Living Abroad in Italy Guide
Published on Wednesday, December 03rd, 2008
Of all the Moon Living Abroad books, Living Abroad in Italy has to be my personal favourite – perhaps that’s because I have a passion for Italy, perhaps it’s because it’s such an incredibly well written book, penned by a first grade author who shares my passion for Italy!
John Moretti is an American by birth, but now, having lived in Italy since 1999 he is practically a local! He has embraced everything about Italian life – the good, the bad, the history, the traditions and the language, which is why he is best placed to write this thoroughly well researched, yet vibrant book about starting a brand new life in Italy.
Yes there are other ‘living abroad’ titles that cover Italy, but Living Abroad in Italy by John Moretti as published by Moon, is probably the best of the bunch by about a mile! If you’re interested in taking an extended vacation in Italy or indeed, moving to live there for the long-term, we recommend you pick up this title.
One of the things holding back some Britons from moving abroad to realise their dream of a new life in Italy, is the fact that it can be very hard for non-Italian speakers to find a job and earn an income.
There are reportedly over 30,000 British retirees living in Italy – and who can blame them! Imagine retiring to bask in the glorious countryside of Italy where you’re surrounded by spectacular views and enveloped in an ideal climate, where you can eat and drink the very best food and wine in the world, and enjoy a culture so steeped in tradition and history to be truly fascinating.
With inflation in the UK having now risen 5.2% compared to just one year ago, that’s just one more reason to think about expatriating and going in search of a new and better life abroad! According to the BBC’s research, up to 26,000 Britons below retirement age have chosen Italy as their full time new home, and up to 33,000 retirees from the UK have relocated to Italy.
An absolutely fascinating and in depth report has just been released by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), entitled ‘Education at a Glance 2008.’ The report examines almost every conceivable element of the education system in 30 developed countries on a nation-by-nation basis, and it provides analysis of the relationship between levels of education attained and average adult career achievements.
If you’re going to be moving to Italy you need to know how the Italians work and how you should be working and doing business when living in Italy as an expatriate, because to get on and get ahead in any nation in any profession it is important to understand business etiquette.
So you want to retire to Italy? Are you sure? I mean, you may have spent many week’s holiday enjoying the Italian countryside or coast and beaches, but how do you know what it will really be like to live in Italy day in day out once you come to retire? After all, the practicalities of residing in a country can be very different to simply holidaying there because you get bogged down in everything from bureaucracy to language when you’re a full time resident, and you can find it’s actually harder settling in than you thought.
One of the greatest perks of living in Italy for many people is the retail therapy that you can enjoy when you go out shopping daily for your food essentials or even when you make a special trip to the centro commerciale (shopping mall) in the nearest large town. Shopping in Italy is not something to be endured, it really is an enjoyable pastime!
Italy was long the favoured overseas property destination of an affluent few who preferred the likes of rural Tuscany and Umbria for their property purchases and relocations. However, thanks to house prices elsewhere in Europe having risen faster than in Italy over the past few years and the fact that Italy is now serviced by many cheap flight operators from airports across the UK, the nation and its charms are appealing to greater numbers of us.
