, I will try to do some more research on the places you all have suggested,

The exact place my father is from is, Alvignano, Caserta, Italy, about 30 mins drive buy car, from Naples, also my older sister and her hubby have got a flat in Alife, Caserta, Italy, and its slightly up the mountains, i went there about 3 odd years ago in the middle of October and it was warm enough to just have shorts on, now this was ok, but its the rest of the year and jan, feb, march, april that im worried about,

I can handle a few months cold rainy days, but if its 5/6 months then I've got problems, i know this is going to be a tough one to sort out, and greatly value all your patients and replies.

Some more facts, (sorry for long post)

About 18 years ago when i was a lot younger and fitter ( i still suffered with SAD) i went to Spain, on my own for 3 weeks to check out working, (i was a brick layer builder) living/moving, and schooling, i had 3 young children, then i took my wife and 3 kids on holiday to show her what it was like, i thought all was good when we got back off holiday,

then she dropped the bomb shell, she said the kids were to young to move and did not want to chance it, and would move when they are all grown up (which they are now) so for the sake of our marriage i never moved, I did like Spain a lot, it is warmer for longer than Italy, (i think?) and better schooling for the kids, but that don't matter now,

Ok here goes the crap stuff,

Now as my kids have all grown up, the youngest being soon 19, i thought now was the time to move, (in about 1 years time) not a selfish ambition but for health reasons, she still says no, and has walked out on me and moved to her mothers, i told her as my health has got worse, mostly because of this cold damp climate we get here that we can move maybe to Italy and try and be self sufficient and maybe get a little bit of outside work here and there to have a little bit of money, i do have my house here which i am selling i only have a smallish mortgage, so if we were wise then we could manage, so it looks like I will be moving on my own, she did say If i loved her i would stay, i said i do love her but feel her motive is a selfish one, and mine being for health reasons, and if she loved me she would go, she said she loves me but wont leave the UK, i know its a hard thing to do to move but she has had 18 years to get used to it, anyway she has moved out so that really says how much she loved me.

Ok i am very sorry for boring you with all that but felt i had to tell it as it is, as it might affect the replies i get as to where to move to, i am still after being Self sufficient, so please keep your suggestions coming i really do appreciate them.

Thank you

So very sorry to hear about your marraige, It was brave of you to tell folk, that is a good thing about these forums, for what it is worth neither of you are in the wrong, you both have different needs now you have got older and you can afford to make big changes once your children grow up, It is sad you cannot do this together, but I bet there are many couples/families that do this under duress/emotional pressure. At least your wife is being honest even though it is painful to hear. Follow your dreams, life is too short and do not be afraid to take risks/make mistakes.

[dio62]

Ciao Maddy,

You should consider to move to Calabria, the jonian coast it's very warm in summer and mild in winter. the average genuary temperature it's 10 to 15 degree centigrade.

I've been in holidays there for the last 2 yrs and loved it !

So much so that I'm considering to move ther, I'm an Italian who've been working and living in London for the last 16 yrs !!

Sorry, after this winter I said to myself... that's it ! I cannot cope anymore with the awful miserable uk weather and I'm about make the big move.

The good thing about this part of Calabria is that properties are very cheap, I'm about to buy a lovely 100sqm flat part of a 7th century villa for 30,000 euros !

It's located only 10 mins by car from the coast and about 1/2 hour from the main town called Reggio Calabria.
I'd also like to get some land to grow my vegetables in the near future.

Cannot wait to move out of UK

Forgot to mention that I never meet any english around here, also there are no pubs non fish an chips, but plenty of lovely locally producese wine and other Italian delicattesse.
It could be the ideal place to learn Italian quickly

hope this help, anyway let me know if you need further advise.

Ciao, e buona fortuna. Peter

[maddy1]

Originally Posted by dio62

Ciao Maddy,

You should consider to move to Calabria, the jonian coast it's very warm in summer and mild in winter. the average genuary temperature it's 10 to 15 degree centigrade.

I've been in holidays there for the last 2 yrs and loved it !

So much so that I'm considering to move ther, I'm an Italian who've been working and living in London for the last 16 yrs !!

Sorry, after this winter I said to myself... that's it ! I cannot cope anymore with the awful miserable uk weather and I'm about make the big move.

The good thing about this part of Calabria is that properties are very cheap, I'm about to buy a lovely 100sqm flat part of a 7th century villa for 30,000 euros !

It's located only 10 mins by car from the coast and about 1/2 hour from the main town called Reggio Calabria.
I'd also like to get some land to grow my vegetables in the near future.

Cannot wait to move out of UK

Forgot to mention that I never meet any english around here, also there are no pubs non fish an chips, but plenty of lovely locally producese wine and other Italian delicattesse.
It could be the ideal place to learn Italian quickly

hope this help, anyway let me know if you need further advise.

Ciao, e buona fortuna. Peter

Ciao Peter,

Thanks for your reply and to all other that have replied,

Is that, jonian coast, with a J, or an I? when i try search it google keeps asking did i mean Ionian, anyway is that the south east part of Calabria? oh sorry i just red your post again you did say, Reggio Calabria i will go look on google maps sound nice, in fact my friends dad, who is past away now, has a place over there some ware in Calabria, i should ask him about it.

I know my head is in a mess at the moment, put i will keep looking and asking.

Thank you all.