A British expat tells pensioners in the UK ‘never dreamed’ of the properties and lifestyle retirees could enjoy in Italy I.

Linda Winter, 65, lives with her retired husband, Michael, in the northern Italian commune of Baone, where she plans to work as a painter and teacher until reaching the state pension in a year age.

The couple sold their property in Plymouth, Devon, for around £250,000, before buying a 150sq m 15th-century house with a lawn in Italy for just £210,000.

“I’d be lucky if I could buy a flat in the UK for the same money,” Ms. Mount told me. I. “I never dreamed I could afford anything close to this in the UK.

“I sit outside on the grass at night and draw. It’s so beautiful.”

Ms Winter said she spent around £1.10 on a cappuccino, £2.50 on a glass of wine and £11 each on a “fabulous” two-course dinner, “and Homemade spaghetti.”

“The quality of the fresh fruit and vegetables here is amazing,” she adds, “and not a single glass of wine requires a long journey.

“You can live better here than in the UK for less money… We will never go back to the UK.”

Ms. Winter currently teaches and works in sales Online paintings of her Italian hometown.

However, once she turns 66, she plans to live on a state pension of around £750 a month. Her husband was a sustainable management trainer who retired several years ago.

Ms Winter took voluntary redundancy in the UK in 2018 after feeling house prices in south-west England were too high, saying she was “eager for one last adventure”.

The couple first visited France and then decided to move to Italy. On a trip to Bowen, while eating ice cream, they discovered their future home was for sale.

Ms Winter described the area’s “fantastic sense of community”, adding, “People really celebrate who they live with… I feel like that’s missing from almost everywhere in the UK at the moment.

“I grew up in Cornwall and had a great life in Cornwall, but it was almost impossible to live there. Most people were just priced out. I wore it out.”

Ms Winter, who traveled to Italy ahead of Brexit, believes the transition will be relatively easy, but recommends getting a good lawyer when buying a property. “Buying a house here is complicated [the legal fees are] expensive. “

Applying for the UK state pension is also challenging because the Italian postal service is not always as reliable as Ms Winters would like. “You have to persevere and sometimes leaving Italy can be difficult.”

“In general, you have to be brave,” she added, “but you should do it… Italy is one of the most beautiful places you’ll ever see.”