I built a map of 2,528 Italian towns that can qualify for the 7% tax regime, then my family picked a region that isn't on it. This episode is the order of decisions we used to choose where to retire in Italy, and where the 7% belongs in that order.

Summary. Choosing where to retire in Italy is a series of eliminations, and the order matters. The five filters are the care radius, family gravity, the no-car test, the life you actually live, and only then the money, including the 7%. Caesar walks through a fictional couple, Tom and Lisa, to show how a cheaper town in a 7% region can cost more by year eleven.

Key takeaways

1. A town has to work for you at 78, not only at 65. You are choosing for twenty years or more.
2. Pick your emergency-department number before you open a single listing: the most minutes you will accept to the nearest pronto soccorso.
3. Count family distance door to door, in hours and connections, not in kilometers.
4. A train station is a building. A service is a train that arrives when you need it. Check Sundays and evenings.
5. The 7% is a way to compare towns that already passed the first four filters. It is not a reason to choose one, and it lasts up to ten tax years.
6. Now, Next, Not Yet: write down three numbers, run the free Escape Map quiz against them, and stay off the real-estate sites for now.

Sources and facts mentioned. Law 34/2026 (7% regime now covers municipalities up to 30,000 inhabitants, effective April 7, 2026). The regime requires qualifying foreign pension income and no Italian tax residence in the prior five years. U.S. citizens still file U.S. returns and may owe U.S. tax. Tom and Lisa are fictional and their numbers are examples, not a forecast.

Do this next. Take the free quiz on the 7% Escape Map. It gives you ten matched towns, and you don't need Pro for it. Run each one through your three numbers: https://italy7percent.caesartheday.com

Question for you. What is the one thing a town has to have before you'll even look at it? Reply in the Facebook group or the YouTube comments.

Links

• Watch the video: https://youtu.be/VJb2zm9zzJM
• Website: https://www.caesartheday.com
• Free guides: https://www.caesartheday.com/guides
• Free 20-minute call and services: https://www.caesartheday.com/services
• Books: https://www.caesartheday.com/books
• Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/caesarthedayretiretoitaly
• Substack: https://caesartheday.substack.com

I'm not a lawyer or tax adviser. This is education, not personal advice. Have qualified professionals check your situation, ideally professionals who understand both countries.