The number of Italians coming to the Algarve is rising, especially in the seaside town of Olhão where already 200 Italian immigrants are living, according to a report in Dinheiro Vivo.
Choosing Portugal to avoid countries such as Tunisia and Bulgaria, where many Italians have moved in recent years, those forming the Algarve's new wave are as much escaping the invisible threat of terrorist attack as the very real threat of taxation which in Italy and France has caused many to move from their homelands in search of a happier retirement.
In addition to the British, Germans, Scandinavians and the French, the Algarve now has a steady flow of Italians due primarily to Portugal’s controversially generous tax treatment of foreigners who, under certain conditions, can keep their pensions and overseas income rather than hand it over to the taxman.
One 69-year-old Italian immigrant admitted that it was the money that brought him to the Algarve, as he now has double the disposable income than if he had stayed in Italy.
One agent advising Italian incomers said that most want to rent accommodation when they arrive but in Olhão alone, there now are 200 families, the vast majority of which have bought a property.
There are now several agencies helping Italians settle in the region and the guesstimate is that a year ago there were 400 to 600 Italian residents here, now there are several thousand.
The president of Olhão Council, António Pina, said that the local authority is to set up a Tourism Office which should start to operate during 2017.
"With the growth of tourism in Olhão , the Council felt the need to provide visitors, passing through or future property owners, a support office and start a dissemination strategy focusing on partnerships with local businesses."
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