swimming at Riva di Ugento
I couldn’t resist it – I was just idly browsing through my Facebook albums, and there they were. Just sitting there. I tried to resist… but they lured me in. Frankly I didn’t try very hard – our Grand Italy Road Trip seems so much longer than four months ago.
So I had a greedy peek.
And before I knew it, there I was sitting on the beach in Ugento again, watching the sun slide into the Ionian Sea.
Oh and there I was, whisking through Venice in a Water Taxi, grinning as I caught my husband’s eye – neither of us quite able to believe we actually made it.
Such a magical ride
And then I was strolling along the streets of Paestum, laughing at my son trying to sell me fish in his 2,000 year old fish shop.
The warmth of the sun, the soft pastel colours, the scratchy scrubby earth, endlessly-jaw-dropping views… I looked away from the endless array of fabulous photographs and glanced out the window at the freezing cold grey February Monday, and sighed.
Honestly, a mother can’t take one selfie without the family bombing it…
I really should know better than to do that to myself.
But then I started to wonder a bit.
What if it wasn’t just a one-in-a-lifetime trip?
What if we could have it… every year? Regularly?
How much does a house in rural Italy cost, anyway ( not as much as you might think – how about this 4-bed piece of history, part of the wall of the ancient town of Brindisi, a snip at under £145,000)?
You probably don’t want to buy a property quite this old…
And is it as easy as spotting a beauty on the internet and putting in an offer?
Probably not.
I had a squizz at Gate-away, which had all the info I needed; their Italy Guide is written just for people like me – who know nothing, but who are on the lookout for a little Dolce Vita. It’s not just about the legalities and technicalities of buying a property in Italy; they cover also the essential ins and outs of moving there, working and schooling and even how to build your own home there.
If you’re feeling a little miffed with another grey, cold, dull UK winter, maybe you should join me in hunting out a little sunshine elsewhere. There’s a whole world out there, and a whole life full of adventures waiting right outside our doors…
