Welcome to my story! I am a retired Graphic artist and Web designer. My husband and I lived in Germany for a number of years and ever since returning to the US our dream has been to return to Europe.
During subsequent trips after our return, Italy became our go-to destination. Soon it became our dream to live there.
Here are maps. First one of Italy with Umbria marked. As you can see we are smack in the middle of the country. We are in the only landlocked state (with no foreign border) but we are exactly an hour and a half from both the Mediterranean and the Adriatic seas. Next you will see a map of Umbria with our town marked. Now you know where we are and can orient yourself. Click for larger versions. The name of our town is Umbertide. It is pronounced Um-BER-tee-day. Accent on the second syllable. Just think of Umberto, whom it is named after, and you’ll pronounce it right.
 |
 |
To navigate the site in chronological order you need to go to the navigation on the right and chose December 2013 in the archives. This will start you from the beginning of our adventure.
And this is our town!
Good memories. I hope you and your family can get back next year.
Lol definitely not royalty but my family has a lot of history there. My wife and I are considering spending more time there in about 5 years or so…we’ll see. My kids haven’t been there in 6 years now 😔. Planning summer 2022 if all goes well. Would love to grab a coffee then. Oh and last night I stumbled on an article about Umbertide (I’m feeling very nostalgic now apparently) by Christine who mentions you. Seems they live very close to us here in the states but it looks like she finally got back to Umbertide. Buon divertimento! Salutami Umbertide.
(PS I spent a lot of time in Bar Mary in 1980/81 playing Donkey Kong in the back room 😁)
Wow Allen, Umbertide royalty! We’d love to meet up for a vino or caffe’. We are in the building where Angelo’s Alimentari is. Just next to the building with Bar Mary. I do not know what you mean by Circolo?
I love that tower. I heard from someone who recently stayed there. Seems it was rented as a vacation place for a while.
Hope to see you soon.
Nancy, warms my heart to accidentally find a blog about my/my family’s hometown. Part of my family has been living in Umbertide since at leaset 1870 when the house on top of the Torrione in Via Mancini was built. Until very recently, it was still in the family. I went to 8th and 9th grade there and spent the first 4 years of my life in Rome, but Umbertide has always felt like home. We used to live in Via dei Patrioti back then but my mom moved near the COOP and left that to me. I was back in summer 2019 but have not been back since Covid.
I’m happy to hear you are enjoying it. I havent read all the posts yet but I’ll get to them eventually.
Do you live where the Circolo used to be? or next to it above Bar Mary?
Anyway, next time I come from Florida, I’ll meet you at Bar Giardino for an aperitivo.
Oh I’m friends with Fabrizia the Vet down the street from you and very close with Gaetano who used to be the mortician in town and is a bit of a legend lol. Lastly, I’m actually related to one of Umbertide’s most famous former residents. My Aunt is Barbara Alberti, born in Umbertide(you might have to look her up as the name is often not recognized).
Buona sera e buona cena! Oh yeah and some of my cousins are part of the current town government(not sure if that’s good or bad to be honest lol)
Welcome Janet! How exciting for you. It is a great adventure. Reach out if you need anything. Nancy
Nancy, thank you for the information and insights! I went for the whole package and just bought! I’m a small town investor in my stateside town, so looking forward to small town living in Chianciano Terme. Love the public transportation, small shops, etc. I picked the area because of its proximity to other tourist locales. I won’t be full-time for a number of years, but I am looking forward to my trips!
Hello, Yes, that is what it means. Remember, the data are nine years out of date. This would be a very basic cost of living for one Italian citizen. They didn’t elaborate on how they calculated it. Mainly I’m showing the map to show the regions that are the most, and the least expensive by comparison.
Nancy, I don’t fully understand the cost of living per capita map and the figures listed. When it shows 18000 da 19900 for Tuscany, does that me the cost of living is 18,000 EURO to 19,900 EURO annually? Thank you for clarifying this.
Hi Mason, I assume you will come on an Elective Residence Visa when it’s possible to come? And of course, to get that Visa you’ll need a place to live before you apply. The thing is, you can’t come look for a place now. But should you already have a place to live you can apply for the visa. If you get approved you might be able to come on that Visa. If you don’t have a visa or are not a citizen or are a registered resident you cannot come here now. Feel free to email me. My email is on the Contact page in the top navigation on the site.
Hi Nancy, I’ve been ‘moving to Italy’ for a few years now. I am retired (early) and have my daughter (who is now 4) traveling with me. We had been in Lucca for three weeks (on a three month trip) when the covid outbreak began and headed home shortly thereafter. Now we are stuck here in the US waiting for the opportunity to return. Do you know of any possibilities for an American to travel to Italy during this travel ban? I had hoped to get settled before my daughter starts school. It’s looking doubtful at this point. Thanks – Mason.
Hello. Thank you for your comment. This is going to make me think. I had not really thought of my blog as a window into how an American sees Italy…but I suppose it is. I hope I am honest in my posts. I accept Italy as she is. The good and the not so good. I like Italians, and I like living here. I am retired and don’t need to work. I think living here would be much more difficult if I needed to work. Many opinions I read by Stranieri here are negative perhaps because they must work.
I’m happy you are a reader 🙂 ciao, nancy
Buonasera, I am italian and I am reading your blog, very interesting for me to understand how non-italian people see and appreciate italian culture, and not only for negative well-known aspects.
We have given it a lot of thought and have pretty much decided to stay here in Umbria. Just love it too much. We intend to apply for the long term permit maybe next year. were going to this year but Covid put the kibosh on that. We think with the help of an attorney we can get it. Send an email with what sort of apartment you’re looking for. Size, location etc.
Nancy, we are arriving on an elective residency visa and will be seeking a rental property. Should you know of any….well send ’em my way! I read somewhere else in one of your blogs that you are leaving Umbria after you sell your home due to the limits on residency available to foreigners and the cumbersome re-application for your PdS each year. Have you decided what region is more open to foreign residency? I’d hate to get to comfortable only to know there wasn’t a path to residency after 5 years. Thanks – Margaret
Hi Maggie. Umbertide has my heart. It is a nice town that is a real slice of Italian life. Regular folks living their lives. Not like so any towns where it feels more “disney-esque”. They are beautiful but not real. Come visit next year. I hope you love it too!
.
We are arriving in Italy Summer 2021. Umbertide looks promising!