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LIVING IN ITALY

EXPLAINED: How can you stop nuisance phone calls in Italy?

If it seems like you’ve been getting more unwanted calls on your Italian phone number recently, you’re probably not imagining things. But the good news is you’ll soon be able to do something about it.

EXPLAINED: How can you stop nuisance phone calls in Italy?
Getting a lot of marketing calls on your Italian mobile? There will soon be a new way to help stop them. Photo by Andrej Lišakov on Unsplash

People in Italy are now getting an average of five nuisance calls (or telefonate moleste) per week from telemarketers, according to consumer rights association Codacons, which estimates that the frequency of such calls – mainly from banks, telecommunications and energy companies – is now about 20 percentage points higher than in pre-pandemic times.

This increase in cold calling in Italy comes ahead of the imminent introduction of a new ‘do not call’ list for mobile phone numbers, which spells trouble for telemarketers, reports newspaper Corriere della Sera.

READ ALSO: Beat the queues – 19 bits of Italian bureaucracy you can do online

In the European Union, data protection rules (under Regulation 2016/679) mean that you have the right not to be contacted, including by businesses. Based on this regulation, Italian courts can (and do) slap companies with large fines if they’re deemed to be using customers’ data unlawfully for telemarketing purposes. 

However, at the moment there’s not a great deal individuals can do about these annoying calls, beyond repeatedly opting out and making complaints.

But from this summer, rule changes in Italy will also mean both landline and mobile phone numbers, including any numbers that were not previously listed in the phone book, can be placed on an expanded version of the ‘do not call’ list known as the registro delle opposizioni or ‘register of objections’.

“From July 27th, the new public register will open to 78 million mobile telephone users,” Italian MP Simone Baldelli told Corriere della Sera.

Baldelli said the expanded register will become “a well-known and effective protection tool for phone users”.

EXPLAINED: How to change your registered address in Italy

It is already possible to use the registro delle opposizioni to remove Italian landline numbers from public telephone directories. Find out more about how to do that on the official website here.

As well as allowing people to register mobile phone numbers for the first time, the incoming rule changes in July will place stricter limits on the use of data by telemarketers.

“Enrollment in the new register will allow for the cancellation of any previous consents issued for telemarketing purposes, and will prohibit the transfer of personal data to third parties,” writes Corriere.

The new legislation is also set to include a ban on the use of automated or ‘robot’ marketing calls.

READ ALSO: Why the tabaccheria is essential to life in Italy – even if you don’t smoke

So how do you add your phone number to this new and improved register? 

From the information available so far, it appears that the process will be much the same as it is now for adding landlines to the existing register: you’ll be able to submit numbers to be added to the list either by phone, by completing a web form, or sending an email (either PEC or regular email).

But it’s not open just yet – it looks like you’ll have to wait until the end of July to add mobile numbers to the register.

We’ll report more details of the opt-out scheme on The Local once they’re published.

For now, readers of The Local have recommended the ‘Chi sta chiamando‘ (‘Who’s calling’) app, which you can find here for Apple or Android devices.

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LIVING IN ITALY

‘They particularly like Americans’: What life in Naples is really like for foreigners

Naples is seen as one of the most dangerous cities in Italy. But beyond the stereotypes and the bad reputation, what is it actually like as a place to live today?

‘They particularly like Americans’: What life in Naples is really like for foreigners

There are no two ways about it: Naples has gotten a pretty bad rap when it comes to its image on a national and global level. Media reports often focus on rubbish-strewn streets, high levels of pickpocketing, corruption, and mafia activity.

It consistently ranks among the ten Italian cities with the highest crime rates, and car insurance prices are the most costly in the country, largely due to theft and accidents.

At the same time, the city is beloved by tourists, not least for its vibrant culture, artwork and food.

So what is it actually like as a place to live? Should anyone thinking of relocating to Naples be concerned by the negative stereotypes and worrying statistics?

We asked international Naples residents in the Facebook group Living Abroad in Naples 2 what they really think about life in the city often nicknamed Partenope.

People, ninety nine percent of the Neapolitans will give you the shirt off their back. They particularly like Americans, and they love kids,” Thomas Braden, originally from New Jersey, tells The Local.

He was on active duty with the US Navy and expected to be posted to Germany. However, there was a mix-up and he was offered a position in Naples instead.

READ MORE: Why are Trento and Bolzano rated the best places to live in Italy?

“We asked for the weekend to sort it out, drove down to Naples and visited a Navy friend who was living in Monte di Procida with a view of the sea, and well, we were sold,” he continues.

Bar the sight of the sea, what has kept Thomas here is the food, the low prices, the way of enjoying life, the history and the thrill of driving. 

“I love the driving, it’s a very liberating sport,” he says.

But as with any city, there are bad points too. 

“Crime is a concern, but nothing like it was ten years ago – if you weren’t here then, you can’t appreciate how much has been done by the mayors of Naples and Pozzuoli and others to clean up the crime. And the grime. Trash used to be a huge concern – the EU fixed that,” Thomas says. 

It was the grime and crime that struck him when he first came to Naples in 2009. Nowadays there is a marked difference as he mentions parts of downtown Naples that he “wouldn’t walk down at noon on a Sunday with an armed escort” now have spritz stands lined along some of the streets.

REVEALED: The Italian cities with the highest crime rates

When asked about whether the city deserves its reputation, he says: “Like New Jersey, Naples gets a well-loved, well-earned bad rap (that they also wear with some pride). But you get out of this city, exactly what you invest in your relationship with her. 

“What level of effort do you devote and open yourself to trying to understand her, and dare I say love her? Ugly feet and all.”

International resident Amy transferred from the US after getting a job offer. She had visited areas in Italy such as Udine before, but wanted to check out Naples before making the leap.

“Initially, the way people drive in Napoli was extremely frightening to me as well. Driving in Napoli is like being a Nascar driver, minus the helmet,” she says.

Flags and scarves decorating a street in the Spanish Quarter district of central Naples. Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP.

She recounts some bad experiences walking around the outskirts of the city, with men rolling down their windows and asking “How much?” and supposes this assumption of prostitution was made because she is African American.

“In my experience, the worst thing about Napoli is the few people who have immature minds and think negatively about Black people,” she says.

Other negatives are the road closures, the overpriced taxis and Google Maps not syncing correctly with the city, she adds.

However, despite the ignorance shown by a few, Amy says the best thing about Naples is the Neapolitan people.

“The thing about Neapolitans is that they either love you or hate you, there is no middle, and I admire that.

“I have made some amazing life-long friends here in Naples, ” she says, recalling when her car broke down and two soldiers crossed a busy road to help her out.

Other than on the outskirts, Amy says she feels safe walking around alone.

“I do not encourage visitors to the city to drive though,” she adds.

READ MORE: Which are the Italian cities with the best climate?

Katy Newton, originally from the East Riding of Yorkshire in the UK, came to Naples for a holiday and stayed for the romance. 

“The majority of people are friendly and I always found it incredible how people can just carry on daily life living between two huge volcanoes,” she says. 

“It reminds me of a lot of cities in the north of England, where there isn’t lots of money but people have their priorities right. Family and enjoying life with what you have.”

On the downside, the bad things in Katy’s opinion are that nothing works, no one stops for pedestrians, and there is a lot of piled-up rubbish. Nevertheless, she thinks the city’s danger is over-exaggerated.

“My cousin visited a couple of weeks ago and fell in love with the people, the way of life, the city.”

Still, after four years of living in Naples, Katy and her partner are moving away, but close by. 

“I love the vibe, the shops, food… but I just find the chaos exhausting and after a while for me I just feel a need for a more relaxing, quieter life.

“It’s an experience everyone should experience.”

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