Barry Lillie, originally from North Staffordshire, England now living in Abruzzo, Italy.

1. Why did you move abroad?
I fell in love with Italy back in 1980 and kept coming back and eventually realised this is where I wanted to live. I know it sounds corny, but it just felt like this was where I was supposed to be. As I work from home, I can work anywhere so it seemed the right thing to do and with budget flights I can be in the UK if I need to be in a couple of hours.

2. How do you make a living?
I’m a freelance writer so can work anywhere, my experience is mostly in travel writing but I have been known to write about many other topics, everything from the decline of the honeybee to Ken’s (Barbie’s boyfriend) fiftieth birthday. I’m a staff writer for Italy magazine, and am currently working on a non-fiction book about the country.

3. How often do you communicate with home and how?
Everyday via social media like Facebook as it’s handy for quick peeks into the lives of friends back home. To be honest I’m not very good at staying in touch with people as I’m always doing something so it helps that I can dip in, say hi, ‘like’ something or comment on a photo and drop out again. I have a Skype call once every two weeks with family, and that’s good to catch up with things back home.

4. What's your favorite thing about being an expat in Italy?
Definitely the relaxed pace here, it didn’t take long to slip into that piano, piano (slowly, slowly) way of life. Also I like the fact that the local petrol stations aren’t self-service and  have an attendant to pass the time of day with as you fill up.

5. What’s the worst thing about being an expat in Italy?
Dare I say this… other expats who do nothing but constantly make comparisons to the UK and moan about being unable to buy Cheddar cheese and other English products.

6. What do you miss most?
Whenever you ask this question all the expats I know mention food, be it a curry, Heinz beans or black pudding (I do actually wish they sold the last one here myself) but I don’t really miss anything.

7. What did you do to meet people and integrate in your new home?
The local community has been very welcoming, on my first night here a neighbor dropped in to say hello and gave me a bottle of homemade liqueur. I always make an effort to say hello to my neighbours and they’ve taken me foraging in the countryside, invited me to lunch and delivered produce from their gardens. I prefer to use local shops, thus supporting the community and if you really do want to integrate there’s nowhere better than the local bar.

8. What custom/ habits do you find most strange about your adopted culture?
I do find it odd that the Italians are quite happy to wait in queues for hours upon end; I guess they see the trip to the post office or bank as an excuse to catch up on local gossip.

9. What is a myth about your adopted country?
All the Italians dress stylish, sadly tracksuit bottoms have arrived and although they are by D&G or Armani, they are still hideous.

10. Is the cost of living higher or lower than the last country you lived in and how has that made a difference in your life?
I have found there’s no real difference in utilities; however water is much cheaper here. Food is less expensive here, especially wine and local produce however electrical products are a premium here, but how often do you buy a vacuum cleaner in comparison to sausages. I can live on around a third less per month than I could in the UK.

11. What advice would you give other expats?
Don’t make assumptions.

12. When and why did you start your blog?
It started several years ago while I was still in the UK on Blogger, then eventually I moved it over to Wordpress. The reason it started was members of my staff commented on how I always had music playing and I thought I’d use that as a tag for a blog and ended up sharing my view of the world around me ever since.

 Barry's blog, A Life On Shuffle

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