Advertise on podcast: Magic Towns Italy

Claire Hearn (@msbritaly) left the Met Police and her own catering business for Salerno in 2018, with no family, no ties and no Italian. Eight years on, she talks friendships, stagnant wages, taxes and why the dream sells people short.

Dan Kidson left a 25-year management career, travelled the world looking for home, and found it in Grottole, a village of 2,000 in Basilicata.

Discover how Magic Towns Italy’s Property Evaluator uncovers hidden risks, local prices and true costs before you buy an Italian home.

Anna: Hi, Caroline. It’s so nice to see you again after more than a year. Caroline: Yes, it’s very nice to see you again, too. How have things been going? Anna: Everything’s good, thanks. Everything’s good. Wonderful. What about you? I mean, I’m interesting about what happened next, but wait, let’s do a recap before. So you grew up in New York, then at 24 you completely changed your life by moving to Italy. Caroline: Yeah. Anna: But the fun fact is how you actually ended up in Guardia, like how you discovered the town, so, I don’t wanna make any...

Luca: [00:00:00] Good morning. This week there is no usual episode. Something happened in our town and I wrote about it in a newsletter. I’m going to read it to you. That’s all there is Days before the death notices, the ubiquitous epigrafi that cover Italian town walls, the grapevine was already busy in its admirably efficient work. Morsels of information at first. Do you know that someone has been run over by a car? It was on that stretch that we all hate to cycle where the path meets the main road. By mid-morning, more detail had come in. It...

Discover Sara’s journey from Chicago to Milan, from studying Italian to building a new career, and why the city won her over.

Luca: [00:00:00] Hi Anna Anna: Hi, Luke. Luca: Hi. A quick quiz before we start the episode. Anna: Oh, no. Not again. Luca: Sorry. So if I told you that the town in Italy where house prices have risen the most over the past 10 years is 12 minutes from Lake Garda, would you believe me? Anna: Mm, I mean, not sure about Lake Garda specifically, but everyone says Italian property has been falling for a decade. Luca: And they are right, but that town is up 80%. So both of those things are true, and that’s what we’re talking about...

Tim Epstein shares why he moved to Lake Garda before Brexit, built a new life in Italy, and ultimately chose to leave the expat dream behind. As mentioned during the show, Tim is also selling his properrty in Toscolano Maderno! Listings are the links below. https://www.casa.it/immobili/53977401/ https://www.idealista.it/immobile/35689869/ https://www.immobiliare.it/annunci/129230480/

Discover key insights on navigating Italian property purchases and renovations as Jan shares her experiences and advice. Avoid common pitfalls!

Discover how Jan navigated the challenges of buying and renovating a house in Italy, uncovering the allure of Puglia and crucial lessons learned.

Discover essential tips and tools for living in Italy in the latest Magic Towns Italy Podcast episode. Learn about the unique cost of living calculator!

Explore the differences in school performance in northeastern Italy, featuring top schools and INVALSI testing insights on the Magic Towns Italy podcast.

Explore insights on buying property in Italy with Luca and Justin. Discover challenges foreign buyers face and tips to navigate Italian real estate.

Justin Mavity is back in the studio — this time in person, with wine — to talk through the two things foreign buyers get wrong in Italy: the money and the paperwork.

At 24, Jasmina Wanders left the UK for Italy with no guarantees and a beginner's grasp of the language. First Mantova for a master's in historic architecture, then a leap most Italians warned her against: south, to Noto in Sicily, where she now works as an architect after sending her portfolio to studios across the country. This week she tells Anna what the move actually took. Converting a student permesso into a work permit before the deadline. Living without a car in a place that demands one. Watching Noto's property market reshape itself as tourism and the 7% pensioner tax regime pull in foreign buyers. And the quieter shift underneath it all: learning, in a place that runs on comu veni, si cunta, to stop daydreaming about another life and start living this one. A conversation about bureaucracy, belonging, and why the south rewards the people brave enough to bet on it.