7% Discovery Tours

Small group tours, with our local expert guides, designed to help you zero in on the best 7% town for you.

During each four-day, all-inclusive tour we will discover multiple towns, eat in local hideouts, and uncover favorite spots.

The goal is not to visit as a tourist, but to see each town as your potential new home in Italy.

Your local guide, who was born and raised in the region, will share what life is like to live there, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Learn first-hand the cost of living, what to expect from locals, seasonal weather, services, safety, food, traditions, culture, dialect, and how to meet new friends.

What is a 7% Discovery Tour?

4 days/ 4 nights

Local Experts

short and powerful

authentic

We take care of the details, so you can focus on the location. 

By the end of the tour, you will have a deeper understanding of each town and be able to zero in on the right location for your retirement.

All Inclusive

stress free

Visit popular, as well as lesser-known villages, meet the shopkeepers, visit the markets, share a cafe in the local bar, and learn what it's really like to live in this magical part of Italy.

Unique Locations

hidden gems

why this is a game changer

Private Consultation with our Senior Italian Tax Accountant

Included is a free private 1:1 strategy call with our Senior Commercialista (Italian tax accountant) to discuss how the 7% flat tax applies to you and to learn your tax implications when moving to Italy. This is a critical step for everyone planning to move to Italy, and it is included with your 7% Discovery Tour. 

Free

a must for pre-planning

But wait...there is more....

Coffee Chat with a Local Property Expert

Let’s face it, if you plan to move to Italy, you will need a place to live. Whether you plan to rent or buy, you must be prepared to enter the market. Spend a morning with our local property expert to understand the costs, availability, and value of your investment in the region.

Advice

understand the market

Cocktails with Local Expats

The best advice you can receive is from those who have walked the walk. Meet our Expats that have made the move and are happily living their new lives in a 7% tax town. They will share their ups and downs and offer you tips on how to make the most of your new life in Italy.

Invaluable

meet locals who made the move

10% Discount on all Smart Move Italy Services

Moving to Italy without stress and mistakes takes the help of experts to navigate the complex parts of the process. Every year thousands of people turn to us to help them make the move, and as a participant in our 7% Discovery Tours, you will get 10% off all products and services, saving you stress and money.

Save

access to our team

In a word: Purifying
Population: 4 million

Puglia also called Apulia is a magical region in Italy and is the southeastern most region. In a map, it is the heel of the
boot-shaped peninsula. There are countless villages and towns, one being more picturesque than the next.  The food in this region is considered to be of the best in the nation, and once you get here you will see what we mean!  

In the heart of Puglia, stretching from Bari down to Taranto, the Itria Valley is a fertile area of lush vegetation where you will see 1000 year old majestic olive trees, and vineyards flourish in the midst of rolling hills and quaint hilltop towns.

This is the home of the Trulli, those cone shaped houses that look impossible to live in, but are actually very comfortable and cool in the hot Pugliese summers.  But it isn't just Trulli that make this part of Italy unique, there are white washed towns, perched on hilltops, endless coastline with crystal blue sea and beaches, cities like Ostuni, Monopoli, Bari, and Lecce - considered the Florence of the south - all help to make Puglia a prime destination for travelers and residents.  

Puglia:  Valle d'Itria

Join us in the Valle d'Itria

Starts in Bari ends in Lecce with overnights in Monopoli, Ostuni & Lecce.

€2595 pp (+ €300 single supplement unless room share). 

Tour includes:
• All accommodation 4 star or higher
• All ground transportation from start to finish
• Local expert guides
• All breakfasts / lunches
• Welcome Apericena + last night dinner
Free copy Discovering Puglias 7% Towns
• Special surprises along the way
• All taxes
(not including airfare)

Puglia Valle d'Itria:  4 days/4 nights

2024 dates coming soon!

"I am so happy that I made the decision to travel to Puglia with the SMI team. From the moment we met
our guide and driver it was a wonderful experience."

In a word: Natural
Population: 1.5 million

Abruzzo is an excellent choice for 7% flat tax retirees that are seeking a less touristy spot that is a blend of ocean and mountains, and still close to the center of Italy. The western border of Abruzzo is just under an hour from Rome, so you can zip to the airport or spend a day in the city with ease. Perhaps you prefer to stick around home and enjoy miles of coastline with fresh fish, markets and charming towns that are less touristy than neighboring Regions.

Abruzzo is authentic living, with over 1/3 of it protected parkland, so if you are a nature lover, this is your place! With rolling hills covered in vineyards, castles, art-cities and charming stone hilltop towns, there are many places to choose to make your new home at a fraction of the cost of the more popular areas.  There are even three golf clubs in Abruzzo and several universities that breath life and services into the cities.

Most people love the smaller, hilltop villages that if you didn’t know better, you would think you were in Tuscany. Or if you prefer to  crunch your toes in the sand, choose one of the beautiful seaside towns that offer a gentle windswept fresh lifestyle that bursts to life in the summer.

There is something for everyone in Abruzzo, and we aim to show you the best of the best!

The Best of Abruzzo: Sea to Sky

Join us in Abruzzo

Starts in Ancona ends in Ortona with overnights in Tortoreto and Ortona.

€2595 pp (+ €300 single supplement unless room share). 

Tour includes:
• All accommodation 4 star or higher
• All ground transportation from start to finish
• Local expert guides
• All breakfasts / lunches
• Welcome Apericena + last night dinner
• Free copy Discovering Italy's 7% Towns
• Special surprises along the way
• All taxes
(not including airfare)

Abruzzo: Sea to Sky 4 days/4 nights

2024 dates coming soon!

Join Us On The Next
7% Discovery Tour

Join Us On The Next
7% Discovery Tour

Can't decide where to live in a 7% qualifying town?

scroll on if you're ready to start your new life

and get the confidence and knowledge you need to pick the best town for YOU!

You’ve worked hard all your life and it’s finally time to take it easy. To wake up where you want, when you want, and spend the day following your heart’s desires.

If you’re reading this right now, your heart is set on Italy: the fairy-tale landscape of historical cities wedged in between rolling hills, majestic mountain ranges, and bordered on three sides by an eternal sea.

It’s a dreamscape that feels too good to be true, and thanks to the recent 7% tax regime legislation, an appealing
place to create your retirement reality.

Why the 7% Tax Regime for Retirees in Italy

Ready for your life to change?

In 2019, Italy implemented a 7% tax regime for individuals who receive government or private pensions from a foreign country. This law allows pensioners who relocate to certain regions in southern Italy or selected towns in central Italy with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants to pay a flat tax of 7% on their foreign earned income and no wealth tax, which for some, can be a massive savings.

what is the 7% tax regime?

The Three Things You Need to Know

Any individual with a foreign-earned private or public pension can relocate to one of the applicable Italian regions and take advantage of the 7% tax regime.  You must have not been a resident of Italy for the last five (5) years, and your current country of residency must have a double-tax treaty with Italy. (USA/Canada/UK/Australia) 

who can benefit from the 7% flat tax?

The 7% tax regime is an initiative for Southern Italy, and applies to municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants in the regions of Sicily, Calabria, Sardinia, Campania, Basilicata, Abruzzo, Molise, and Puglia. It’s also applicable to certain towns in Lazio, Umbria, and Le Marche that are identified as damaged by past earthquakes. 

Where are the qualifying towns?

After learning about the 7% tax benefits to southern regions, you have had to shift your search for a new home (rent or buy) in a region you know almost nothing about. 

Here's the problem...

FIrst you try to convince yourself that taxes can't be that bad.....

But after speaking with a Commercialista (Italian accountant) you realize that you didn't work your whole life to give all your money to the Italian government.

Italy is great..but not that great!

So, you commit to finding a 7% town that fits YOU. And the deep dive begins. Countless hours are lost down the Google rabbit hole.

What you find, are pretty tourist-focused websites or YouTube videos designed to attract tourists (not residents) or Expat blogs that paint dreamy pictures but give little sense of what life is really like.

Soon, you realize you need a scouting trip to really see what these places are like.  But you don't know what you don't know, and your trip quickly ends in disappointment.

After days (or weeks) of driving through endless towns, never really knowing if you are just missing something, you leave with a heavy heart and question if your dream is really worth it.


I PROMISE you it is...

You just need a little HELP

Have the confidence and knowledge to choose the best 7% towns for YOU

By the end of the 4 days..

Saved time and money. No wasting time in no-go zones

01

02

you will

Understand cost of living, weather, safety, tourist impact and regional issues

03

Learn about the area as a future resident not a tourist 

04

Plus Enjoy the food, the people, the lifestyle with our local experts

05

"I don’t think words can express what a wonderful personality Sergio has.  He made me feel
as if I had been a lifelong friend."

YES! I WANT TO SAVE $250! >>>

How It Works

Choose one or more regions to discover with us 

choose a region

Select your preferred dates and locations and send us your request

Once we confirm availability, pay a small deposit to hold your spot!

pay the deposit

request to book

Samantha Wilson’s Discovering Italy's 7% Towns Lifestyle Guide will become your "go-to" when deciding how, when and where to retire in Italy. 

Samantha shares her helpful and honest advice on retiring to the best towns in each region, and highlights what to expect from health care, local services, safety, cost of living and how to meet and make new friends with your Italian neighbors. 

Get her top picks for the best sights, local restaurants, bars, markets, neighborhoods and more, to help you choose where you will start your life in Italy.  

Get a FREE copy of our new ebook Discovering Italy's 7% Towns 

Bonus!

NEXT →

"Our guide, Sergio,
knew many details about each of the towns, the architecture, the people, the history, the art, the churches. When Sergio was done you felt as if you knew the history of the town and everything the town has to offer."

NEXT →

"The food and restaurant choices on this trip were a 15 on a scale of 1-10. Whoever is responsible for the
selection of restaurants deserves a reward."

How can I reserve a spot in a tour?

We require a €100 deposit per person to hold your spot.  Balance is due 60 days from departure (unless you are using the Early Booking Bonus).  Please send an email to be put on our wait list for the next available dates.

Frequently Asked Questions

What towns are you visiting on each tour?

Our local guides have chosen the top towns in each region.  You will visit between 9 - 13 towns, plus major cities/centres on each tour.  We will send you the full itinerary with your request. 

How many people are on each tour?

Tours are a minimum of 4, maximum of 12 people.  

I am single.  Can I have my own room?

Yes!  Just let us know what you prefer, and we will accommodate you. There is a €300 single supplement added to single rooms. 

How soon should I arrive in Italy before the tour?

It is best that you have recovered fully from jet-lag before starting the tour.  For most people, that means that you should plan to be in Italy a few days before the start of the tour.

Who are the guides in each town?

We only use local and licensed guides that are from the region.  This way, they can give you an honest, first-hand knowledge of what it is like to live in the city or region.

Is there a discount if I book more than one tour?

Yes!  If you book a second tour, you will save and additional €100 off the second tour.  This can be combined with the early booking bonus! 

Can you help us look at properties when we are there?

Yes.  Our licensed buyers estate agency will be happy to organize viewings should you want to stay on a little longer and see some properties.  Just let us know when you request to book. 

What is your cancellation policy?

We have a generous cancellation policy. Please review our full terms here 

shoot me an email

I completely understand. Every decision matters when it comes to moving to Italy, and we are here to take away the stress.

Still on the fence?