About
The brokerage for your 7% move.
I help American retirees settle in the small southern-Italian towns where the 7% flat-tax regime applies, and find the home that holds up long after the tax break ends.
Why US retirees
A flat 7% on the Italian side, in towns most buyers overlook.
Italy introduced Art. 24-ter TUIR by D.L. 119/2018, effective from 2019, to fight depopulation in small southern municipalities. A foreign pensioner who has not been an Italian tax resident in the prior five years and who moves to one of those towns can pay a flat 7% Italian tax on all foreign-source income (pension, rental, dividends, capital gains) for up to ten tax years.
For Americans there is a second layer the brochures skip. The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income wherever they live, and the US-Italy treaty keeps that right through its saving clause. The 7% caps the Italian side; it does not make US tax disappear. A US foreign tax credit usually relieves the overlap, but the exact result is personal. That is why I work alongside an Italian commercialista and coordinate with your US cross-border advisor rather than guessing.
I am Francesco Fontana. I am based in Italy and I work with a small number of clients per year, by design.
How I work
PRINCIPLES
01
Focused
One regime, eight regions, a short list of towns. No general brokerage, no luxury chase. Just the corner of Italy where the 7% rule actually applies to a US retiree.
02
Independent
I work for the buyer, not the seller. No dual mandates, no kickbacks from local agents. Every fee on every side of the table is disclosed in writing.
03
On the ground
Every town I show clients is one I have walked. Every property is visited before it reaches your shortlist. Remote brokerage at this scale does not work, and I do not pretend otherwise.
The process
FROM CALL TO KEYS
- STEP 01
Eligibility check
A 30-minute call to map your situation against Art. 24-ter: your pension and retirement-account mix (401(k), IRA, Roth, Social Security), prior Italian tax residence, and household. If you do not qualify, you will know on the call.
- STEP 02
Town selection
Together we shortlist eight regions down to two or three small eligible towns that fit your climate, healthcare, and lifestyle preferences. I confirm comune eligibility before you commit.
- STEP 03
Property search
A curated shortlist of 5 to 10 properties per town. I handle the local listings, the off-market network, surveyors, and any restoration scoping.
- STEP 04
Closing and relocation
I sit alongside your notaio, your Italian commercialista, and your US cross-border advisor through closing, the elective-residency visa, and residency registration with the local Comune.
I am a buyer-side real-estate broker, not a tax advisor. Eligibility under Art. 24-ter and your US-side tax position must be confirmed in writing by an Italian commercialista and a US cross-border advisor.