Nicholavaughan

Hi
My husband and I have our hearts set on relocating to Liguria.
He is an expert in restoring vintage Ferraris (road and race cars). I am a freelance writer.
We are both learning Italian and I am competent at French.
I want to relocate to Liguria because I want to be close to the French border and cote d'Azur but Italy is my favourite country in the world so this region "ticks all the boxes".
I would love to hear from any couples/families who made the move "in their forties" to give me a real insight into whether or not our dream is possible.
Looking forward to hearing from you and making new friends.
Nichola

gioppino

I don't belong to the demographics you were looking for, but just in case nobody answers.

I lived in Liguria, in bits and pieces, in the '90s. The weather is good in summer and as hot as you expect, but it's a bit like Manchester in fall/winter, it rains quite often and it can be nasty at times. A couple of serious floods in the last 5 years.

I don't see why your dream move could possibly fail, assuming from your professions that you are going to have a solid source of income.

I like Genoa very much, If you choose the right neighborhood you could have the right mix between relax, landscape and civilization. I find the 'touristy' part of Liguria a bit boring.

Bluemoon10

Hi Nicholavaughan,

I don't live in Liguria but I am a 'regular' as I spend most of my summer holidays there. The region is long and thin and it is split in two halves often referred to as Levante (east part, bordering with Tuscany) and Ponente (west side, bordering with France). Whilst I am sure that the vicinity of Cote Azure is appealing to you I personally prefer the east side. The properties are much the same price all over Liguria but East part has less over 60s package tourism (in the winter) and it's a bit more rugged and natural. The 5 terre on the border with northern Tuscany are superb and they have both hills, sea and gorgeous little towns (avoid them in August though. Do like I do in August go back to the UK for a bit of family visiting as Italy is on stand still 'cos of the national holidays).
If you are looking to buy, whatever part of Liguria you end up looking, the rule of thumb is - the further inland you are, the cheaper it gets. Of course if you want a sea-view you'll pay accordingly but I think that inland villages towards Piedmont are just as lovely and excellent value for money.
Best of luck!

gioppino

Bluemoon10, beware, with global warming and mad climate change, the 5 terre have had their share of floods lately. To stay on the safe side, I would rather live near the mountains. As a bonus it's cooler in summer and a bit drier in winter.

Bluemoon10

Isn't that what I said?! I would rather live by the mountains where is cheaper as well...

fleetwoodmac1975

In winter it can actually be colder in Genova than in Manchester.

Lorna at Vicenza

But, it depends. I have frozen my feet off in Italy and not needeed any gloves in a mild English winter. I have left Italy in mild winter degrees and arrived in the UK with the same only to find that days later it snowed buckets in the UK and we all went sledding. You just never know. Take this summer for example. Who would have ever betted that Yorkshire was going to get better weather than Italy?

Call me Italian if you will - or English ..... I stopped wearing a vest in England when I was at high school and we all started wearing bras. Years later I started to wear a vest in Italy. I do not and will not buy the "canottiera" in white, brushed cotton that all the Nonni buy. My "vest" is either a t-shirt under my jumper or a lycra style UK top under a shirt or top. It could be an age thing. I don't want drafts up and down my back. With or without a vest and of course the "maglietta della salute" I still never suffer from the famous "cervicale."

yoshers

What neighborhoods would those be??

primularossa

My advice is to go to Liguria and explore it.
For staying near Genova, I would prefer Recco and its neiborhood
but I fear that gouss there will be very expensive.
I don't like big cities, Genova has some nice parts (near Porto Vecchio for ex.) but it can be a nightmare for the traffic, the crowded buildings and the lack of green spaces.
Mche depends on the stile of life you want.
I love very much Loano on the western coast, but all the east coast is beautiful.
But, to be honest, if yiu want to stay near to France, I would rather prefer to stay in France, that area, near Menton, is gorgeous. And Don't forget that Nice and sorroundings have been Italian until 1860, so it still keeps a lot of its Italian style.

Maybe1day

I lived in Liguria for 30 years and if I had to recommend an area it would be just a few kms inland from Diano Marina. The climate is definitely milder than other areas, fruit and other produce is around 3wks earlier than the Albenga area and it is not too hectic in the summer. Stay away from Alassio unless triple parking is your thing. San Remo is very clicky. The Imperia province has around 3000 hours of sunshine pa. I lived in Savona province and the weather was definitely worse in the summer, something to do with the mountains to the North. The motorway, a bit of a joke and is quite expensive and very busy in the Summer. Ferrari servicing is supposedly quite good in MC. there is a Ferrari/Maserati concessionario in Ceriale and another important one in Cuneo there may be others I do not know about. Ferraris are very rare sights in Italy due to tax authority curiousity unless they have MC or Russian/Bulgarian plates. Most rich prefer a low profile with a 500L. I think you would be better off just over the border in France and you would face much less burocracy and exasperation remember the 1700 plus taxes in Italy. The food is fantastic just a smidgin from the Coast in Liguria and very competitive especially at the weekend. Go for it !!!!!!