Anyone Thinking of Retiring to France or Italy?

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIREdreamer You could write the same thing about small American towns and probably most of the world's small towns. Heck, last time I visited a small Appalachian town, I was greeted with shot guns.

Well, at least it wasn't banjos...

[FIREd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HFWR Well, at least it wasn't banjos...

And for that I'll be eternally grateful...

[IndependentlyPoor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIREdreamer You could write the same thing about small American towns and probably most of the world's small towns. Heck, last time I visited a small Appalachian town, I was greeted with shot guns.

True, and I think that small town folk (the world over) treat "feriners" with more suspicion.

However, being an outsider is not all bad. Its not like you are an untouchable or anything. In some ways, local folks give you a pass. They don't expect you to know all of the little social niceties, and forgive you when you commit a faux pas.

I think living somewhere like France or Italy would be a great way to spend a couple of years, but I would want a plan to return to the U.S. The thought of being old and infirm in a distant country is kinda scary. If one emigrates while still young enough to fully assimilate and form a network of friends, then OK; but doing it later in life, not for me.

[FIREd]

My dad lives in a small French village, pop. 394. That's where I grew up. The local church has records of my people living in this town for at least the past 400 years. This was also true for the majority of the families still living there 20 or 30 years ago. And at that time, when a foreigner came into town, people would recoil as if an intruder had violated their home. But people like my grandmother never strayed very far from their village. For them, the village was a sanctuary. It was all they knew. Of course, younger generations are a lot more traveled (and less suspicious of foreigners). But while people from my dad's generation couldn't wait to leave the village, people from my generation (with their college education) are coming back. As older people pass, young families are moving in from the cities (the new trend is to live in the country and work in the city). Nowadays, only one of my dad's neighbors is a local. His neighbors are Swiss, British and American. The dynamic is changing as the old guard is slowly being outnumbered by the newcomers. When I go back to visit, I know few of the people living in that village anymore. And I used to know everyone! Foreigners who used to stick out like a sore thumb, are now almost inconspicuous. I think villages have a bright future.