Many people ask us how we end up in Italy and assume that we must have had a long-term plan to settle here. Spoiler alert – we didn’t!
Instead, we have the philosophy of being open to opportunities when they present themselves and not being afraid to just give things a go in life. Granted, the kids are grown and off on their own adventures and we are not tethered to an office job. However, the pandemic taught the world that most of us can work from anywhere while being able to have a healthier balance with homelife as well. Finding a passive income lifestyle is much easier these days than ever before.
chateau lined with vineyards
So, how did we end up in Italy? Well, we followed a path that took us from finding a chateau lined with vineyards in southern France to the rolling green hills and a luxury villa with vineyards nearby in Italy. A visit through Tuscany into Umbria led to an appreciation of the scenery – “It’s real pretty!”, which then led to a question – “Shall we just move here?”. A shrug of the shoulders as a “sure, why not” led to us finding a dream home hidden in a valley with nothing but the sound of birds and nature to distract us. It was really that simple and that easy!
fun-loving and emotional
Despite the expected bureaucratic hoops that needed to be jumped through for our residencies and figuring out where we can buy our necessities, it hasn’t been anything but a positive experience. Italians are fun-loving and emotional, but once you crack a joke or get business out of the way, it’s all molto bene from there. We are learning the language slowly, but have yet to be limited from doing anything due to a lack of it – a few simple phrases go a long way.
We embrace the daily two-hour lunch break learning to take advantage of an afternoon siesta and slow midday meal. It is in these regular routines and moments that we look at each other and think how amazing life is thanks to our just going through the doors of opportunity when they open and seeing how things go. It’s not hard to live this passive income lifestyle and even less so when listening to the birds sing their songs of encouragement.
Kind regards
Matthew Footner