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Destinations

Puglia & the south

Sea air, lower costs.

Ostuni, Lecce, Polignano a Mare, the Salento peninsula: whitewashed towns, two seas, and the mildest winters on the Italian mainland. More American and British retirees settle here every year — drawn by climate and cost in roughly equal measure.

Towns retirees shortlist

Lecce offers a real city with culture and services; the Itria Valley and Salento towns offer village life near the sea. Regional variation is enormous — two towns twenty minutes apart can feel like different countries, so shortlisting here benefits most from local knowledge.

What it costs, honestly

• The lowest housing and day-to-day costs of the patterns we cover, by a clear margin — especially outside the fashionable coastal strip.
• Many small southern municipalities qualify for Italy's 7% flat-tax regime on foreign pension income — for the right person, this materially changes the budget. Eligibility rules (including town size) apply.
• Cars, air conditioning, and heating old stone houses in the brief but real winter are the costs newcomers underestimate.

Healthcare access

Bari, Brindisi, and Lecce have good hospitals, but smaller towns mean driving for specialists, and English-speaking doctors are uncommon outside the expat-popular areas. Healthcare logistics deserve honest weight in your town choice here.

Day to day

Southern bureaucracy has its own tempo: offices may keep shorter public hours, and processes can take longer than in the centre-north. The compensations are warmth — human as much as climatic — and a slower, social daily rhythm.

Who this fits

Retirees who prioritise climate, sea, and cost, who adapt well, and who are comfortable driving and learning Italian.