Of all the places where you can spend your life as a pensioner, Italy certainly has its unique and unrepeatable charm. Natural landscapes are definitely a great plus. Imagine being able to live in Florence, or in a characteristic city like Venice, or still in the warm southern territories where even in winter it is summer is definitely priceless. 

The idea is certainly tempting but this is not always feasible. Retiring to Italy could be very complex, but there is definitely a list of benefits and options to consider.

 

Italian Retirement Visa

The elective residency visa  is the type of visa generally used by retired foreigners who can benefit from a pension plan or an income. To obtain this permission, you must apply in person to an Italian consulate (although in the last period some of these practices have been streamlined after the pandemic and made telematic). In order to qualify for this permit, it is necessary to give concrete proof of its financial resources: this can mean showing an official statute from the banks or something that can concretely demonstrate the investments made and indicating the current balance sheet. 

So it is not enough to show that you have a fixed income, but you also need to have a fairly high starting capital. In the case of fixed income, in any case, those from a job cannot be used (it is not possible to finance your residence through work, in Italy). This is a next step, however, to the most important one: provide a lease or a deed of ownership in Italy, together with a valid medical insurance.

 

Retiree Benefits in Italy

In Italy there is no real program for pensioners. What in fact could be a defect turns into a great value in reality, because it is possible in this way to surround oneself with unprecedented beauty. Great food, stunning scenery, historical sites full of culture and traditions. 

In Italy it is possible to rely on services such as ours, or entire projects for pensioners that provide through a single subscription all the comforts of the case. WillAge wants to ensure the transition from its state to Italy in the best way, offering in fact one of the best opportunities to leave behind a life full of chaos and embrace instead the quiet Italian territories, especially those hidden in the South.

Health Care in Italy

Another extremely positive point is certainly the one concerning health care services. Italy ranks second on the list of the World Health Organization. 

In Italy there are 3.8 doctors per 1000 people: a percentage that raises Italy to the top of the ranking just mentioned. Life expectancy is also very high. This is certainly due to the quality of the food but also to the quality of the health services, which are always and in any case free. There are no visits that cannot be made even by using government structures.

This means that if you have money it is possible to go to a private doctor, but if not in hospitals and ASL (medical centers with various equipment) you can enjoy treatment completely free of charge. Health is therefore considered a right of all. 

Even in pharmacies you can choose from a variety of different medicines, but you can also buy only the drug without any "brand", and thus be able to save money.

Entertainment in Italy

Italy could be considered the home of entertainment. Many resorts, tourist or not, close at very flexible times compared to the European average. Sociality is considered an almost sacred characteristic, and consequently every activity is addressed to this. Not only that, there are many groups that organize events and traveling, as well as guided tours to one of the countless museums, cinemas and theaters in the area.

The government body that deals with culture organizes every year, even in different periods, numerous fairs and festivals that can somehow celebrate culture in all its forms. One of these is the Campania Teatro Festival (located in Naples), a theatre festival organized to celebrate this art in all its forms.