In this video, I share what I got wrong about living in Italy so that you can be better prepared for life here.
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5 surprising things about working in Italy
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*VIDEO CHAPTERS*
00:00 Introduction
00:25 What I got wrong #1
03:20 What I got wrong #2
07:30 What I got wrong #3
09:21 What I got wrong #4
10:55 What I got wrong #5
13:51 What I got wrong #6
16:02 What I got wrong #7
18:13 What I got wrong #8
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Sharing real expat life in South Italy.
38 Comments
What things did you get wrong about life in Italy? Comment below and let me know!
I enjoyed this video. I live in New York with my family, have a pension, and have a business, and we are planning on moving to Florence maybe in 5 years. New York has changed for the worse, and there's just no city like Florence. I'll only move if I get my citizenship soon. Otherwise, hell no. I'm not screwing around with Visas. I keep hearing horror stories. I don't think it's perfect anywhere. If you can try to extract just the positives from each country, I think it can work. I won't need to work in Italy and money isn't really a problem, so I'll try to make it work. If not, I'll just come back to the U.S. But your points are all very good. I like getting info from someone like you because you are living in reality and are in Italy. About the only thing I worry about is going to a doctor, or taking my kids to a doctor, and nobody speaks English. Hopefully in Florence this isn't too much of a problem. I wish I spoke Italian, as my Grandmother did, as her whole family was from Puglia. I remember my great grandmother not being able to speak one word of English, lolol.
Un conto è passarci da turista, un conto è viverci,dopo 6 anni non hai voglia di imparare l italiano????….mi spiace,ma sei tu che devi integrarti…ci sono difficoltà?…ovvio…in quale parte del mondo non ci sono?…detto questo,io sono orgoglioso di essere italiano e di vivere nel piu bel paese al mondo.
I live in Tropea for two months now. I love this town. I find that tourist can be target. But in Tropea, there are genuine, honest people.
So true what you’re saying. I’ve been to Italy 🇮🇹 four times. I’m at level B2 and in an Italian community amongst friends, going to parties and gatherings. This is in London. I’m struggling to fit in with the culture and way of thinking. While in Naples I struggled with understanding the accent.
Italy certainly isn't as dogmatically Catholic as it once was. For all it's faults Italy has moved on from the 70's and 80's and will continue to do so. More Italians are becoming non practicing or even atheist and agnostic (like me!) and the Vatican church may be powerful in theory but in practice will lose it's grip.
Budapest is a city where a lot of folks speak English. There are low expectations of foreigners learning Magyar because it's very difficult. But the Hungarians, especially those over 40, do appreciate it when you master key words or phrases in their language, or take the time to type short sentences and questions in your smartphone before approaching them. Living in the countryside is another matter entirely. Much less English spoken there.
Great video thanks, came a year after you from London, still having grief with the language, lack of confidence & laziness truth be told. Like a constant cloud hanging over my experience. Hope to crack it or turn a big corner in 2025. Have subbed to your podcast. Buon anno 👊
Language has to be one of the most difficult, potentially distressing things in life…..not having a personality in a group is awful….I, like many others, have no doubt experienced this situation….my mother would often talk about this when she first moved to Italy (in the 1950s!)…fortunately, she had a musical ear and natural ability so learned it perfectly after a couple of years, but it's never easy.
If you really want to understand Italy, read the Code of Italian Life, written by Giuseppe Prezzolini about a century ago. For most part it is still completely valid.
https://albairatepostlandia.blogspot.com/2011/03/codice-della-vita-italiana-completo-di.html
The main reason native English speakers (Brits, Australians, North Americans, etc) do not bother to learn other languages is the ridiculous idea that most people, everywhere in the world, speak a little bit of English. I had several arguments about this with my (English) wife who tried to justify such a foolish idea on the grounds of the worldwide predominance of the English language in business. I really hate the attitude of people who cannot be bothered to learn a little bit of the language of the country they are visiting. When I visited France I was able to put together a few sentences and the people who noticed my efforts to speak their language were very nice and helpful to me making my holiday a beautiful experience. Learning the language of the country you plan to visit is a basic act of courtesy that will be very rewarding.
As I've said before, Palermo is NOT the norm for Italy. Everyone elsewhere in Italy knows that it's a rough and difficult city.
As for Italians loving their country, they surely do. And a lot. Basically, we love our country like we love our mother. We can criticize her, but you can't. I've a feeling that Brits and Germans have a more "rational" relationship with their country, while ours is emotional and passionate. I prefer the Italian approach.
And Italy is pretty rich. All you need to do is to get out of Palermo. In the North, if you see a poor person on the street he's almost certainly an immigrant or a Southern Italian.
Thx for the honesty. Every video I've watched paints Italy as a "picture perfect" country. I found that very hard to believe. Reality is a hard pill to swallow for many.
One of the big myths regarding the mafia. It only exists in Italy. Every country has some form of a "mob".
Italy is very different from Region to Region. You cannot generalize and talk of Italy. The mentality in the north is quite different from the south. I have lived in UK and I had to adjust to several things. Just one question: why did you expect not to need to learn Italian living in Italy?
I live in central italy, I work in transport, and I get a good wage and feel very looked after. For me, italy has been very good.
which part of the south are you in
The same can be said about New Zealand, at least as far as lamb goes. New Zealanders often get the "dregs" while Iran and other countries get the premium lamb.
The first two points you make are foreseeable with a bit of common sense. Unbelievable that an adult could just assume that changing country especially where the language is different, would be straightforward..
Iam Swedish I moved to Sicilia 3 years ago. The first thing I did was to find a Italian course, then I joined a walking group with only Italians I avoided meeting up with non Italian speaking people. You need an open mind to leave your comfort zone, don’t think so much about the difference in cultur etc . Enjoy Sicilia , nothing is perfect and that’s ok !
I'm from Rome. I don't think many Italians would defend the government from criticism. We probably defend our country when our culture is criticized, but we all know we got corruption and economical crisis, it's not something we need to hide from strangers…
Thanks Claire for sharing your experiences. Italy has changed so much over the years certainly with the pressure of immigration and lack of job opportunities for young people. The EU and the UK should come to an amicable agreement to share immigration numbers and provide safe routes to curtail traffic smugglers . I have only been on holiday there but the people were friendly. I would be interested to know the influence of the Giorgia Meloni government on Italians and life in general? Thanks.
Ma penso che gli inglesi in particolare hanno delle difficolta ad adattarsi all'estero
Penso sempre che se ti trovi male in un paese dopo anni che ci vivi è meglio che cambi posto!
I think you are not talking about Italy, but about southern Italy.
In central and northern Italy the level of knowledge of the English language is quite good, there are not so many dirty and degraded neighbourhoods, and poverty exists but is not so widespread… I live in Milan and I assure you that even the bureaucracy, the public transport, hospitals and social services are faster and more efficient.
Italians always criticize their country, but this doesn't mean they don't love it, moreover they have a strange rule that if you are Italian you can criticize Italy, but they don't accept a foreigner criticizing their country.
Oh gosh sooo true. I’ve been here for ages but now it’s all good
You just spotted 🔛 more than a five million Italian citizens have been left their country in the past 10 years a third of them aged 25 to 34! Italy is for the pensioners who have pensions schemes, and does people are just Pissed off with capitalism!
It’s my personal opinion!
Thank you nice video!
Microphone: your dji mic is wireless. It has clip on technology. It is meant to be attached to clothes at chest level. Like on your overall straps. They do pick up your voice from 30cm distance.
You holding the mic in front of your face is – disturbing? And that is put it nicely. Your message is great. Why do you let technology unnecessarily get into your way? I am most curious about your rationale.
I'm trying to learn Italian. I'd like to be fluent in Italian. I think 1 hour of self study a day will help.
Out of respect for the society I’m joining, before I even leave my home country, I would have a good grasp of conversational Italian, or whatever other country I plan to live in. I would feel ashamed walking around and not making a solid effort to do so!
It’s the less wealthy parts of Italy I would enjoy the most. Who in the hell would go to Italy or any other country thinking every aspect is picturesque and well off?
I am afraid, Italians love their own country. Yet, due to a long standing situation (e.g.: low wages) of suffering, this kind of affection become secondary.
Yes, there are numerous and astonish places to visit, no doubt; but the priority is "to make ends meet".
Spero questo video faccia il giro del mondo!
Così triste ma così realistico…che dire… brava complimenti.
buon fine e inizio anno nuovo
It sounds just like the UK now Claire, and at least I can speak the language. I will do a month at a time in an apartment and learn the language I think. Thank you for the video. Happy New Year. 🙂 Michael.
I can confirm from personal experience that living in Italy (north to south) is much more difficult than living in the UK.
Did you know any Italian when you first moved there?
I came to live in friuli venezia giulia 50years ago. Not knowing the language and to teach english. It was very hard for afew years . What i found frustrating was the red tape involved in practically everything. I love this country particularly the place i live on the slovenian border
What you said about Italians on one hand will complain about their country and on the other will defend it if an outsider criticizes it is true but probably this is true in most countries. However, when I've mentioned my southern Italian family's experiences or mention the brutal history in the South after the Risorgimento and how the south is basically a colony of the North, I've got some serious attacks or at the minimum, eye rolls. Often, many are used to making jokes and statements about the South without having a foreigner come to its defense .😂