Move to Salento with Confidence, Clarity
and a Team who Actually Cares
Relocating to Italy is brave. Relocating to Salento in Puglia is life changing. Back to Italy is a boutique relocation agency based here in the south, created for people who want a real life in Salento, not just a holiday romance with it. With Valentina handling the legal side and me sharing everything I learned from moving here myself, we turn the paperwork, the planning and the settling-in into something surprisingly calm.
If you are dreaming of a slower, more meaningful life in Salento, we help you build it with confidence.
Who We Are
Back to Italy is a small, heart-led relocation agency in Salento that blends lived experience with expert legal support.
I’m Stef, originally from Australia, and I remember exactly what it felt like trying to build a life here from the other side of the world. That mix of excitement, fear, determination and “oh my god, what am I doing”.
Valentina is our resident legal wizard. She manages everything inside Italy with a level of precision and patience that genuinely astonishes people. From document checks to appointments to contracts, she handles it all so you don’t have to spiral.
Together, we hold both sides of your move: the practical and the emotional. The checklists and the wobble moments. The bureaucracy and the breathtaking parts.
Why Salento?
Salento has its own quiet charm. Light that hits differently. Towns that seem to breathe slowly. People who talk to you like you’ve lived here forever. It’s beautiful, yes, but also wonderfully real. Each town has a personality and choosing the right one matters more than people expect. We help you understand the rhythm, the lifestyle and the everyday practicalities so you’re not guessing from thousands of kilometres away.
What We Actually Help You With
The bureaucracy is where most people get stuck. Italy has its own way of doing things, and trying to navigate it alone is a fast track to tears. Valentina manages the legal side from within Italy while I support you from the outside. Citizenship, Student Visas, The Digital Nomad Visa, residency, registrations, documents that feel like a puzzle — all of it becomes far less intimidating when someone explains what actually matters and what doesn’t.
Finding a home. Salento rentals can be warm and characterful, but also a little old-school. Boilers in odd places, tiles with strong opinions, the occasional balcony that looks better in photos. Dishwashers and air conditioning are not always part of the story. If you want them, you’ll need to look with intention. We handle that with you, checking listings, speaking with landlords, organising viewings and making sure contracts are legitimate and fair.
And then there’s the settling-in part. The moment you arrive and realise you’re in a brand new life with brand new rules. We help you integrate gently, so your first days feel steady instead of chaotic.
What Makes Us Different
To Italy & Back is intentionally small. You’re not handed around or lost in an inbox. You get real humans who know the region, the process and the emotions behind it. We don’t rush you or pressure you. We walk with you, slowly and clearly, until Salento feels like a place you can genuinely call home.
If your heart is already in Salento, the rest can follow
Moving here isn’t just logistics. It’s identity shifting. It’s life expanding. It’s you arriving somewhere that feels right in a way you can’t fully explain yet. When you’re ready, reach out. We’ll help you start the journey without the overwhelm.
When I packed up my life in Melbourne and moved to Lecce, Puglia, I discovered two things:
Italian bureaucracy is… an adventure.
Having someone who’s done it before makes everything 100× easier.