CNN
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In June 2023, Tony Smarelli, 74, and his wife Francine, 75, made an important decision while celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in Venice, Italy.
Retired elementary school teachers from Syracuse, New York, have decided to leave the United States and move permanently to Italy.
In the same year, the Smarellis family of Italian descent moved to Scalea, a picturesque coastal town in Calabria, southern Italy.
“We were in St. Mark's Square (in Venice) and a quartet started playing the (Italian classical song) 'Malafemina,'” said the quartet, whose father and grandfather are from the village of Tocco da Casauria in Abruzzo. Tony talks about the day they played music. Decided.
“My father would play Italian records every Sunday for dinner and sing that song to my mother, which brought tears to my eyes.”
Francine's mother was from Naples, and the couple wanted to reconnect with their Italian roots and began looking for a home when they saw an ad posted by a real estate agency. super savvy travelerRun by an American couple living in Calabria.
They bought the 1,500-square-foot property with three bedrooms, a dining room and a walk-in closet for 150,000 euros (about $162,000). November 2023.
“We flew to Italy for the second time in 2023 and made an offer on the house. Then in three hours we got visas in the US, sold our house (in the US), packed up our belongings and… I returned to Italy in December 2023,” says Tony.
The Sumarelis hired a lawyer to expedite their stay and were able to obtain a selective residence visa. The visa allows immigrants as long as they have at least 38,000 euros ($40,700) of unearned income.
They say they chose to live in Scalea for its attractive quality of life, sea views and slow-paced atmosphere.
Other plus points, the couple say, include great restaurants (cheaper than in the US) and friendliness of the people.
Although the house was already in livable condition when they bought it, the Smarellis spent an additional 80,000 euros (approximately $86,500) completely renovating it, installing new plumbing and electrical systems, and Added two new bathrooms. The entire kitchen, doors, windows, screens.
The couple rented a nearby apartment while overseeing the renovation, hired an “exceptional” architect and construction company, and met a four-month deadline for completion.
They say it would have been nearly impossible to buy a similar home in the United States.
“Living somewhere with views of the Southern California coast or the East Coast coast can easily cost $1 million to $2 million,” Tony says.
According to Tony, his father and grandfather immigrated to the United States from Italy in 1938 to build a better life.
Now, 86 years later, he says, he is enjoying a better life in Italy.
“Some of my best friends said it takes a lot of courage to move to another country at the age of 74.
“I told them that it took courage for my father and grandfather to come by boat to another country for eight weeks with no home, no job, little money and no resources to build a better life. “I'm here,” Tony says. He has been a physical education teacher and high school basketball coach in the United States for 30 years.
“In today's society, this is just a lifestyle change, and it was a good choice for us.”
Italy's sun, stunning scenery, food and characteristic villages are all great advantages in attracting foreigners.
However, the Smarellis did not anticipate that the cost of living, especially for retirees, would be incredibly low compared to the United States.
They say they have cut their monthly expenses by nearly $3,000 since moving there permanently, to $36,000 a year.
The couple currently spends about $1,200 a month alone.
“That $1,200 includes a bottle of wine and eating out two or three days a week, which comes out to about $50 to $70 each time, for a total of $400 to $500 a month,” Tony says.
Their monthly internet bill is 40 euros (about $43), but their mobile phone bill is less than 20 euros.
Veterinary services for Cooper the beagle cost about 20 euros (about $21.64) each, electricity and water costs 200 euros (about $216), and gas costs about 75 euros (about $81).
Back in the United States, the couple's mortgage alone was $1,500 a month, and Tony's golf membership was $1,200, including meals and cart fees at the golf club.
The service was also expensive. He said he spent $200 on the TV, $180 on the internet and about $265 on three cell phones. The monthly costs also included maintenance costs for the two cars.
“My monthly expenses in the U.S. before I left were $4,800 to $5,000 a month. In total, living here in Italy is about $3,000 less per month,” Tony added.
He wants to apply for Italian citizenship, but this is complicated by the fact that his father became a naturalized American citizen before Tony was born.
But Tony wants to appeal to the district court to get this right.
Scalea is the second destination he and Francine have moved to since retiring in 2006.
The Smarellis, both avid golfers, moved from Syracuse to the golf community of Pinehurst, North Carolina, later that year in search of a warmer climate.
“We loved living there, but 18 years later, the quiet golf community has exploded and is no longer the old-fashioned golf community we loved,” he added. Ta.
Tony, an 11-time senior club champion at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club, has since retired from golf.
However, he found other activities to keep himself busy during his stay in Calabria, such as painting and mosaic murals.
He and Francine enjoy all that Italy has to offer, exploring nearby villages and frequently eating out together.
Every day, they go out to the balcony to drink coffee in the morning and enjoy a glass of wine there in the evening to kill time.
As a helpful tip for other retirees who may be looking for expat life in Italy, the Smarellis recommend that before making a big move, do thorough online research and spend time in different regions of Italy. We suggest that you spend some time with them and weigh the pros and cons of each.
“Southern Italy is not as busy or commercial (as other parts of the country). It's very old Italy!” Tony says.
