International retirement and later-life migrants in the Marche region, Italy: materialities of landscape, ‘home’, lifestyle and consumption

Abstract

Within the general framework of ‘lifestyle migration’, the paper explores three materialities associated with the arrival and settlement of British, German and Dutch later-life migrants in the Italian region of Marche, a relatively new ‘frontier’ region for international retirement migration. The first is about the aesthetics of landscape and the scenic and emotional qualities of the physical and social environment. The second concerns ‘home’, where we examine house types, property location and home-making practices in terms of ‘authenticity’, material objects and the cultivation of land for productive purposes. The paper's third thematic focus is on consumption patterns. Most of the 69 participants interviewed for this study hanker after what they perceive as a simpler, more genuine way of life, in tune with the surrounding mixed-farming agricultural environment and distinct from other regions where tourism has taken hold. Many grow their own produce, including some who have small vineyards and olive groves. They enjoy shopping in local markets, eating out in inexpensive local hostelries, visiting museums and cultural festivals, and exploring the many pretty villages and historic towns of the region. The participants embody later-life migration as ‘active ageing’, but those who are older and/or frailer must consider, often reluctantly, the reality of a less-active and more isolated life in the Italian countryside.

New frontiers in international retirement migration

“…Some new frontiers are close to ‘classic’ IRM destinations. Cases in point are the Marche region, ‘next door’ to Tuscany in central Italy (King et al ., 2019, 2021, this issue); or the Lot, adjacent to the better-known Dordogne in south-west France (Benson, 2011); or, in Portugal, alternative locations to the Algarve opened up in rural central Portugal (Sardinha, 2015) and, further afield, the Azores (Sampaio and King, 2019; Sampaio, 2021, this issue). In all these cases, the appeal of cheaper properties is reinforced by a quest for social distinction in coveting a more ‘authentic’ rural or insular space for the desired retirement lifestyle.…”

Understanding motives for international migration: A survey of Dutch retirement migrants in forty destinations

“…People who negatively evaluate their environment, for example, in terms of population density and noise pollution, are more likely to intend to migrate and undertake preparatory migration behaviour (van Dalen & Henkens, 2007). For retirement migrants from Britain, the Netherlands and Germany, the absence of nuisance from urbanisation, noise or industry was found to be an important factor for the selection of a destination and a property (King, Cela, Fokkema & Morettini, 2021). The importance of these factors could partly stem from experiences at home, as most retirement migrants compare places of origin and destination.…”

Time to Mainstream the Environment into Migration Theory?

“…Research in this area suggests that environmental factors have a role in stimulating, directing, sustaining, and eventually changing origin-destination flows (e.g., Fussell, Curtis and DeWaard 2014a; McLeman 2006). For example, international amenity-related migration systems have emerged as retiree flows from cooler climates to Costa Rica (e.g., Matarrita-Cascante 2017) and Italy (e.g., King et al 2021).…”