Place for extended stay in Northwest Italy

You might consider Bergamo. It has an airport nearby. We really enjoyed staying there for three nights this past May. But I'm wondering why you need a "base" to explore the continent of Europe. Why not just develop an itinerary that takes you to the various areas you're interested in? And do you know about the 90 day limit for American tourists in Europe?

Although I was born in America, I am completely Italian by descent. By the time we retire, I will have received Italian citizenship. Italy has a program that allows Italian - Americans who can trace their ancestry on even one side of their family to become citizens "by blood". My husband can also become a citizen because he will be married to me. So we will have dual USA - Italian citizenship. All my life I have been a frustrated traveler, and our plan is to live in Europe for a few years and travel all around. A base in Italy will allow us to take short(er) trips and then rest for a while before we head out again.

By the way, thanks for the tip about Bergamo! I will look into it.

If you are talking about years rather than weeks you will want to consider lots of factors, very carefully. The Bergamo airport may not be well-served by major airlines, and you should check the train connections. But if the budget airlines (Ryan, Easyjet) use the airport that might be a plus. Maybe consider Verona, which is right on a major train line going up to Austria and Germany, as well as south to Bologna and the rest of italy. Also easy connections to Milan if you want to fly out of those airports. But then it is not "northwestern" Italy. Maybe Turin?

Interesting that you should mention Verona, which is where the north - south train lines meet the east - west rail lines. We had originally considered moving to Villafranca di Verona, which is about 15 minutes south of Verona and is the town that has the international airport. The trouble is that the climate near Verona is very hot and humid, which I find very hard to take. The northeastern part of Italy is a little bit cooler and a bit drier. You are so right about how living for an extended time is very different than visiting! I have been doing a lot of book research about what expat life would be like. In some ways it will be quite an adjustment, and some of the culture differences will not be comfortable. It definitely will not be "Under the Tuscan Sun"!

There is no appreciable difference in weather between Verona or most areas of the Val Padana (Po Valley). It's hot in summer and cold and damp in winter, with plenty of fog. If you are looking for a place in Nothern Italy that is central to visit Europe and the world, you should stay not too far from Milan's airports. Malpensa is the largest airport and far enough from Milan to avoid the hectic major metropolis life. Milan is also the most important rail hub, maybe after Bologna. Como is one of the top places to retire in Italy according to various rankings. It's also close to Milan, Switzerland, Malpensa. I don't think it would be any more expensive than towns of comparable size in Northern Italy. Milan proper would be the most expensive. But if I had a choice I'd go more to the south closer to Tuscany or even Rome, simply because of better milder climate. There must be a reason why so many rich people from around the world retire in Central Italy. (The largest airport hub is actually Rome Fiumicino).

Debbie it was so nice reading you story. I am an American born abroad, here in Italy. My grandparents emigrated too in the states, my mom moved back to Italy and here I am, a 24 years old American born and raised in COMO.
Any way, this was just to say that I can help you looking for a place here on the lake area ;)

Dear Cristina, what a nice gesture! It will be some time before we get to Italy, but we would be happy for your help!