johnnyj

we are taking early retirement and have decided to live in italy. our only experience of italy so far has been holidays to sardinia and the amalfi coast.
we would like to live in an area that has mild winters, so the far south i assume or sicily? i think our ideal property would be on the edge of town, close to amenities, pref. walking distance to the coast. budget may be tight though. can any members advise us as were to start please?

TestaRossa

Have a look at the thread why did you choose where you are? Randomguy talks about Calabria, might be a place to look. Many choose Puglia for the milder weather but it is very popular and the prices have shot up.

selinuntina

Sicily can be very cold in the winter. Its a damp cold that really gets into your body. Also if you are by the sea there are problems in the house with damp and mold.
Michelle

Lorna at Vicenza

Have you taken to wearing a vest yet?

I do in the colder months .... but I haven't resorted to the granny style ones they all sell here. I prefer a cotton/lycra vest style top under my jumpers.

I've become weak here and can't stand the drafts around my middle or up my back.... or is that just a sign of age ?

Mr Posh

Lorna you are becoming Italian I always wear a vest/t-shirt even in full summer

Lorna at Vicenza

I know - I look at the girls at Christmas time in the UK on a night out in strappy tops and sandals and bare legs and I shudder !

selinuntina

No, I've resisted and do the same as you, although have to say my kids do wear the wool on inside cotton on outside t shirt ones. However I have had really bad pains in my knees the last couple of years during the winter, and I get colds ALL the time.

LivingHere

Well we are still very English. No coats today, even though it was drizzling. There are three English children in my daughter's class at Scuola Materna. One of them was still wearing shorts this morning!

LivingHere

I ought to add advice for OP! We have noticed in the four years we have lived here that the weather has changed. We are near Milan and for the first two years the winters were really cold. The second year it snowed so much in January that there was still remnants of it in April. Since then though there has been much less snow and it certainly hasn't been as cold. But it has rained a lot more and the hot weather seems to begin a lot later. I don't know if this is true for all of Italy

Lorna at Vicenza

same here. No snow on the ground for the last two winters and even in the mountains it came a bit late this year.

I don't even remember needing any gloves last winter. I do remember walking home from work during winters years ago and the very soles of my feet were frozen and the frostiness of the air was afwul.

Mr Posh

A few weeks ago i took some Italian mates to peterborough for the weekend to watch Posh v Leeds and show them MY TOWN...and on Friday and Saturday night i took them out up town and they could not believe how the girls where dressed The italians looked as if they where on an artic expedition and the UK girls looked as if the where at the beach so funny....

In Cesena I have not yet put on a coat it's lovely..Last year a couple of cold months but nothing to shout about. Now saying that it will me -50 and 6 feet of snow

Lorna at Vicenza

We haven't got the winter coats out yet either but it won't be long before we need them. Had some lovely warm sunny days this month still wearing t-shirts but we have long sleeves on now.

johnnyj

how cold is very cold? and is it the same say in calabria?

selinuntina

Well, lets say in winter I wear heavy jumpers with a long sleeved to shirt underneath and a vest top under that
The sheets on the bed used to feel damp when we got into bed before we got heating installed. We've also had big problems in the house with reagrds to damp and mold in the corners of the rooms on the outside walls, we are by the sea though.
Not sure if its the same as Calabria as I have never been there

selinuntina

My kids were in the sea last week The locals are used to us though (mad english woman who lets her children out even in the rain !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).
The sicilians make me laugh when they fuss about the kids to wear 20 layers of clothing as soon as summer "ends" (30th August) but don't worry about the dangers of not strapping their kids into car seats