Retire Abroad? Here’s What You Need To Consider First

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ext month, Matt Palmer, 60, and Lisa Barr, 63, a retired couple from Quincy, Mass., and Penni, their six-year-old retired racing greyhound, are moving to one-half of a two-family house they are renting with a contract to buy in Lucca, Italy, a lively Tuscany town on the Ligurian Sea. A mechanical engineer and business traveler to Italy for 35 years, Palmer already speaks fluent Italian, which Barr plans to learn. They fell in love with Italy a quarter-century ago and have visited together 26 times since, giving them a chance to see the entire country with an eye towards where to settle. They chose Lucca (the birthplace of opera composer Giacomo Puccini) for its temperate climate, cultural scene and proximity to art mecca Florence, a 75-minute train ride away. “We are making our dream happen,” Palmer says.