Why More North Americans Are Investing in Real Estate in Italy A strategic opportunity combining lifestyle, legacy, and long-term value.

By Coco Ruggeri & Associates,

March 23, 2025

Introduction
Italy has long captured the imagination of North Americans—for its culture, cuisine, and countryside. But today, it’s also becoming an increasingly attractive destination for real estate investment. Whether it’s a Tuscan farmhouse, a seaside villa in Sardinia, or a city flat in Milan, Italy offers unique opportunities for those seeking both lifestyle and long-term value.
Why Italy? The Investment Appeal

Affordable Luxury: Compared to major cities in the U.S. and Canada, Italian properties—especially outside big cities—are surprisingly accessible in price.
Cultural and Lifestyle Appeal: Art, history, food, wine… many North Americans dream of owning a part of “la dolce vita.”
Legacy & Citizenship: Real estate ownership in Italy may not grant citizenship, but it complements a broader heritage-based return for many Italian descendants pursuing dual citizenship.
Booming Short-Term Rental Market: In tourist-heavy regions, properties can generate excellent returns via platforms like Airbnb.

Legal Considerations: What Foreign Investors Need to Know

Yes, You Can Own Property: There are no restrictions on Americans or Canadians buying property in Italy.
Due Diligence is Crucial: From checking the property’s legal status to confirming urban planning compliance, Italian real estate can be complex.
Taxes & Fees: Buyers should be prepared for purchase taxes, notary fees, and annual property taxes.
Inheritance Law: Italy applies forced heirship rules—essential to consider if you plan to pass the property to heirs.

How We Can Help
At Coco Ruggeri & Associates, we guide North American clients through the entire process—from selecting a property, to verifying its legal and fiscal status, to completing the sale securely. We also assist with:

Cross-border tax planning
Structuring ownership (individual, company, trust)
Visa or residency options
Legacy and succession planning

Ready to Invest?
Whether you’re looking for a second home, a retirement plan, or a smart long-term investment, buying property in Italy can be more than a dream—it can be a reality. And with the right legal support, it can be a smooth and rewarding process.
Contact us today to start your Italian real estate journey.

What our customers say

Reviews left by clients on the firm’s Google Business Profile.

Coco Ruggeri & Associates – Italian Attorneys

4.9

Based on 127 reviews

review us on

José Maidana

4 days ago

John Petrini Jr

1 week ago

Thank you so much for your dedication and perseverance in getting us and our whole family our Italian citizenships! It was a long process but you prevailed! I cannot express more praise for the help you’ve given us. Thank you.

Cynthia Petrini

2 weeks ago

Working with Coco Ruggeri has been a wonderful and seamless experience. Communication during the process of obtaining Italian Citizenship for my husband has been wonderful. Always clear what documentation was needed. Always keeping abreast of the latest information in Italy concerning citizenship for those abroad. Loved working with Adriana Coco Ruggeri, Office Assistant Priscilla, and other team members. Thank you.

Ross Nisi

Good so far

seaairland express

3 weeks ago

Jerusalem Walker

1 month ago

We are now Italian citizens!! We couldn’t be more pleased with Coco Ruggeri & Associates. Their work was precise and thorough, and the staff was professional, conscientious, and patient as they supported us throughout the process. I highly recommend their firm if you are exploring the possibility of obtaining Italian citizenship. Grazie mille!

Lauren Thompson

2 months ago

We had a complex case with minors, spelling name errors for my relatives, poorly drafted birth/death certificates etc and still got GRANTED citizenship just this week. There is no way I could have done this on my own. Thank you team!

Riccardo Caruso

My company needed legal counsel for a high-value real estate transaction and wanted an attorney with the experience to protect our interests. Attorney Ruggeri was exceptionally thorough, identified issues that could have become costly, and provided practical, strategic advice throughout the process. Her professionalism, attention to detail, and responsiveness gave me complete confidence from start to finish. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for an experienced real estate attorney.

CJ Basile

I am very happy with my experience with this firm. Ms. Ruggeri and her entire team have been very professional and skilled throughout the process. I wholeheartedly recommend that you work with this firm. They communicate well and they are very good at what they do. A+++

Michael Cotrone

3 months ago

★★★★★

Working with Attorney Adriana Maria Ruggeri and her team was an absolutely outstanding experience from start to finish. My Italian citizenship case was not a simple one — a complicated pre-1948 maternal line that many firms won’t even take on — and Coco handled it with a level of skill, confidence, and expertise that put me at ease the entire way.

She and her team clearly know this area of law inside and out. Every step was handled with care, and Elena kept communication warm, responsive, and clear throughout. They made a genuinely complex process feel manageable, and I always knew I was in good hands.

The result was everything I hoped for — I was declared an Italian citizen from birth. I’m deeply grateful for their dedication and expertise, and I recommend Coco Ruggeri and her team without hesitation. Truly amazing to work with.

Vince Putiri

The road that one must take to become an Italian citizen is a long one filled with many obstacles and detours. I was not sure that I would ever become an Italian citizen. The changes in the citizenship laws and several adverse court decisions gave me ample cause for concern. However, despite all of this, my dream of becoming an Italian citizen recently became a reality.

I contracted to have the law firm of Coco Ruggeri and Associates represent me four (4) years ago in my quest for Italian citizenship. I am convinced that without the advice, knowledge of the law, help and caring support of Avv. Ruggeri and her excellent staff, this would not have happened. Avv. Ruggeri brilliantly navigated the changes in the laws and steered my application for citizenship in the right direction. Her staff was there every day to answer my questions, pass on advice and sometimes just to offer encouragement. The law firm shared my goal to become a citizen and worked very hard for me to become one.

The process of becoming an Italian citizen is not one to be tried alone. The best chance to obtain a favorable outcome is to have professional help from a law firm with the tradition and expertise in the law to help you. It is with that in mind that I recommend the law firm of Coco Ruggeri and Associates without reservation to anyone who seeks their Italian citizenship.

Michele Bertolone

The process to request Italian citizenship seemed overwhelming when we started. It is impossible for me to overstate the relief and gratitude our family has for the expert, diligent, and efficient services of Avvocato Ruggeri and her outstanding team.

Superior knowledge of the law and especially the legal process

More than just law knowledge, Avvocato Ruggeri proactively tracks real time changes to Italian law and legal interpretation, both at the national and provincial level. Such changes significantly impacted the trajectory of our citizenship application, requiring us to adjust strategies at least twice. Without Ruggeri’s careful attention and strategic thinking, I can imagine giving up at several junctures. Instead, Ruggeri’s experience and attention to detail gave us confidence that we would get through the process.

Experienced and organized team that was easy and efficient to work with

For my family, the particulars of the citizenship application required many dozens of details related to documents, translations, certifications, and other communications. Avvocato Ruggeri’s team of professionals patiently explained what was needed, provided every possible assistance, and efficiently tracked each requirement minimizing the need for my time and attention.

In conclusion, our family entirely recommends Avvocato Ruggeri and her team. Our gratitude for their expertise, efforts, and kindness will continue long after the arrival of our Italian passports.

Samantha Camerino

4 months ago

Highly recommend Coco Ruggeri & Associates. Adriana and her team have done an incredible job and have been successful in my case. They have been diligent, communicative, and an overall pleasure to work with. They walked me through each step and will be available to help me through the transition. I am incredibly grateful for their hard work with my case.

Syndy Sweeney

5 months ago

I do not normally leave reviews but when a long-held dream of Italian citizenship becomes reality, it’s important to credit the amazing women that made it happen! From the moment I filled out the questionnaire in 2022 and with every milestone (or at times, obstacle), Avvocato Adriana Coco Ruggeri, Elena, and Celeste always kept me informed, gave me clear instructions, and answered my questions with honesty, integrity, and compassion.

Coco Ruggeri was the first law firm I researched so I did my due diligence and checked out a few other lawyers but none of them felt right. I went with my gut and I’m glad I did. I’m so grateful for this team and this journey! Grazie di cuore!

Christine Corrao

8 months ago

When I first began my Italian citizenship journey, there were very few reviews available online, which made the decision feel like a leap of faith. Now that my process is complete, I wanted to share my experience to help encourage others who may be considering the same path. Coco Ruggeri & Associates – Italian Attorneys were truly exceptional from start to finish. They were consistently responsive, thoughtful, and incredibly diligent throughout a process that ultimately took five years from my first email to the final decision. As anyone who has pursued Italian citizenship knows, this is not a quick or linear journey—it comes with plenty of twists and turns. In my case, the law changed twice during the process, and each time, Coco Ruggeri & Associates were already working proactively to adjust our case strategy and keep things moving forward. What I appreciated most was their transparency and professionalism. They were very clear and upfront about costs, never added surprise fees, and maintained impeccable records that I could access at any time through a shared Dropbox. I always knew exactly where things stood. This process requires patience, trust, and expert guidance—and I’m deeply grateful to have had Coco Ruggeri & Associates by my side the entire way. I wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone pursuing Italian citizenship.