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MOVING TO ITALY

Ten positives to focus on if you move to Italy from the US

We all know Italy is an amazing place to visit. But is it really still "la dolce vita" when you live here permanently? One reader who moved from the US says it is - if you focus on the positives.

Ten positives to focus on if you move to Italy from the US
The town of Arrone, Umbria. Photo courtesy of Rita Graziano

Rita Graziano, an Italian-American California Bay Area native living in Umbria, Italy told The Local how, of the many striking differences she’s found compared to life in the USA, it’s the little things – and the positive things – that stand out to her the most.

While it’s easy enough to complain about Italy’s famously slow bureaucracy, and the hiccups many of us experience after moving, Rita said: “I don’t dwell on those. Sometimes I am amused, sometimes frustrated, but always willing to let it be in the end.”

Rita, who works remotely and made the move alone with “dogs and cats galore”, says the slower pace of life and “the lack of the “buy, buy, buy” mentality of the US” are some of the biggest positives.

Here, Rita gives us a quick glimpse of her life in Italy by describing some of the beautiful moments and gestures which define for her what living here is really all about.

The beauty

The way you can “stumble upon” beauty anywhere. The gorgeous architecture in churches and other buildings as well as small points of beauty such as the way someone has arranged their garden flowers.

READ ALSO: Nine things to expect if you move to rural Italy

The patience

The patience of the people with my poor Italian, the way they apologise because they don’t speak English! (Not necessary to apologise – this is Italy!) and the way they will say “I speak only a few words of English”, and then they speak it very well in fact.

Photo: Clare Speak/The Local

The church bells

The sound of the church bells ringing, randomly as well as gloriously at 12 noon in the piazza.

The kindness

I asked the pharmacist where the health center was and she dropped everything to walk with me there so I would be sure to find it. And when I put my credit card in the wrong slot of the gas station machine, in the dark, in the pouring rain, I was able to get it back at the  Carabinieri station with four Carabinieri attentively listening to my poorly-told story, eager to help.

The friendliness

The way at holiday time, everyone greets each other with Buon Natale or Buon Anno. And how the vet’s office (she is the only one for the village of Arrone) is not only a place to take your animals but is a social meeting place where people drop by to chat even while she is giving your animal a vaccination.

Rita’s cat Harry, who as a kitten was saved by Arrone’s vet. Photo: Rita Graziano.

The openness

The way you can meet people in a restaurant – in Spoleto my friend and I became immediate friends with a 97-year-old Navy veteran.

The history

There’s too much to say here, but as an example, the town of Terni, which was bombed 120 times during the war so is not a pretty city like so many others. And in Umbria the many hilltop villages built in the middle ages, causing me to wonder every time: how on earth did they build those villages and towers perched precariously on a hilltop?

READ ALSO: Dutch, Swedish, Scottish: How these tiny Italian villages became international

The seasons

This is probably a California thing, but here in Italy every season unfolds with such beauty and is distinct and wondrous.

Photo: Clare Speak/The Local

The people

The old men sitting in cafes talking endlessly and watching the world go by. And the way every single Italian has an opinion on most things!

The security

The feeling that I am safe and never alone. People are always willing to help.

The creativity

The creativity used to make everything work…somehow.

This article was first published in 2019.

Member comments

  1. So, so perfect! We’ve been here since early ’18, and our Christmas cards to friends and family back in the US that first year included this “Top 10” list of “Rules for Living in Southern Italy”:

    10. The traffic lines on the streets are just for decoration.
    9. If something happens at 3:30 instead of 2:30, it’s not the end of the world.
    8. Life’s too short to eat fast food.
    7. Life’s too short to eat bad food.
    6. Most big problems usually aren’t.
    5. You’re never too busy to help someone.
    4. Coffee isn’t just coffee. It’s an art form.
    3. Same goes for cooking, only more so.
    2. Life is meant to be enjoyed!
    1. Family and friends are EVERYTHING!

  2. This is a paid subscription why are there pop up ads everywhere?
    It makes attempting to read the Local very frustrating

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For members

AMERICANS IN ITALY

LISTED: The visa options Americans can apply for to live in Italy

Moving to Italy is a dream for many US nationals who have fallen in love with the country, but which Italian residency visa should Americans opt for depending on their circumstances?

LISTED: The visa options Americans can apply for to live in Italy

It can be quite confusing for Americans who want to move to Italy as there are a number of different visa options available and a whole raft of requirements in order to be eligible for them. 

US nationals don’t have the automatic right to get a job in Italy or anywhere else in the EU because of their status as third-country nationals within Europe’s single market, but thankfully some visas will allow you to work here. 

Elective residency visa

The elective residency visa, or ERV, is designed for those who want to live in Italy and have the financial means to support themselves without working. Because you can’t work while on the ERV, it’s sometimes referred to as a retirement visa. 

You’ll need to prove you receive an annual passive income of at least €31,000 euros per person or €38,000 for married couples, plus five percent per dependent minor, though some consulates require more.

READ ALSO: Five expert tips for getting your Italian elective residency visa approved

This can be rental income, a pension, annuities, or some other source, but simply having significant savings in the bank doesn’t count: it has to be in the form of a fixed and reliable passive income stream.

Find out more about applying for an Italian elective residency visa.

Family visa

The family visa is available to US dependents of either an Italian citizen or a US citizen with an Italian stay permit. It allows entrance in Italy to the spouse, children or dependent parents.

You will need to provide evidence of your relationship with the person whose dependent you will be, for instance marriage or birth certificates.

Find out more about applying for an Italian family visa.

Employee work permit

This option has the obvious drawback that you need to have received and accepted an offer of a job in Italy in order to be eligible.

The good news is that your employer will then complete most of the visa application process for you – all you need to do is provide them with the relevant paperwork.

Your employer will apply for permission to hire a migrant worker from the immigration desk at their local prefettura (prefecture, the regional office of the central government). Once you get authorisation, the prefettura will inform the Italian consulate or embassy in your home country that your application can go ahead.

Student visa

To apply for a long-stay (type D) student visa, you’ll need to be accepted onto a course that lasts longer than three months.

When applying you should provide a letter of acceptance to your course in Italy, as well as proof of accommodation, sufficient financial means and health insurance.

There is no age limit, and the visa allows you to work up to 20 hours per week and bring family members to live with you.

Find out more about applying for an Italian student visa.

A student visa can be one way to enter Italy on a longer-term basis. Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP.

Golden visa

Italy does not technically offer a golden visa, but this is how its investor visa is often referred to. This scheme allows non-EU citizens such as Americans the right to live in Italy if they meet the key requirements, namely a minimum investment of €250,000 to €2 million in certain companies, charities or government bonds.

This visa entitles you two years’ residency, renewable for further three-year periods, and special tax benefits. Investors’ families are eligible to apply for dependent visas.

READ ALSO: Does Italy have a golden visa?

To obtain a visa, US investors must obtain a nulla osta (certificate of no impediment) issued by the Investors Committee for Italy (IV4I); you then have six months from its issuance to make the application for an investor visa.

Other visas

The above visas are the main ones suited to Americans looking to move to Italy longer-term, though there are a number of other visas available, including the internship visa, the startup visa, and the self-employed visa.

These visas all have stringent requirements that make them challenging to obtain.

To successfully apply for the internship visa, you must have been offered a paid vocational training course of between three and 12 months by a host organisation that will commit to paying your food and board and funding your repatriation in case of an emergency.

The self-employed visa might sound like an ideal solution if your job allows you to work from anywhere, and is currently the closest thing Italy has to a digital nomad visa.

In reality, however, experts have told us that successful applications for these visas are extremely rare, so it isn’t an option for most people.

The startup visa requires you to apply through a startup that is headquartered in Italy and less than four years old, and has a team composed of one third PhD students or two thirds MA students, or holds a patent, industrial property right or original software registered with the Italian Society of Authors and Publishers (SIAE).

On arrival

Remember that your visa isn’t the only permission you’ll need if you want to live in Italy. 

After you enter Italy with a long-stay visa, you have eight days to apply for a residence permit (permesso di soggiorno). The length of time this document will remain valid depends on the type of visa you have.

You’ll also need to apply for a tax code and register as resident with your local comune, or town hall.

Find out more about what you’ll need to do once you land in Italy here.

Please note The Local is unable to advise on individual cases. For more information on whether you are eligible to apply for a visa, contact the Italian consulate in your country or consult an immigration law specialist.

Read out more about applying for a visa in our Italian visa section.

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