Dutch, Swedish, Scottish: How these tiny Italian villages became international
If you're looking for an international community in Italy, you may think you'd need to move to a bigger town or city. But many remote villages across the country have strong ties with other countries, as Silvia Marchetti reports.
International residents can be found everywhere in Italy, but many have picked rural villages off the beaten track and unknown even to most Italians.
These residents are often part of 'expat' communities which are relatively big when compared to the tiny and shrinking local population. They embrace a simple lifestyle, live under the radar, speak fluent Italian, and feel very much ‘local’.
Their arrival began decades ago and knowledge of particular villages spread by word of mouth, in time creating foreign clusters in unexpected locations.
Airole, a tiny village of barely 360 residents high in Liguria’s hills and far from the buzzy towns of Ventimiglia and Portofino, has the highest density of foreign residents in Italy: 32 percent of the village, equal to roughly 116 international ‘airolesi’.
All kinds of languages can be heard in the alleys and these foreign residents, mostly retired professionals, gather at outdoor bar tables to enjoy an espresso at noon or an aperitivo in the evenings, mingling with Italians. The main nationalities are German, Dutch, Swedish, French, American, British and Swiss.
READ ALSO: How to spot Italy’s ‘fake authentic’ tourist villages
Lured by the strategic location of Airole - near Liguria’s beaches and Cinque Terre, the mountains for skiing, the Swiss and French borders for European day-trips - these foreigners have found peace, happiness and welcoming neighbors.
Karen Hansson, a 50-year-old art restorer from the Swedish city of Lund, has been living in Airole for the past 10 years.
“I first learned Italian while working in Milan as a young au pair, then when my husband and I were looking for a home near the Swiss skiing slopes where my daughter lives we picked Airole, preferring Italy to Switzerland”.
Karen says they looked on the map for a place which was close to the mountains, beaches, airport and train stations, with Airole ticking all their boxes. After visiting several times and renting a home for a while to get the feel of the village vibe they decided to settle in for good.
“We like the warmth of the local people who always greet us with a smile, we meet in the evenings to chat, and socializing has made us feel at home. The fact that Airole is tiny makes it all the more easy”.
READ ALSO: Charming or boring – What do Italians think of life in the old town?
The Hanssons bought an old house that they partially renovated and also a patch of land with trees and orchards which they tend to with help from local farmers.
“Italy just has so much more to offer than if we had picked Switzerland; there’s the language I know and love, the wonderful culture, the sea and the sunshine, stunning beaches and a slower pace of life that helps you unwind”, says Karen.
Picinisco in the wild Ciociaria area south of Rome is another village of 1,000 people that has flourished following the arrival of 200 people from the UK, mostly Scottish and Irish descendants of former emigrés who have reconnected with their ancestors’ lands.
“My farmer grandparents left Picinisco decades ago, abandoning their homes. I was born in Scotland and as I grew up visiting Picinisco during summers I realised I wanted to come back here, for good”, says Cesidio di Ciacca, a lawyer who has renovated his ancestral home and opened a hotel.
READ ALSO: How Italy’s cheap homes frenzy is changing rural villages
In Picinisco there are now bright, renovated Victorian-style villas, while unusually tall red-headed people can be spotted walking their dogs in the countryside and chatting with shepherds in a mix of Scottish and Ciociaro.
Every small nearby village with a population ranging from 200 to 700 people has a link to a different country based on where local emigrants went after the second world war, says di Ciacca.
Settefrati has many Americans, Casalattico mostly Irish residents while San Biagio Saracinisco is home to many Swedish families.
Data about foreign residents is lacking at such a small village level, but clearly their numbers are significant and they stand out from the rest of the population, mainly due to their accents.
Umbria is another expat paradise. The ancient hamlet of Santa Giuliana di Umbertide near Perugia was totally restored decades ago by German buyers who now live there alongside Austrian and Swiss nationals.
There’s even the so-called Dutch village of Bettona which has been revived since the 1980s by dozens of Dutch families looking for a peaceful home surrounded by nature.
The same goes for La Cima in the Umbrian village of Tuoro sul Trasimeno, overlooking the pristine lake: since the 1970s there’s been a resident community of Dutch, Belgians, Danish and French.
These small villages appeal to foreigners because they’re an alternative to the most popular cities and towns. These residents are part of a secret ‘Little Italy’, far from the crowds and where lifestyles are simpler.
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International residents can be found everywhere in Italy, but many have picked rural villages off the beaten track and unknown even to most Italians.
These residents are often part of 'expat' communities which are relatively big when compared to the tiny and shrinking local population. They embrace a simple lifestyle, live under the radar, speak fluent Italian, and feel very much ‘local’.
Their arrival began decades ago and knowledge of particular villages spread by word of mouth, in time creating foreign clusters in unexpected locations.
Airole, a tiny village of barely 360 residents high in Liguria’s hills and far from the buzzy towns of Ventimiglia and Portofino, has the highest density of foreign residents in Italy: 32 percent of the village, equal to roughly 116 international ‘airolesi’.
All kinds of languages can be heard in the alleys and these foreign residents, mostly retired professionals, gather at outdoor bar tables to enjoy an espresso at noon or an aperitivo in the evenings, mingling with Italians. The main nationalities are German, Dutch, Swedish, French, American, British and Swiss.
READ ALSO: How to spot Italy’s ‘fake authentic’ tourist villages
Lured by the strategic location of Airole - near Liguria’s beaches and Cinque Terre, the mountains for skiing, the Swiss and French borders for European day-trips - these foreigners have found peace, happiness and welcoming neighbors.
Karen Hansson, a 50-year-old art restorer from the Swedish city of Lund, has been living in Airole for the past 10 years.
“I first learned Italian while working in Milan as a young au pair, then when my husband and I were looking for a home near the Swiss skiing slopes where my daughter lives we picked Airole, preferring Italy to Switzerland”.
Karen says they looked on the map for a place which was close to the mountains, beaches, airport and train stations, with Airole ticking all their boxes. After visiting several times and renting a home for a while to get the feel of the village vibe they decided to settle in for good.
“We like the warmth of the local people who always greet us with a smile, we meet in the evenings to chat, and socializing has made us feel at home. The fact that Airole is tiny makes it all the more easy”.
READ ALSO: Charming or boring – What do Italians think of life in the old town?
The Hanssons bought an old house that they partially renovated and also a patch of land with trees and orchards which they tend to with help from local farmers.
“Italy just has so much more to offer than if we had picked Switzerland; there’s the language I know and love, the wonderful culture, the sea and the sunshine, stunning beaches and a slower pace of life that helps you unwind”, says Karen.
Picinisco in the wild Ciociaria area south of Rome is another village of 1,000 people that has flourished following the arrival of 200 people from the UK, mostly Scottish and Irish descendants of former emigrés who have reconnected with their ancestors’ lands.
“My farmer grandparents left Picinisco decades ago, abandoning their homes. I was born in Scotland and as I grew up visiting Picinisco during summers I realised I wanted to come back here, for good”, says Cesidio di Ciacca, a lawyer who has renovated his ancestral home and opened a hotel.
READ ALSO: How Italy’s cheap homes frenzy is changing rural villages
In Picinisco there are now bright, renovated Victorian-style villas, while unusually tall red-headed people can be spotted walking their dogs in the countryside and chatting with shepherds in a mix of Scottish and Ciociaro.
Every small nearby village with a population ranging from 200 to 700 people has a link to a different country based on where local emigrants went after the second world war, says di Ciacca.
Settefrati has many Americans, Casalattico mostly Irish residents while San Biagio Saracinisco is home to many Swedish families.
Data about foreign residents is lacking at such a small village level, but clearly their numbers are significant and they stand out from the rest of the population, mainly due to their accents.
Umbria is another expat paradise. The ancient hamlet of Santa Giuliana di Umbertide near Perugia was totally restored decades ago by German buyers who now live there alongside Austrian and Swiss nationals.
There’s even the so-called Dutch village of Bettona which has been revived since the 1980s by dozens of Dutch families looking for a peaceful home surrounded by nature.
The same goes for La Cima in the Umbrian village of Tuoro sul Trasimeno, overlooking the pristine lake: since the 1970s there’s been a resident community of Dutch, Belgians, Danish and French.
These small villages appeal to foreigners because they’re an alternative to the most popular cities and towns. These residents are part of a secret ‘Little Italy’, far from the crowds and where lifestyles are simpler.
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