Back before the internet age, Nancy Hampton eagerly anticipated her print subscriptions from International Living, so she’d clearly fostered a dream to live overseas for a long time. In the 1990s, she and her husband Luther, managed to garner some good work gigs in Germany; Nancy as a graphic artist and Luther in IT. They loved immersing themselves in a new culture.

When their work opportunities ended, they returned to the Washington, D.C. metro area, where they endured heavy traffic, a high cost of living, and crazy pace ,while looking for a place to retire abroad. “We knew we wanted to be back in Europe,” Nancy said, “and we tended to return again and again to Italy.