The 7% regime applies to eight southern regions, but in practice most British retirees end up choosing between three: Puglia, Abruzzo, and Molise. The other five — Campania, Calabria, Sicilia, Sardegna, Basilicata — are excellent for the right buyer, but Puglia–Abruzzo–Molise is the spine of UK demand and the easiest place to compare like-for-like. This is how they line up.
Puglia — the brand-recognised, premium-but-still-rational choice
Puglia is what most UK retirees picture when they think "southern Italy": whitewashed hill towns, trulli, olive groves, two coastlines, two airports (Bari BRI and Brindisi BDS) with direct UK service from Stansted, Gatwick, and Manchester. The Valle d’Itria — Locorotondo, Alberobello, Cisternino, Ostuni hinterland — is the most established expat patch and the easiest place to land soft because the English-speaking community is already there.
- 01Climate: mild winters (8–13°C average), dry hot summers
- 02Airports: Bari, Brindisi — daily direct flights to most UK hubs
- 03Healthcare: ASL Brindisi and ASL Taranto, with private clinics in Bari and Lecce
- 04Entry prices: €1,500–€3,500 per m² in town, €2,500–€5,000 per m² for a restored trullo or masseria
- 05Existing UK community: yes, strongest in Ostuni, Locorotondo, and around Lecce
- 06Best for: a buyer who wants the postcard, the airport, and a ready-made social circle
Abruzzo — the closest-to-Rome, coolest-in-summer choice
Abruzzo is the quiet northern edge of the 7% map. From most of its borghi you can be at Rome Fiumicino in under two hours by car or train — which is decisive if you have UK family flying out frequently, because FCO is the densest UK route hub in Italy. The landscape is mountain-and-coast: Gran Sasso and Majella national parks inland, an Adriatic shoreline reachable in 45–60 minutes, and summer temperatures 4–6°C lower than Puglia at altitude.
- 01Climate: cooler summers, snow possible in winter at altitude
- 02Airports: Rome FCO (under 2h), Pescara PSR (regional, fewer direct UK flights)
- 03Healthcare: regional hospitals in L’Aquila and Pescara; strong network
- 04Entry prices: €800–€2,000 per m² in town; restored casali €1,800–€3,500 per m²
- 05Existing UK community: moderate — Sulmona, Scanno, Pacentro have small pockets
- 06Best for: a buyer who wants mountains, Rome proximity, and not the hottest summers
Molise — the cheapest, quietest, least-known choice
Molise is the smallest mainland region in Italy and the one most UK buyers have never heard of. With the exception of the regional capitals (Campobasso and Isernia), every comune in Molise sits under the 30,000-inhabitant threshold — which makes Molise the most permissive territory in the entire 7% regime. The trade-off is fewer direct flights, a thinner English-speaking infrastructure, and a more rural rhythm of life.
- 01Climate: continental inland, mild Adriatic coast
- 02Airports: Rome FCO (~3h), Naples NAP (~1h), Pescara PSR (~1h)
- 03Healthcare: hospitals in Campobasso, Isernia, Termoli
- 04Entry prices: the lowest of any 7% region — stone houses restored from €30k–€60k, casali from €120k
- 05Existing UK community: small, mostly in Termoli and along the coast
- 06Best for: a buyer optimising for budget, peace, and a genuinely undiscovered region
How to choose between the three
A short heuristic that works for most UK buyers I speak to:
- 01If you want the social ease of an established British community and short flights home, Puglia.
- 02If you want Rome proximity, cooler summers, and a mountain–coast mix, Abruzzo.
- 03If your priority is the lowest entry cost and the quietest life, Molise.
None of the three are wrong answers. The 7% saves you the same percentage of pension income wherever you settle. What changes from region to region is the lifestyle and the asset — and those are where the buyer-side broker earns the fee.
The tax is the same in every eligible town. The town is not.
