AdamadnPim
New member
Hello all. I was hoping for some advice about our impending move to Italy and renting long term accommodation. A bit of back ground first.
I am British, and my wife is Thai; we have lived in Thailand for 4 years and Hong Kong for 4 years prior to that. Also note we have 3 dogs (2 Siberian and 1 Labrador - all rescue dogs that came from HK with us to Thailand). We have decided to move to Europe, and with the mind numbing impossible UK visas for non EU spouses, I quickly decided that I would much prefer to move to either Tuscany or the Loire in France which is where my heart wants me to be having visited many times, as opposed to my English head thinking back to the UK.
Looking at France, it is near impossible because to get a rented house, you need to have a local bank account, and to get that, you need a house with the bills in your name. A vicious catch 22 which along with sorting out my business affairs here, visa for wife, full process for dogs etc, is far too much for me to consider dealing with as well. So therefore, moving to Italy has cemented itself at the top of the list.
So here is a rough outline of my plan of action so far. Fly into Italy (end November) and straight into a pet friendly vacation house for a week or so. Use that time to view properties in the area we are interested in and secure somewhere to move into quickly. We really are not that fussy because with 3 dogs in S/E Asia we are more than used to making a home out of any building we are able to rent.
Once the house is rented, then set up utilities, and get the local bank account, prior to starting a branch of my company either in the house as a home office or if needs must, in an actual office.
The wife wants to spend time learning Italian Vegetarian cooking which is her passion anyway, and maybe either do some work for me, or some volunteer work locally, and I will carry on seamlessly working remotely, with a plan to live happily ever after.
So that is the plan. Here are the points that I have not managed to work out from my research though so hope that perhaps some kind soul can help?
1 - Is the above doable? Especially the part of renting a house prior to having an Italian Bank account / or opening a bank account prior to renting. Both needs to happen, but I don't care which order as long as it is not the catch 22 again.
2 - Internet access. To work at home I would need ideally a fibre connection as my group telephony is on VOIP which I would continue to use. How wide spread is Fibre or good speed and quality internet access in Tuscany outside of Florence and Sienna as I would not be looking there? If not great, satelite internet might be an option from Tooway? Any suggestions?
3- Rugby. I would love to get involved with a local club. I'm not great, and at 40, would be looking at a vets team to join in for training and a match or two. I can't seem to find much about Rugby in Tuscany though aside from Toscana which is way above my level. More interested in the social side of a town club which always helps to integrate into the local community and learn the language. Does anyone know of a town with a club there?
4 - Renting with dogs. To be very honest, my dogs are house dogs. Coming from HK, before they were saved from death row by us, they were all used to living in 700 sq ft apartments. The Labrador was actually scared of grass the first time we took her for a walk and still today will try not to walk off of concrete unless she has to. What are land lords like there with regards to dogs?
Hope I am not asking too much on my first post and we're both really excited about our move there.
I am British, and my wife is Thai; we have lived in Thailand for 4 years and Hong Kong for 4 years prior to that. Also note we have 3 dogs (2 Siberian and 1 Labrador - all rescue dogs that came from HK with us to Thailand). We have decided to move to Europe, and with the mind numbing impossible UK visas for non EU spouses, I quickly decided that I would much prefer to move to either Tuscany or the Loire in France which is where my heart wants me to be having visited many times, as opposed to my English head thinking back to the UK.
Looking at France, it is near impossible because to get a rented house, you need to have a local bank account, and to get that, you need a house with the bills in your name. A vicious catch 22 which along with sorting out my business affairs here, visa for wife, full process for dogs etc, is far too much for me to consider dealing with as well. So therefore, moving to Italy has cemented itself at the top of the list.
So here is a rough outline of my plan of action so far. Fly into Italy (end November) and straight into a pet friendly vacation house for a week or so. Use that time to view properties in the area we are interested in and secure somewhere to move into quickly. We really are not that fussy because with 3 dogs in S/E Asia we are more than used to making a home out of any building we are able to rent.
Once the house is rented, then set up utilities, and get the local bank account, prior to starting a branch of my company either in the house as a home office or if needs must, in an actual office.
The wife wants to spend time learning Italian Vegetarian cooking which is her passion anyway, and maybe either do some work for me, or some volunteer work locally, and I will carry on seamlessly working remotely, with a plan to live happily ever after.
So that is the plan. Here are the points that I have not managed to work out from my research though so hope that perhaps some kind soul can help?
1 - Is the above doable? Especially the part of renting a house prior to having an Italian Bank account / or opening a bank account prior to renting. Both needs to happen, but I don't care which order as long as it is not the catch 22 again.
2 - Internet access. To work at home I would need ideally a fibre connection as my group telephony is on VOIP which I would continue to use. How wide spread is Fibre or good speed and quality internet access in Tuscany outside of Florence and Sienna as I would not be looking there? If not great, satelite internet might be an option from Tooway? Any suggestions?
3- Rugby. I would love to get involved with a local club. I'm not great, and at 40, would be looking at a vets team to join in for training and a match or two. I can't seem to find much about Rugby in Tuscany though aside from Toscana which is way above my level. More interested in the social side of a town club which always helps to integrate into the local community and learn the language. Does anyone know of a town with a club there?
4 - Renting with dogs. To be very honest, my dogs are house dogs. Coming from HK, before they were saved from death row by us, they were all used to living in 700 sq ft apartments. The Labrador was actually scared of grass the first time we took her for a walk and still today will try not to walk off of concrete unless she has to. What are land lords like there with regards to dogs?
Hope I am not asking too much on my first post and we're both really excited about our move there.