New members of the Italy forum, introduce yourselves here - 2018

Hello all, thank you Julien
I am currently living in China. I will be moving to Italy soon. I am a South African and recently married an Italian. If anyone has an suggestions about the process of getting a residence card, etc.... please advise. All help is appreciated. Thank you Roz

As your husband is Italian you are entitled to live with him in Italy. The embassy or the consulate in China will issue a visa. Once you are here you can apply for PdS and get residency.
Ciao
Janin

Hi there...I am not new to the site per say....I joined about a year ago.  I have already posted my story about how my husband and I retired early to move to Italy...our dream. Unfortunately our dream did not come true because of the consulate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  We were denied visas 3 times in two weeks. The last denial was 5 days before we were leaving to start out new life.  The thing that hurts most is that the Italian Consulate here in Pittsburgh looked at our paperwork...signed off on it and told us we were fine!!!  Just yesterday I sent an email to the consulate in Philadelphia ( I have done this once a month for the last year with no replies back) asking what is the required dollar amount they are looking for in bank accounts. I got a reply from the same person that denied us.  His reply...$100,000.00.  Well that cannot be true as we had more than that and pensions and additional income.  This situation has truly ruined out lives.

I have been reading through these posts recently and I see soooooo many people moving to Italy....however none of them are Americans!!  What is it?? What is the problem??  We had already put a down payment on a home.  We had health insurance.   We had bought a car.  We had done everything correctly and followed all the rules.  Yet on here....people from all over the world seem to be able to move to Italy rather easily.  I wish someone could give us some help...or some advice...or an answer to how we would ever be able to full fill our dream!!!

Hi,

I'm originally from Spain and I just arrived to Ravenna last week to work here for some time.

I hope I can take advantage of my time here to learn Italian, meet new people and travel a little bit around this area.

BR

Hi all! My name is Anastasia, I'm Russian. I just moved to Italy about a week ago and plan to settle down here for few years probably. I study Tibetan Buddhism in Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa in Pomaia, Toscana and occasionally teach Tibetan language.

hi my name is Jonathan i'm living in London and planning on moving on over to Turin as my partner and son have moved there as she has just gotten a job there and she is from Turin i am still in search for a job so if anyone can help please let me know and i can send my CV over as well as answer any questions they may have

Hi,  🙂 I'm from Philippines.. currently living here in Italy for more than a year now. When it comes to food I'm having a hard time finding some ingredients that i need.😄

hi, Once you are here in Italy you need to go in "questura" where your husband city is... they will give you the lists of the requirements you need to submit and after a month they will give you "permiso di soggiorno" or permit to stay. it is valid for a year or 5 years.🙂

Hi guys, My name is Anna, I'm Polish-American but generally pretty international since I love to travel.
I wanted to make some changes in my life and - to my surprise - instead of Iceland I've landed in... Italy-land:). The destiny walks own paths, right?
I'm here for 5 months now, live near Monza (Milan), learn the language and the culture, and look for the job.
Thanks for all the tips and help on this site; really usefull informations; good job!
I see that the "weekly aperitivo" is unfortunatelly dead for some time... too bed. But maybe we pass one another anyway:)

Welcome Anna.
I think Milano is a good place for your interests and work hunting.
Let us know how it goes.
All the best.
Janin

Hi to everyone me my family arrived in   Italy about a year ago from the UK , we live in iseo and absolutely loving it , my wife is a English teacher and has recently started working here , she said it's the best move we ever did , both my  late parents were  italian so for me to apply for residency was straight forward but unfortunately because i was divorced over 20 years ago in the UK my divorce was never registered with the italian consulate back in England so under the italian law am still married to my ex wife , am in the process of getting my divorce registered now but it's taking for ever , about a year now and still no nearer , hopefully it won't be to long , if anyone lives near by we love to meet up with you , we have to children age 3 and 4 ciao for now

Ciao a tutti,
We are a couple who have just moved from Ireland to Italy. We are living in Padova. We like it here but are anxious to find new hobbies, activities and meet new people in Padova
Salvatore has a job here but I'm on the lookout. I did a TEFL course and have experience with research and teaching, hopefully I'll find something.
Orla

Hello, I may have done this already, but not sure. My name is Keith, and my partner's name is Dennis. Dennis is an urban planner/architect, I am a college professor in psychology and a college rugby coach, but by next year, neither of us is planning on working full-time.

Dennis is retiring in June 2018, and our son is graduating from college June 2019, so we're now considering a move to a simpler, more balanced lifestyle. Our next door neighbors here, (we're in Denver, Colorado / USA), have been living in Italy on and off for about five years as part of their retirement and have loved it. They are now encouraging us to join them in Italy when we retire. "Call Me by Your Name," certainly left us with a great, (possibly an unrealistic), impression of the Italian countryside.

Digging around for possible villages to consider, we heard of a program where some smaller Italian towns are selling properties that are badly in need of restoration for a euro and thought that would be an excellent project for our retirement. I have found some information about these programs, but most seemed to have closed in February 2018. Do any of you know of similar programs that may still be open?

That's the first of a thousand questions to come, I'm sure, but in closing, let me thank you all for your help in advance and thank Julien for hosting this site. Ciao!

Hi all,
My name is Sandy, I'm from Vietnam, and currently been living in Italy for over a year. I'm living in Como city and studying Italian language, and almost finish level B1.
This year, I also decided to look for job, even known that it's not quite easy here, but let's try. Some agency also contact me for requesting my cv but everything here seems take long time to process. So if you are in same situation like me, just be patient, the time will come.

Hello.. I'm cristin from Philippines I'm also studying italian A1... after I finish study i will look for a job too..😊

Hi Cristin, nice to know you. Have you ever tried to visit china town in Milan, i'm sure you can find some ingredients.

No I haven't because i'm far , I'm residing in Sicily so it's difficult to find some ingredients in my area but some are here.

I see! That's pretty far. Haha.

Hi There,
I'm Italian living in Naples and I'm a photographer. I don't know if it's the right place here to let you know that you can contact me if you want to make a photo tour to discover hidden corners and exiting points of view of Naples.
I wish you all the best wherever you are.
Giorgio

Hello, I'm Shannon and I am living in California. My kids are grown and I am setting up the next part of my life! I am planning a trip to Italy to look at several areas for relocation. I have, from my computer of course found a few cities for my itinerary. Bologna, Lecce and Verona. I am hoping to get input. I am now learning Spanish for family and then will tackle Italian so hopefully by the time I move I will be able to carry on basic conversations. I was wondering if Spanish is spoken in Italy much? I would like to take a couple courses at a college in Italy. Art and history etc. Do I need anything in particular for that? Coming from a hot place I am wondering is air condition and heat working all the time? Of course my first thought was health care. Anything could put a dent in savings. I am interested if there is an area in Italy that is known for being more holistic? And last but not least I really want to know about safety.Are there any areas I should watch out for. I will spend hopefully a few weeks in Italy to look around. I cant wait to get some info and get started!

Hi. I bought a place in Lanciano. Excellent area at least for me Mountains.  Sea . Lovely scenery etc. Spanish was a pain as i learn.t some Spanish andsome Italian is similar to Spanish but pronounced differently so somewhat confusing. Hope you find somewhere good . Chris

Greetings everyone! I'm Steve from Denver, CO in the US. My wife Sue and I have traveled to Italy on three occasions, and are considering retiring there (at least part-time) in the next few years. For my "encore career", I've always wanted to attend culinary school, and can think of no better place than the epicenter of great food, the Bologna-Modena area. We'll be making a scouting trip there late May, and would love to meet other expats and learn about your experiences. Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Grazie!

Hi, I am Thiago, Brazilian, 39 years old . My wife ( 27 ) and I are looking forword to moving to Italy next year and we are trying to figure out where to go. We are looking for a place where we would be able to have a quiet, but not boring life with our baby ( 8 month (in the belly ) . And it has to be close to the mountains ( Ski and snowboard ) . We are looking for a culturally rich city and safe as well. The city that called our attention was Como. Does anybody here lives ou lived there ? we have been there before, as a turist, and we loved. Another option is Turim ( or Aosta ), where we've never been. Any other advice will be welcome thanks !

Hi there,

My name is Danuza and I'm moving to Parma next week to attend a culinary school.
Any information about public transportation (I'm not buying a car), housing (how difficult it's to find someone to share a place), job market in the food industry, and so on.
Any information, tip or advice will be really appreciated

Thanks in advance!

Have a look at Lanciano area. Abbrusso. Quiet but busy. Close to the coast yet close to the Majjella park and skiing plenty to do and very scenic.

Thank you for the reply. I am starting to plan my initial trip now. I was wondering if there is an area in Italy that has a bit less humidity? Also when I look at cost of living pages how accurate should I assume they are?

In Sicily, it's a peaceful place in the south of Italy... and not that expensive like the other main cities in the North..

Ciao everyone!

I am brand new to this, so forgive me if I stray from protocol!
I am 56, living in Rochester, NY, and looking forward to retirement in the next 1-2 years.  My girlfriend and i would like to move to Italy for a year after we retire.  We have our sights on the Puglia region.

My biggest concern at this point is the Elective Residence Visa, as we are hoping to stay in Italy for a year.

Any information that might help us plan for this adventure would be greatly appreciated!

Best Regards,
Gary

Put "Elective resident visa Italy" in any search engine.
Here is just one result:
https://www.studiolegalemetta.com/en/it … ence-visa/
Viel Glueck!
Janin

Hi and thank you. My name is Inga and i am from Iceland.  I am moving to Florence next week.
it has always been a dream to move there

I need help and advice with all the formal matters regarding moving to Florence if someone who maybe speaks Italian and can help me with that process i am willing to pay for that help.
and i want to hire a really good graphic designer helping me build my website

wish you all a wonderful day.

xx
Inga

A must!!
Visit Paolos air bnb in coreglia Ligure you will learn and experience everything you'll want to know about Italian food, culture, language, and more!!

Hi, I'm here for the moment retired Italian American in process? Maybe??
Stories vary as much as the people, there doesn't seem to be any consistency here, good luck!!

My name is Bianca. New to the group  . I am from South Africa and planning to visit a friend in Milan, but always open to work oppertunities

Happy to meet you all.

Hello. My name is Sara and I am hoping to move to Italy (Milan) in the very near future. I am an English teacher who has been living in Asia for the past 5 years. I am looking for information on work/teaching/visa opportunities.

Most importantly I am in need of info on obtaining a visa. Do I need a visa before I move...? Will an English school provide me with a permesso di sorggiorno before I move to Italy?  What are the best options for an American in my situation?
Thank you so much for your help and support! 
Sara

I think you can apply Here they have a really good opportunity in Saudi Arabia for English teacher I think you can do that . good payment 
Good luck 

Hi i'm George from Ghana. A student of the University of Siena. I arrived in Italy  October 2016.I am single. Can somebody please help me find some job in this summer to support my studies here. thank you all.

Hi I am from Saint Lucia in the Caribbean,

I just moved to Verona Italy with my husband. Can I obtain an Italian licence easily since I already have a licence from my country? Also are there any Dominicana salons in Verona ?

Thanks in advance

Desma

Hi ,

Can I ask what school are you using to study Italian?

Thanks

Desma

Hi I am new to Milan looking for some friends who can understand English or know atleast little bit of English.. may be we can go for coffee.. or go to near dumo etc in evenings.....