When Americans (and others) arrive in Italy’s small villages: a new chapter of Life, Community, and Regeneration. For some, it’s an adventure; for others, it’s a return to their roots - a chance to let a new life take shape for themselves and for the places they choose to call home.
There is an Italy you won’t find on glossy brochures - an Italy far from high-speed rail lines and airport lounges, made of quiet squares, shuttered homes, and bars that close by noon. For decades, this Italy has lived in a suspended state: cherished in memory yet slowly fading in practice.
And yet, precisely in these fragile territories, something unexpected has been unfolding.
Over the last several years, a discreet but unmistakable trend has emerged: Americans - and increasingly Canadians, Northern Europeans, Australians, and Latin Americans - choosing to live in Italy’s small towns and villages. Some arrive out of curiosity, some out of restlessness, some because of ancestry, and many because they want a different tempo of life.
When it works, the transformation is not real estate–driven.
It is social, human, relational.
And this is exactly why it matters.
“I came here for a house. I stayed because I found a community.”
One of the clearest examples comes from Latronico, Basilicata, where PBS documented the story of Mark Bradford, an American from Boston.
He originally came to buy an inexpensive house - a simple, almost transactional idea.
But then life intervened.“I came here for a house. I stayed because I found a community.” Bradford’s presence became a catalyst: other Americans followed, and Latronico began to regain residents, attention, and civic activity.
The home was the vehicle. The community was the destination.
Irsina: the quiet success story
Irsina, also in Basilicata, has been described by The Guardian as one of the most successful integration stories in Italy’s internal areas.
Here, Americans have not “taken over” anything; instead, they blended into a town that welcomed them with curiosity and cautious affection.
One resident summarised their philosophy in a way that has since become emblematic: “I didn’t want to change the town. I wanted to become part of it.” This is the real difference between sustainable regeneration and simplistic “foreign buyer enthusiasm.”
Sambuca di Sicilia: beyond the €1-home myth
Sambuca became a global headline for its symbolic “€1 homes,” but the real renaissance happened thanks to the people who stayed afterward - including several American families who transformed their move into a long-term commitment.
CNN followed Michele and Brian Cox, whose experience goes well beyond a real estate purchase: “They didn’t simply buy a house. They became part of Sambuca’s cultural rebirth.” Once again, the pattern is the same: a house as a consequence, not a cause.
Grottole: where newcomers contribute, not just relocate
Grottole, in the province of Matera, hosted the “Wonder Grottole” programme, initially supported by Airbnb. Here, American volunteers worked on the community garden, the civic library, public spaces, and artisan workshops.NPR captured the essence of their experience: “It wasn’t a holiday. It was a civic experience.” Some later returned, and a few eventually invested in local properties - again, only after building meaningful relationships.
When it doesn’t work (and why)
Not every story has a happy ending, and honesty is essential.
The most discussed cautionary tale is Montieri, Tuscany, documented by Lauren Markham (VQR and The Guardian).
Several Americans arrived full of enthusiasm but found: limited services, bureaucratic challenges, social isolation, expectations shaped by media, not by reality. Some left within months.
Similar issues emerged in Sedini, Ollolai, and other “TV-famous” villages where the promotional narrative created an illusion that the territory could not sustain.
The lesson is universal: regeneration collapses when property is treated as the starting point instead of the final step.
Why property must be the destination, not the departure
Buying a house comes at the end of a process, not the beginning.
Real regeneration happens when people first: live in the town, form relationships, understand its rhythms, meet the community, test the seasons, understand local services, imagine a future there.
Only then does property make sense.
When the order is reversed - when buyers are invited to “fall in love” with an empty house before they understand the village - disappointment is almost guaranteed.
What ITS Italy does differently: a relational model, not a transactional one
This is where ITS Italy has carved out a unique role. It doesn’t “sell property.” It guides people through a soft entrance, a gradual discovery of the place.
Many Americans begin with stays of several weeks or months, living as temporary residents, testing daily life before making any long-term decision.
When they decide to stay, ITS Italy helps them choose the right approach: long-term rentals before buying, staged renovations, temporary housing during restoration, community-based integration pathways and more.
It is regeneration built on relationships, not transactions.
And the benefits flow both ways: the villages gain new residents and energy; newcomers gain meaning, community, and a different way of living.
Visas, residency, and the “hidden half” of relocation
Many Americans arriving in small Italian towns do not hold Italian citizenship. For them, residency is not automatic - and missteps can undermine the entire project.
Italy offers several realistic pathways:
– Elective Residence Visa (ERV) for those with foreign income
– Investor Visa for Italy, granting residency for investments in startups, companies, or government bonds
– hybrid residency paths for remote workers, depending on documentation and regional interpretation
A structured approach is essential - and often underestimated.
A shared future shaped by those who arrive and those who stay
What emerges from all these stories is something simple and powerful: Italy’s villages do not need buyers. They need citizens, people and their stories.
People who want to belong, to contribute, to live slowly, intentionally, socially.
And Americans - along with many others from around the world - are discovering that these small towns offer something the modern world often forgets to supply: time, connection, continuity, and the possibility of a life built around community rather than consumption.
When those who arrive meet those who stay, regeneration becomes real. And in that meeting, both sides - people and places - come back to life.
