@davidkimberly4682, you are very welcome. We appreciate you watching and for the awesome comment. We have much more to come. Have a great day. 😍

@evelyneliaz, wow, that's a fantastic budget! Thank you for sharing that detail. We certainly appreciate the awesome comment and for you watching our video. Much appreciated. 💝

@evelyneliaz Hi Evelyn, that's wonderful! What part of Sicily are you in? We went to Sicily in 2022, and we are so looking forward to moving back. We love Sicily too! Pros and cons to anyplace you live, but the pros outweigh the cons, in our opinion. Thank you for watching and for your awesome comment. 😍

@@TheSicilianLife I live in San Cataldo, which is in the center. I paid 9,000 euros for my home in 2022. It needs plumbing and electrical work, but it is livable. I am pleased to be here. 😃

@evelyneliaz Oh, wonderful! I've never been to San Cataldo, Sicily, but I'm sure it's lovely. What a fantastic deal! So happy for you. I know it's a process to get work done, but it will be worth it in the end. Keep us posted on your progress. So happy you like it. 🌻

@coratheexplorer1824, Thank you for watching and for your comment! 😍 Yes, the garbage and recycling home pick-up service is exceptional, but there exists a problem with irresponsible people dumping garbage where they should not. Yes, it's definitely a negative. Hopefully, the municipalities will use part of their budget to start cleaning this up. Have a great. day. 🌻

You are welcome. 😊I applied for citizenship before moving to Sicily the first time, way back in 2006. We were living in Florida at the time, and we dealt with the Miami Italian Consulate. That's great! It is a bit of a long process, but it is so worth it! 🌻Wishing you all the best as you go through this process. Thanks for watching and for taking time to comment.

Hi Lorna, Thank you for watching and for the comment. 😊 We are both Italian citizens so don't have Visas. Croce was born and raised here, and I applied many, many years ago for citizenship by marriage. For me, it was a 5-month process with ordering documents, sending things away to be "sealed" at the state capital, and then passport application, etc. It's not a fast process at all. But if you search the Italian Consulate website in your state, they will have all the info you need. There are many furnished apartments available. Watch my home tour video, and see what you can get for what price. Then I list all the websites to use to look for placed. Here's the link: tinyurl.com/yc4bb9er You're welcome, Lorna. I appreciate it. 😍

Hi Lorna, People are very friendly, so you should be okay in that regard. Do you know the language? That's a key part in order for you to be able to navigate life as a single person. It's easy to make friends as the Sicilian people are very warm and friendly. Yes, you would probably make friends pretty quickly. Hope to encourage you. Wishing you all the best on your journey of researching these things. Take care. 💚

I live alone in Sicily with my 3 pets and am retired. You can meet people as you carry on with daily life. It would be best if you could speak Italian, although I get by with Google translate.😃

@evelyneliaz, sounds like you are making it work and enjoying yourself. Wonderful! Yes, Google Translate app is a great help for sure. Thanks for watching and for your comment. 💚

Hello Veronnica, we certainly appreciate you watching. Thank you for the kind words and for your comment. We're in Texas right now with family and are making plans to head back to Sicily. 😍

Hi Franco. Croce is already enrolled in Medicare Part A because they automatically did that on his 65th birthday. We will be checking into the details about Part B and what our options are. We'll be doing a video about steps we're taking to prep for retirement sometime soon. Thank you for watching and for the great comment. We appreciate it. 😊

Hi, you are more than welcome! September is a great time to visit. Yes, it is definitely more affordable. Where are you in Texas? Wishing you all the best in your future plans. 😊 Thank you for watching and for the kind words.

Hi Jonnie, we appreciate it so much! Yes, for sure. We want to explore more of Europe. Thank you for watching and for the great comment. 😊

Hi Patricia~! Well, it's our personal experience so we shared our thoughts. Yes, a lot of differences, but it is apparant that there are some similarities. I'm an American citizen, born in the good ole U.S.A., and I will always be proud of my heritage. Thanks for watching and for your comment. 😊 ~ Carol

Oh, that sounds like such wonderful memories. We have yet to explore the Roman ruins. We are making a list so that we can go on a few tours a month so as to enjoy the rich history of this beautiful country. Thank you for watching, for your kind words, and for taking the time to comment. 😍 It is much appreciated.

Hi Rosario. 🌻Awesome that you were born in Sicily. By better life, do you mean work? I don't speak Italian, but I am fluent in Sicilian dialect simply because I was around Croce's family who spoke Sicilian at home. Not yet ~ we're prepping for Croce's retirement. Can't wait to get back. Thank you for watching and for the comment. We appreciate it. 😊

@@TheSicilianLife Back in Sicily my father was a qualified upholster and both his brother (zio) and father (nonno) painters. My father and his brother were the last to leave Sicily out of those in the family who decided to leave (a large amount remained in Sicily) and when they arrived in Australia both of them together with their brother-in-law who arrived first started a very successful painting company. We come from a little town called Giarre which I'm sure your husband would have heard of. My wife and I are going in September for 6 weeks and in our travel will hopefully decide which town to purchase a holiday home when we make that decision. I'm happy you are able to speak the language my wife being Australian is not fluent however can basically understand when I'm speaking to my parents.

Ah, wonderful! Giarre is very close to Etna, wow. Croce did painting when he was young in Sicily before moving to the United States. When we went back in 1996, he helped his friend do some residential painting. Great plans as September is a fun month in Sicily. It will still be very warm, though, as you well know. Wishing you all the best on your search for a holiday home. How exciting! 😍 Thanks for sharing.

Hi. Thank you for watching and for the excellent questions! 😊 Sicilians are warm and welcoming - most definitely. The biggest challenge would be language. Do you speak Italian? I don't, but I do know the Sicilian dialect which serves me well. There are many cultural differencs/shocks which we will be doing a video on soon. Do you have family or distant relatives there? Where are you considering? What a wonderful consideration. Wishing you blessings as you consider this move. 🌻

Oh, that would be great! You should try to make plans to do that next year. It would be a lovely experience. 😊 Thank you for watching and for taking the time to comment. We appreciate it. 💝

Hi. Very true ~ beautiful, rich, and hot in the summers. However, we live in Texas with triple-digit heat, and it's oppressive. In Sicily, it's not as humid, and we get a lovely ocean breeze so it really makes a big difference. We always have A/C wherever we are. I guess I'm spoiled. 😂 Thank you for watching.

Hi Diane, thank you so much for watching and for your comment. 😊 Croce was born and raised in Sicily so he's a citizen, and I applied for and got citizenship (by marriage) years ago through the Miami Consulate when we lived in Florida all those years. I know it must be frustrating to sift through the requirments. Wishing you all the best on your efforts to accomplish this! 🌸

You and me both! 😍It actually depends on the house and company. The energy companies are very competetive and offer great deals to get initial business. When we did our side-by-side comparison, on electric alone, it was 32 percent cheaper for us in Sicily. However, in Texas we have a 2 BR, 1 BA apartment, and there, we had a 3 BR, 2 BA villa/upper level (apartment) - so it was not even really an even comparison. We did turn off the radiators in the rooms we were not using so maybe that evened it out a bit. We added the gas together with the electric, (even though we don't have gas in Texas), to be completely fair about energy costs. We definitely pay about the SAME in Carini, Sicily. That has been our personal experience living in well constructed houses. Thank you so much for watching. 😊 We appreciate you sharing.

@Toscalato For example, gas/diesel costs in Sicily are WAY more expensive, but we have a Toyota Yaris and spend LESS in a month in Sicily than we do in the States. It's something a little difficult to compare because there are so many variables in play. Thanks! 😊

Thank you!! Do you want to know something funny? While it is still definitely true that I have never seen an Italian do that in Italy, I have recently (after posting my video) seen an Italian cook on KZbin do it. Yikes! I think it's such a waste. Thank you taking time to watch and comment, Lucia. Have a blessed day. 🌸

Oh, Lucia, you have no idea what that means to me! You are a huge encouragement as we continue on this very new journey on KZbin. You spur me on to deal with full-time work, family, other responsibilities, AND trying to get a good quality video out each week. Thank you for taking the time to watch, write a comment, and for being so uplifting. You are very appreciated. 💝

You're very welcome ~ our pleasure. Glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching. 💝

Hi Janet. Thank you for the encouragement. We certainly appreciate you watching. 😍

Thank you for the kind words ~ so glad it's helpful. Thank you for watching. 😍

Ciao, Maria - thank you so much. 😍 Of course there are pros and cons to every place, but with Sicily, I think there are so many more pros! We are prepping to make the trip back, and we have so much to do. Excited! Thank you for coming by. 💕

Hi Brian, thanks for watching and for the comment/questions. We appreciate it. As we get older, we can tolerate the heat much more than the cold, but I always make sure to have A/C whereever I am. It increases the electric bill somewhat, but I'm not willing to 'suffer' in order to pinch pennies, that's for sure! 😊 Something I've noticed is that Sicily doesn't utilize ceiling fans as much as we do here in the U.S. which could definitely help with the cooling. We use fans also, and A/C to help. The winters can get pretty cold because the houses are usually not insulated which makes you feel the cold 'to the bone.' Layering is key, and a good heating system, of course. Croce grew up in Sicily so he's used to it a lot more than me. Take care and thanks for the kind words. 💕

​@@TheSicilianLifeThanks so much!

@brianwhite1189 You are very welcome. 🤩

Hi, Denise. Glad it was helpful! Oh, what a perfect time to visit Sicily! Wishing you a beautiful trip. Thanks for watching. 😍

Hi Lucia, thanks for watching! Croce is already signed up for Part A, and we will be doing more research and possibly make an appt. to find out about if we should go ahead and start paying for Part B before heading over or what. Even if we stay in Sicily parmanently, we would want to have something for when we're here visiting family. I'm not going to retire quite yet so we'll just be dealing with Croce's medicare. I'm planning another video that will cover the steps we're taking to prep for retirement. Your question confirmed that these things are being wondered by folks so thank you! 😍

Hi Amy. I thought about that after recording that portion, correct, that is very true. 😍 To me, with it being so huge, and us way up in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, we definitely feel landlocked because we can drive for many hours without seeing the sea. You're absolutely right. Yes, it is so beautiful there. I hope I never start taking the beauty for granted. Thank you so much for watching. 💕

Where in the DFW did you live? I live in Trophy Club, TX, and work in Grapevine. I’m hoping to retire in Italy 🇮🇹 Like they say here, “Everything is bigger in TX” It includes the cost of living.

@rosavalenzuela8967 Hi Rosa, we are currently in Lewisville. You're just across Grapevine Lake from us. 😊 Small world. Oh, that would be wonderful for you. Keep us posted on your progress. Thank you for watching and for taking the time to comment. 🌻

It really is! Every place has its ups and downs, but we love Sicily. We're currently in the U.S. with family, but making plans as we 'speak.' Thank you for watching. Much appreciated. 😊

Thank you, Jeff. I appreciate it. I don't know of anyone who has visited that hasn't loved it. 😊Thank you for watching.

Hi Sarah, you would love it! There are pros and cons with any place, but the pros most certainly outweigh the cons - at least for us! Thank you so much for watching. 😊

The winters can get pretty cold ~ not actually tempature-wise, but because the houses are not insulated (the majority), it can feel really cold indoors. No, not affected by Mt. Etna as we are on the west side of the island. The only thing we've had is wild fires in the summer in the mountains that aqua-planes come and make many trips - picking up sea water to put them out. Also, we get dust from Africa - literally from the Sahara. Beautiful place of the world, but we still deal with a few issues. Thanks for watching. 😊

Hi, we will be in Carini, Sicily which is in the Province of Palermo. It's about an hour and 15 minutes from Trapani. Beautiful place! Wishing you all the best - how exciting! 😍

@@TheSicilianLifeThank you! Looking forward to get out of Houston but my son is staying for college so I will be back to visit 😊

I can definitely understand that!!! Family is so important! Thank you for your support. 😍

As a single person, how much would I need to live comfortably? Let's say I would not rent and outright own a small home.

Hi, JoJo. You could factor a lot less than the budget we gave in the Cost of Living video. I'm not sure what the percentage of property taxes there would be. All of your expenses would be less than we stated in the video. Did you see the breakdown? If not, I'll link it here for your convenience. I do appreciate you watching and wishing you all the best in your future plans. 😊 Cost of Living Video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIaUiWN-m65nh5o&pp=gAQBiAQB

Hi Isaac! You should! Croce has been to Milan, Rome, and Florence, but I have not. I've been to Rome, but only time for a meal and a night in a hotel. We need to make a trip of it. Thank you for watching. 😊