Dos and Donts of expat life in Italy

If you’re considering moving to Italy, there are a few mistakes you really don’t want to make once you’re there!

Italy is everything it’s reputed to be – historic, romantic, stunningly beautiful, famed for its cuisine and with a love of music and song shown in the tonal lilt of its language. La Dolce Vita isn’t just a movie, it’s a description of real life in this amazing country. Of course, moving there – or any other destination – is often fraught with bureaucracy, confusion and regret at not learning the language before you arrived. Most foreigners make the same mistakes, especially when what they really need to know isn’t written in English.

One mistake common to most new arrivals is to only make friends with other expats. Befriending local people has enormous benefits such as getting guidance as regards information, helping you understand Italian culture and its musical language and generally being there when they’re needed. Italians are some of the world’s friendliest people, and are more than happy to include you in their lives. The Italian word for ‘like’ is ‘piace’, pronounced as ‘piache’, but if you need to say ‘I like this’, you say ‘a me piace’ or, ‘It pleases me’. You’ll need this phrase, as so much you see and do will please you!

The basics of getting by in Italy include the fact that everything shuts down for lunch with the exception of restaurants. No more using your lunch hour to go to the bank, the post office or the local launderette – you just have to get used eating a delicious lunch during lunch hour. If you’re travelling by train, remember to validate your ticket by placing it in the small, green machine on the platform. If you forget, expect to be fined or, at worst, thrown off the train by the ticket inspector. If you’ve a headache from attempting to get everything right, don’t forget that basic pain killers as well as all other medications are very expensive in Italy.

Don’t assume you’ll be able to use your debit or credit cards everywhere, as Italy is, in the main, a country of small businesses which might not be able to afford the charges associated with being a chip-and-pin retailer, especially for smaller transactions. In Italy, cash is king. One surprising no-no is that Italians don’t drink too much at bars and parties, and especially at networking events. If you’re in a bar or eaterie, remember Italy doesn’t have a tipping culture.