Why do so many people dream about owning a home in Italy… but never do it?

Lots of people have dreams. Not every is able to realize them. Even fewer actually do. Usually, this type of dream gets stopped by reality punching you in the face at some stage. You hear about houses for one euro. Sweet! But your employer will not allow you to work from Italy. The Italian government will not allow you to move there. The city wants a commitment that you live there for five years or ten years or whatever. The house is usually in need of major repairs. And it turns out to be in a remote mountain village far from everything. So then you check the savings account and realize you can't afford the repairs. And you don't actually want to drive 30 minutes to the grocery store. Especially once you discover the cost of cars and insurance in Italy. No matter, I'll take the bus. But that may not run often enough. And you certainly won't be carrying your extensive hardware store orders home on it. ("Scuzi, where can I put this plywood?" Now, some people perservere and overcome all the obstacles. And some live out their dream that way. But it's a small minority. If you're not talking about the 1-euro homes but just of having a vacation home somewhere in Italy, many of the same caveats still apply. TL;DR: Few such dreamers have the MONEY, the TIME, the FLEXIBILITY, the PERSEVERANCE \*AND\* legal permission to live in Italy.