The Italian way of life - what to expect from life in Italy
Are you considering living in Italy? Then you need to learn all you can about what to expect from your new country.
From understanding all the aspects of daily Italian culture to getting to grips with the Italian language, only so much can be researched before you go!
At some point you will have to make the decision of whether Italy is calling you and whether living in Italy is really what you dream of!
Italy welcomes thousands of tourists every year, many of whom fall in love with the country and dream about making a life for themselves there. And life in Italy can be as good as a holiday in Italy - as long as you continue to expect the unexpected!
While Italian’s are famous for enjoying an incredibly good quality of life and decent standard of living - which can ease you into life in Italy gracefully - Italian red tape is notoriously confusing and frustrating - even for Italians - and can have to stamping your feet with frustration and impatience!
If you want to enjoy day to day life in Italy and keep the holiday spirit going, learn as much Italian as you can and relax and enjoy all that’s good and even some of the foibles of your adopted home country.
Italian people are passionate and high spirited and in the course of only 24 hours you can suffer being totally ignored or castigated by an Italian and overwhelming, almost embarrassing welcome and hospitality from another Italian.
It’s not the weather that affects the mood of an Italian; it is the beauty and complexity of his country!
If you are interested in working in Italy for you, you need to understand that labour laws are much more protective of the worker than the employer in Italy.
This can be a good thing and a bad thing! It means that it is very difficult for an employer to make employees redundant in an effort to cut back labour costs, or to sack an under performing employee for example.
This can make employers extra careful when considering an employee and it gives rise to a ‘black’ employment economy with employees working illegally and for cash. These employees have no rights and their employers are taking a big risk carrying on in this way as they can face large fines for illegal employment methods.
Furthermore unemployment in Italy is quite high - these facts may mean that if you want to make a new life for yourself in Italy you will find securing decent employment hard. Do your employment research before you go if at all possible to secure yourself work.
The health care system in Italy has a low to average reputation amongst Italians but despite this fact, the reality is that Italy is in fact a country where you can expect to find low-cost health care and a good standard of medical assistance.
Doctors in Italy are both dedicated and well-trained. And if you prefer to go private then you’ll find Italian private hospitals are the equal of any other country.
When it comes to State hospitals - especially in the south - the standard is variable and the levels of comfort are likely to be well below what Americans and northern Europeans expect.
As a result, a lot of expatriates in Italy favour private medical care and as a result they are guaranteed a certain level of care, service, hospital quality and they can avoid the long waiting lists synonymous with any state system.
If you have children, the education system is going to be of paramount importance to you. You will be able to choose from Italian state schools and international schools following the British, American or International Baccalaureate curriculum depending where you choose to live in Italy.
If you have relocated to Italy permanently you might favour the Italian education system as it will allow your children to completely integrate.
The Italian education system traditionally followed this path: -
- Aged 6 - 10 children attend scuola elementare
- Aged 11 - 13 children attend scuola media
- Aged 14 - 18 children attend liceo
- After school academically gifted students attend university or università for at least 4 years
During 2004 the Italian education system has undergone a reform. The Italian government would like children to start school when they are 5 1/2 and for school to be split into two cycles instead of three with 5 years of primary school and 3 years of secondary school making up the first cycle. After this point a state exam for pupils aged 13 1/2 - 14 would determine which path the students take towards upper and higher education. The more academically inclined children would go on to high school for 5 years, and the more technically inclined would continue their education with professional training - which would include apprenticeships in industry for example. After completion of high school for the academically geared children there would follow another state exam and possibly university.
