If you’re looking for quintessential Old World lifestyle, Italy deserves your attention. The old towns are charming, and the countryside between is pleasant. Even excluding the big cities like Rome, there is enough here to keep your interest and to support a fully appointed life on the Continent. What’s more, life here can be much more affordable than back home.

Stitching together seascapes with lush mountain valleys, Abruzzo is one of Italy’s secret treasures—and you’ll love it. No over-crowding, no heavy industry. Hiding away down its curvy roads are castles, vineyards, and villages made of stone and memory. Life in the Abruzzo hasn’t changed that much over the years, and it’s like wandering into a gentler, kinder yesterday…a yesterday with little or no crime and neighbors who watch out for each other.