When our family decided to move to Italy, we spent a long time choosing the right region and city to call home. Tuscany, of course, felt like the perfect choice – but which city? We wanted a place that wasn’t too big, yet not too small, with good schools for our children and plenty of cultural activities like concerts and events we could enjoy. In the end, we chose Lucca – and it turned out to be the perfect decision. We visited several times and each trip confirmed our choice. A stunning historic center, well-developed infrastructure, and just a 20-minute drive to the sea – it had everything we were looking for.

However, finding a place to live turned out to be quite a challenge. For four months, we searched without success. We created a presentation about our family, contacted countless listings, made calls, and sent messages – but unfortunately, nothing worked. At that point, we came across a Facebook post mentioning Stefano, a local resident who helps families relocate to Lucca. It made perfect sense that with the support of someone who knows the city inside out, our chances would improve – so we reached out and scheduled a Zoom call. From our very first conversation, we immediately liked Stefano. It was clear that he genuinely enjoys helping people find the right place to live. And we were absolutely right. Stefano communicated with landlords on our behalf, visited multiple apartments in person, recorded videos, and shared honest feedback with us. Eventually, we found the perfect home. After four months of searching, we signed a 3+2 rental contract – and the apartment owners turned out to be wonderful people, making the experience even better. But Stefano’s support didn’t stop there. He helped us enroll our children in good schools, recommended a trusted local professional to handle all the bureaucratic aspects of relocation, and guided us through many other important steps. We can truly say that in Stefano, we found not just a professional – but a friend in Lucca. If you’re considering moving to Lucca, this is our sincere recommendation: reach out to Stefano, and he will make the entire process clear, smooth, and stress-free.

With grateful thanks,

Mykola & Еlena

We cannot recommend Stefano highly enough. From day one he understood exactly what we needed, especially the non-negotiable requirement of finding a home that would welcome our two dogs. Anyone who has searched in Lucca with pets will know that’s not easy. He was proactive, honest, responsive, and completely transparent throughout the process. No pressure, no overselling, just clear advice and genuine support. What started as a professional relationship has genuinely turned into a friendship (helped in no small part by bonding over the mighty Lucchese!). If you’re relocating to Lucca and want someone who actually cares about getting it right for you, Stefano is your man. Many thanks, Roger and Aimee

As an American family relocating internationally, buying a home in Lucca, Italy felt both exciting and intimidating. The language barrier, the legal process, and the differences in how real estate works made the entire idea feel overwhelming. From the very beginning, Stefano Galligani was the reason we felt confident moving forward. Stefano supported us from start to finish, acting as a true guide through every step of the process. He took the time to understand not only what we were looking for in a home, but also what kind of lifestyle we hoped to create in Lucca. He personally accompanied us throughout the area, showing us properties, explaining neighborhoods, and helping us understand what living in each location would realistically look like as an international family. For anyone unfamiliar with the Italian home-buying process, it can be complex and very different from what Americans are used to. Stefano helped us navigate every challenge with clarity and patience. He communicated directly with real estate agents on our behalf, worked closely with the geometra, explained legal and technical details in a way we could actually understand, and ensured that nothing was missed along the way. Having someone who understands both the Italian system and the needs of foreign buyers made all the difference. What stood out most was that Stefano wasn’t just managing logistics; he truly advocated for us. He treated our purchase as if it were his own, always making sure our best interests were protected. We can say with complete certainty that we would not be living in our home in Lucca today if it were not for his guidance, expertise, and dedication. For Americans and international families considering relocating to Lucca, whether you are purchasing a home, planning a move, or simply trying to understand how to navigate the Italian system, Stefano is an invaluable resource. His knowledge, professionalism, and genuine care made what could have been a stressful experience feel smooth andachievable. We are deeply grateful and cannot recommend Relocate to Lucca highly enough.

Stefano was a godsend for helping pave the way and simplify our recent family move to Tuscany, from locating potential homes to serving as reliable “boots on the ground,” physically scouting and inspecting prospective properties—plus provide valuable feedback regarding the vital things that aren’t included in the listings, such as the safety and quality of the neighborhood, nearby amenities and insider feedback regarding the landlord and potential maintenance issues. Not only is Stefano invaluable when it comes to locating and securing a place to live, but he’s an excellent guide and concierge, with extensive contacts and personal access to local influencers, vendors, resources and service providers. If you want to hit the ground running in Lucca and Tuscany, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and headaches by giving Stefano a call. He is eager to help out newcomers, friendly, professional and more than earns his fee.

After being highly recommended, we had the pleasure of working with Stefano during our recent move to Italy. The first major step in our relocation was finding an apartment. We needed to secure housing quickly, before our flight to Italy. Stefano consistently exceeded our expectations, ensuring we felt informed and at ease throughout the process. His knowledge of the local area and his ability to navigate the Italian rental market were impressive. Upon arrival, he also assisted us with setting up a bank account, utilities, and even a phone plan, ensuring we had everything necessary to settle into our new home. Stefano's expertise and guidance were invaluable throughout the entire process. We wholeheartedly recommend his services to anyone contemplating a move to Lucca and seeking a reliable and trustworthy guide. Thank you, Stefano, for making our move to Italy so seamless! We are incredibly grateful for your support.

My wife and I have been looking on the Italian multiple listing websites for a long-term rental in Tuscany, and a friend suggested that we contact Stefano, who specializes in finding properties in the Lucca Province. Stefano had previously helped her with her rental, and she spoke highly of him.

We were unable fly over to Italy to search for ourselves, so we put a lot of trust in Stefano to help us. As it turned out, Stefano found an apartment that exactly fit our needs: a location within Lucca’s Historical Center and close to the walls, furnished with two bedrooms, a garden, air conditioning, and accepting pets. Furthermore, this apartment was not listed on any real estate website. Stefano also helped us with negotiating the lease with the landlord as well as other administrative necessities throughout the process.

Stefano is polite, professional, prompt in his responsibilites to his clients, and easy to get along with. He’s also fluent in English, listens to clients’ needs, and follows through on what he promises. My wife Maureen and I are happy to have hired Stefano, and would recommend  him to our closest friends and family.

 

Our desire was to settle in Lucca and start a business in the city. We met Stefano by pure coincidence, he is exceptionally  professional, dedicated and solution-oriented and an indispensable help in the italian bureaucracy. We can warmly recommend collaborating with Stefano Galigani  

Stefano literally walked me through every aspect of all three of my property purchases in Italy.

Currently , he and his team  are supervising and overseeing a full renovation of my flat in the historic center.

My conversational Italian is good but I could have never negotiated all that is needed to find, purchase and renovate my homes. Stefano found and negotiated my purchases. He introduced me to my banker and assisted me in setting up my bank account, payment for my taxes, utilities, gardener, house cleaning etc.

The one thing I have learned is  that in Italy one mistake can lead you down a very steep bureaucratic rabbit hole. Working with Stefano and his team has saved me from this ill fate ! Stefano is an upstanding individual who is highly respected by his peers and within the local community. Through our many years of work together he has become my Lucca family !

What can I say about a man who helped us navigate a three year stay into a world class adventure? Accolades but in the interest of brevity, I’ll highlight his greatest qualities. My husband Larry and I moved to Lucca in 2014, after never having been there before. We met Stefano through a friend we made at the local  " bottega" He was generous beyond belief, helping us find two wonderful places to live that we would never have found otherwise. His knowledge of the area and extensive network was priceless. Out of the goodness of his heart, he went to several government meetings with us in order to keep us legally in the country.  He speaks English like a native, the same cannot be said of us in regard to Italian! As mentioned before, his attributes are many. I would recommend Stefano to anyone looking for assistance in the area. You would be lucky to make his acquaintance.

In 2023 I was very fortunate to meet Stefano through mutual friends who were also buying property in Lucca. My wife and I had found the home we wanted to buy, and we were in the early stages of executing the transaction. We immediately began to enjoy Stefano’s company. He is engaging, intelligent, considerate, and just so helpful in so many ways. His command of English is absolutely top rate – he actually speaks with a bit of a Scottish accent. Stefano’s circle of friends is quite extensive. We already had an English-speaking real estate agent from southern Tuscany, but Stefano introduced us to the geometra we brought on board (who has been wonderful) and made or confirmed other recommendations for professionals we needed. His knowledge of the city of Lucca is quite extensive, and he is quite passionate about his birthplace. I only wish we had met Stefano earlier – I’m sure he could have made the beginning of our journey easier. We are very glad to know him now and look forward to all our future interactions.