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ITALY EXPLAINED

13 essential articles you’ll need when moving to Italy

Whether you've just moved or are still in the planning stages, here are some of The Local's most popular and useful articles for members navigating a new life in Italy.

Published: 6 June 2022 16:37 CEST
Updated: 12 June 2022 09:23 CEST
13 essential articles you'll need when moving to Italy
Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP

Finding your Italian home

If you’re planning to buy, you might want to start by reading this guide to the red flags to watch out for when viewing old Italian properties, or our hard-won tips on how not to buy a house in Italy.

Looking for a rental instead? As with so many other things in Italy, the property rental market may not be what you expect. We’ve listed some of the quirks and pitfalls to look out for when apartment-hunting.

Planning a renovation? No doubt you’ve heard of Italy’s 110 percent ‘superbonus’ scheme – see all the latest news and information about claiming it in our property section.

Dealing with bureaucracy

Italian bureaucracy may be notoriously tricky to deal with, but a little planning goes a long way in reducing paperwork-related stress. So where should you start? See our guide to the five most essential documents you’ll need to get.

If you’re planning to move to Italy long-term, residency is a must. You may also be looking at gaining Italian citizenship via one of several pathways. Here’s a look at the difference between residency and citizenship, plus the resources you’ll need to apply for either.

From visas to driving licences, tax codes and health cards, we have guides to navigating all aspects of Italy’s famous bureaucracy. 

And if your bureaucratic woes are Brexit-related, see our latest guides to the paperwork you’ll need in our ‘Dealing with Brexit’ section.

Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP

Work and self-employment

If you’d love to relocate to Italy but are concerned about employment prospects, here are the 25 jobs and skills the country has a shortage of right now.

Looking for a job but don’t speak Italian (yet)? Here’s a quick look at some of the opportunities readers have found that don’t require a high level of language proficiency.

Find more news and practical guides on jobs and self-employment in Italy here.

Learning the Italian language

This is no doubt one of your top priorities if you’re moving to Italy, but it doesn’t have to be a struggle.

Give your conversational Italian a quick boost with our list of 12 incredibly useful Italian words to know, and some amusing idioms that people actually use.

Our Word of the Day series explains some of our favourite expressions, as well as the slang and curious phrases that you probably won’t find in your Italian class textbook.

Photo: Vincenzo PINTO/AFP

Everyday life in Italy

Whatever daily obstacles you might come up against on your Italian adventure, we’ve got you covered.

Find out why you’ll be a frequent visitor to the local tabaccheria whether you smoke or not – plus here’s a guide to the most common mistakes foreigners make when they first move to Italy.

Life abroad has been even trickier to navigate during the coronavirus pandemic, and we’ll continue to keep you informed of any rule changes here.

Don’t forget you can also submit a reader’s question if there’s any aspect of life in Italy you’d like The Local’s writers to explain. Find out how here.

Italian food and travel

Of course, the lifestyle is one of the biggest reasons people choose to relocate to Italy, and this list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Italy’s famed cuisine.

Here’s a look at how your eating and drinking habits change when you move to Italy, plus avoid any embarrassing faux pas at the bar with our guide to drinking coffee like an Italian.

And no doubt exploring the country will be a priority once you’ve moved to Italy. See our travel section for inspiration and guides to our favourite weekend destinations, and keep an eye on Italian travel news here.

Which aspect of Italian life would you like to hear more about on The Local? Get in touch and let us know at [email protected]

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For members

MOVING TO ITALY

Is Italy’s cheap homes frenzy coming to an end?

Italy's one euro homes captivated international audiences - but as renovation costs soar, would-be buyers are increasingly turning to other options, reports Silvia Marchetti.

Published: 23 November 2022 08:58 CET
Is Italy's cheap homes frenzy coming to an end?

In the past few years, dozens of depopulated towns across Italy have sold cheap and one euro homes for a song, triggering a property frenzy.

But with soaring inflation and sky-high building costs, the bonanza might be nearing its end, as people longing to live in a picturesque rural spot are starting to look at alternative options. 

One of the first towns to sell one euro homes in Sicily was Gangi, where over 500 crumbling buildings have been offloaded for the cost of an espresso since 2015, while more than 1,000 fixer-uppers have been sold.

READ ALSO: How to avoid hidden traps when buying an old property in Italy

“The best ones, particularly those in need of minimal fixes within our beautiful historical center, have all been snapped up”, says former deputy mayor Giuseppe Ferrarello.

“There are still some good deals regarding cheap homes, but prices have risen due to the high demand,” he says.

In Gangi, as in other Sicilian towns such as Sambuca and Mussomeli that have run similar schemes, what you could previously have bought for $15,000 – like a nice 50 square meter dwelling with a panoramic balcony in need of minimal renovation – now costs at least $20,000.

Soaring inflation, plus a lack of builders due to Italy’s superbonus tax breaks aimed at upgrading homes and making them ‘green’, has made it hard, and more expensive, to find construction teams available for a swift restyle. 

READ ALSO: PROPERTY: How Italy’s building bonuses are delaying the restyle of one-euro homes

In the Tuscan town of Vergemoli where abandoned stone cottages scattered across five districts have been bought up predominantly by South American families for a symbolic one euro, mayor Michele Giannini is now mapping more areas of the municipality to identify old houses long abandoned by locals which could be placed on the market.

“We’ve run out of one euro homes at the moment, which is actually a very good thing because it means our scheme was successful, but there are still so many dilapidated properties which could be given a new life and we still need new folk to revitalize the place,” he says.

As the rising cost of living may soon spell the end of Italy’s cheap homes frenzy, people are opting for other solutions; mainly rentals of furbished, turnkey properties and country homes which are cheaper than those in the old town and even come with a patch of land, including olive groves and plots. 

The popularity of one euro home schemes may be on the decline.

The popularity of Italy’s one euro home schemes may be on the decline. Photo by TIZIANA FABI / AFP.

In Troina, a Sicilian town which two years ago placed one euro and cheap homes on the market, renting a cozy three-floor apartment on the outskirts of the old district where all the main shops and grocery stores are located starts at €400 per month.

In the Piedmontese mountain village of Carrega Ligure, meanwhile, a cozy farmer’s house can be rented for €250 per month. 

Jacques Noire, a French retiree from the countryside around Nimes, says that not having found an available cheap home in Troina (as they all sold out last year) ended up being a godsend.

“I came with the idea of snatching a house for some €10,000, but I found none, then I bumped into a local at the bar, we started chatting, somehow I understood his cousin was renting her entire ancient palazzo, far from the old neighbourhood near the fields, for like €600 euros per month,” he says.

READ ALSO: OPINION: Why Italians aren’t snatching up their country’s one-euro homes

“By 8pm, I signed a lease contract for six months and now I come and go, spending three months in Sicily and half in France”.

Noire says the plus points of a rental are not having to deal with head-splitting bureaucracy, a tedious renovation, hidden costs and the hassle of liaising with construction teams. 

Word of mouth is helpful, but convenient rentals can be also be found online.

In Latronico, set in deep Basilicata, Biccari in rural Puglia, and Carrega Ligure in Piedmont, the rising popularity of rentals has pushed local authorities to advertise on their websites not only old dwellings for sale, but also those available for lease.

“I think it’s extremely helpful giving people interested in moving here or spending their holidays the chance to have several options at hand, both for sale and for rent, and a direct contact with the owners.

“When deals are signed it’s nice to see them together at the bar celebrating, or having dinner in the middle of an alley”, says Latronico’s deputy mayor Vincenzo Castellano.

The municipal platforms that advertise the properties serve as ‘virtual meeting places’ where original owners and interested tenants can get in touch. 

In other towns that have run out of one euro and cheap fixer-uppers, people have gone on a hunt for the ‘ideal’ rural home surrounded by pristine sheep-grazing fields and orchards.

Located a few kilometers from the ancient districts, these ‘bucolic’ farmer’s dwellings are up to 40 percent cheaper than those located in the historic center, and come with patches of land.

In the countryside close to Maenza, a village mid-way between Rome and Naples, a few 120 square meter villas with patio, barbecue, lemon orchards and olive groves, in no need of restyle, have been snapped up for as little as €40,000.

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