If every day an average human being spends visiting just one Italian church, a monastery, a palace, a castle, a museum, an art gallery or another place of this order, his entire life won't be enough to see them all. 3 thousand years of magnificent cultures' waves and not just some 3 thousand years old artifacts*, this is Italy, a country where once every major road was built to lead to.

If one life isn't enough then we have to decide where to go and what to see first and this isn't an easy task either. Italy can satisfy every taste and provide huge resources for anyone looking to understand the human history from its ancient to the modern times. Italy was one of the cradles of the ancient world, it stood at the beginning of the Western Christendom and of course, it gave birth to the Renaissance that spread its lights throughout the world. Italy is full of fascinating attractions from every epoch since the unmemorable ages.

It's so pity to see how the tourist agencies are trying their best to fill up these 3 thousand years of history within 10 days of constant driving from one place to another. Being in a hurry is a modern concept that has nothing to do with the ancient and Middle Ages mentality of tranquility. Within 10 days we can only understand that we should spend many years to discover just one renaissance city with its entire splendor. And how many such cities we have in Italy? Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Naples, just to name the most famous destinations.

One life isn't enough.

We have to start somewhere and perhaps the first thing to do is to determine what legal status in Italy suits us most. Many foreigners outside Europe can stay up to 90 days as tourists and for some this is enough to have a good start. At some point inevitable it comes the necessity to extend the periods and a status of permanent resident is worth considering. In Italy it's relatively easy to obtain such status, providing you can prove you have substantial international incomes and/or you plan to open a business in the country. To obtain a citizenship is much harder. To do this you have to prove you have lived as permanent resident in the country for the last 10 years and to be patient waiting further 2-3 years for the decision.

As a permanent resident you have to look for property to live in. "In Rome do like Romans do!" This ancient instruction in the real estate matters means that you have to look to own your home like 85% of the Italians. There is plenty of choices among styles, prices, regions and amenities. As a matter of fact you may choose between "something" (it may be house after substantial additional investments) in rural area for $20,000 and a 7-digit large estate. Italy is a country with high income taxes so if you have decided to go there perhaps you aren't a millionaire. If your budget is tight then you should probably look for something cheaper, perhaps in the countryside, definitely not in Tuscany, maybe in the South. Before buying an old house look for some things that usually the modern civilization takes for granted, like the W&S. Many old houses have no toilets or bathrooms. The wood in many houses is the main heating material, but perhaps you won't like the idea to be enslaved by your "new" ancient heating system**. If you come from North America or Northern Europe be prepared also to change forever your understanding of what the building materials look like. In Italy, except in the Alps, the stone and brick are kings. Remember that buying an old house in Italy you buy a piece of history and you gradually become a part of this history.

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* - Many nations claim having ancient cultures by showing some old artifacts, but not too many can claim being on the top of the human exploration without interruption throughout the ages.

** - When you use the wood for heating and not just for pleasure, be ready to change frequently the ashes with some new burning material. Otherwise the system will cool down and the smoke will go directly into your eyes.

Italy profile:

• Area: 301,230 sq km
• Population: 58 million (July 2003 est.)
• Population growth rate: 0.11% (2003 est.)
• Net migration rate: 2.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
• GDP per capita: purchasing power parity $25,000 (2002 est.)
• Major industries: tourism, engineering, textiles, chemicals, food processing, motor vehicles, clothing & footwear
• Main trading partners: other EU countries, US.
• Internet users: 19.25 million (2001)

(CIA - The World Factbook 2002)

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See also the directory of companies providing real estate services in, and general real estate information of Italy.