Living in Italy

Some realistic resources for foreigners living in Italy, or wishing they did. Yes, there's lots of sunshine, pasta, and good red wine in Italy - but you'll need a few more things to actually build a life here. Lots of money, for starters...

Useful Links for Living in Italy

While you're still thinking about it...

Countries Beginning with I: Living in Italy: My own site section on living in Italy - purely personal reflections on the experience of living in Italy. I don't claim to know everything, but I do have an opinion on most things!
Expats in Italy: A great collection of information and resources, including an active and helpful discussion forum (see live feed below).
The Informer: A subscription-based resource.
Rebecca's View: Sharply-observed and very funny stories about the life of an American married into an Umbrian family.
Books: Some books about the experience of living in Italy.
MSN Expats in Italy Group: For expats who are living happily or struggling in Italy. A place for complaints, compliments, and comments. Share it all with us!!!
Moving2Italy2: A very useful collection of links for people thinking of moving to Italy, or even just visiting. Lots of stuff about shopping!
Zoomata: A close-up on (the real) Italy.
Italian News in English: From Il Corriere della Sera, one of Italy's leading newspapers.
Scioperi (Strikes): Generally reliably up-to-date. When living or travelling in Italy, it's helpful to know which public services are going to be disrupted by strikes on any given day!
English Yellow Pages: "Helping English-Speakers in Italy"
eGullet's Italy Forum: Where foodies gather to discuss Italian restaurants (the real ones, in Italy) and recipes... with excursions into culture.
Foreign Bloggers in Italy: Write me to be added to this list!
U.S. Citizen Services in Italy: If you're a US citizen, sooner or later you'll need your embassy.
At Home Abroad - International Herald Tribune: Expatriate news from The International Herald Tribune, the world's daily newspaper online.
Designer Bargains in Italy: A book you may find useful.

What It's Really Like to Live Here

The Fading Future Of Italy's Young: Reverence for the past is stifling the present
When in Rome, plan to go home: A holiday in Italy can make you wish you lived there - but the reality, says Sebastian Cresswell-Turner, is that it's a land of almost unbridled anarchy
The slavery of teaching English: Why you shouldn't count on your language to make a living.
Addio, Dolce Vita: The Economist on what's really going on in Italy.
The true cost of la dolce vita: Some foreigners' sobering experiences.
Americans Working Overseas May See Big Jump in Tax Bill: Wall Street Journal on how the US government wants to make it even harder for Americans to live overseas.
My Telecom Italia Saga - A Sad Tale of Customer Disservice by Italy's Largest Telecom Provider: One of the many frustrations of living in Italy...
The Allure of Italy's Lakes - New York Times: There goes the neighborhood...
Empty playgrounds in an aging Italy - Europe - International Herald Tribune: Europe's declining birthrates have been particularly profound in Genoa, Italy.
Italians Don't Like Italy Any More: Corriere.it Feb, 2006

One Italian in three wants to move abroad. Figures for young people cause most concern with 55% wanting to relocate. Survey carried out by Eurispes

Learning Italian

Fun with Italian - Learning the Language: Entertaining ways to learn the Italian language, and learn about its quirks, foibles, accents, names, and more - from a non-native (but fluent) speaker.
Italian Slang and Swearwords - Linguistic (and Often Funny) Mirrors into a Culture: Not for the easily offended!
Italian Idiom and Sayings - Fun with Language: Weather, barrels, and hairs on the tongue
Learn Italian in Song: Translations of Lyrics for Italian Pop Songs: A fun way to learn up-to-date Italian, with links to videos on YouTube.

Expats in Italy Blogs

Shared experiences from those "living the dream"

Expat American & Italian, Family Living in Italy, with Children: Expat American & Italian Family Living in Belluno, with Children
Ms. Adventures in Italy: A Stomach's Tour through the Bel Paese, with a Sprinkling of Cultural Insight and Irony.
my life italian: my life italian Once upon a time in Texas, there was a girl with an appetite and a dream...
Italian's Insight to Travel Italy: Food and fashion.
If not now, when?: One American woman. Twenty acres and a 1650 farmhouse in Tuscany. Random introspection and hilarity, depending on the day.
Wandering Italy Blog: Wandering Italy Blog
Italian Meat
Re-boot: A new life in Italy: The adventures of an American girl who quits her job, packs her cats and heads to Italy to "restart" life.
"Alpine Settler": A retired English woman in the mountains near Lake Como.
american girl in italy: the true and (maybe not always so outstanding) adventures of my life in italy.

Useful Skills for Living in Italy: Cooking

Brewing Espresso in a Moka (INeedCoffee.com): A brewing tutorial on how to make espresso using a moka. (My usual morning ritual is nowhere near as complicated, but it's interesting to know.)

Don't Believe Everything You See on TV

"Life in the Sun" Shows Likely Misleading

My father lives in the UK and I visit him frequently (from Italy), so I've had plenty of occasions to watch British TV. A few years ago, there were lots of programs about British citizens, eager to escape the dismal climate, buying country homes in Italy, Spain, and other warm spots.

More recently, the boards inhabited by expats who actually do live in Italy frequently see requests from British TV production companies looking for "expats who have moved abroad and faced difficulties and are considering moving back to the UK or have already moved back to the UK."

This should tell you something...

My Italy Videos on YouTube

Lots more on beginningwithi.com!

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At Home Abroad

The International Herald Tribune on Expatriate Life

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Beginning with I: News About Living in Italy (and other places)

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The Best of "Countries Beginning with I"

My best, favorite, most-read, and most-controversial articles.

My Attitude Towards Italy - It Ain't All Villas in Tuscany, Folks: So, in case it needs clarifying, let me clarify: I do love Italy, and am very happy to live here. It's probably the best place in the world for me to live, and, even if it wasn't, my family is there, and that pretty much settles the question.

But I don't love Italy blindly. I didn't move here because I had always dreamed of living here*.
It's a Nice Life, But... Living in Italy Isn't Everything: Many people would consider me to have the best of all possible worlds: I live in Italy, after all. ...So what's missing?
Pursuing a Dream of Italy: ...and having the courage to do so.