Before you sort through all of your things, deciding what to get rid of and what to keep-- Have you decided if you're going to downsize or get a larger house? Will you be in town or will you have property around your house? If you want to live in town, will you want or need a vehicle? These are things you need to consider.

I got rid of about 75% of my stuff. I had a massive amount of everything you can imagine. It took five estate sales to get rid of it all - much of it I gave away or donated. Even with that, I ended up with about 600 cubic feet of stuff. I intentionally call it “stuff,” because by the time you finish sorting all of your precious valuables and clothing, it all starts to lose its preciousness. I have talked to a lot of people who wished that they had just left it all behind and started fresh when relocating to Italy. I might have gone that route, had I known then what I know now. I'll get into dealing with the movers, later.

Each of us have people in our lives that we want to remember. However, their stuff will not increase our memories of them. I suggest picking one thing from each treasured person in your life and take it with you. It's a tangible way of taking that person along with you to your new life. I had huge boxes full of letters from my mother, grandmother and past loves. I had to ask myself if I was really going to sit down and read them all or if the cards and letters would just remain in those boxes, as they had for the past twenty years. I shuffled through them, found a few that touched my heart, and the rest went into the recycling bin. If nothing else, it would give any garbage pickers a good read!

And keep in mind, you're paying by cubic footage. Most likely, you can replace it for less than the cost to ship. This also gives you the opportunity to go out into your community in Italy and help support the local businesses, meet the people and create a community for yourself. Don't buy up everything at once. Go out, each day, and buy a couple things you need.

Don’t expect locals to embrace you right away. Italy has become a sort of playground, where expats and tourists romp about, then go back home. The more the locals see you, the more they’re likely to engage, because the more they realize that you're here to stay.

Ciao for now,
LeeRyan