Hello all

I have to leave my apartment in Amsterdam next month. I have thought a bit about where I would want to live next, and would love to give Italy a try.

Just to give a bit of context; I work for myself either at home, or at client sites scattered across Europe (currently none in Italy) so being in any particular place isn't a major factor, as I will undoubtedly have to travel anyway.

In the last 10 years I have lived in a few European cities and I am now looking for somewhere generally warmer with some nice scenery. I have a desire to have a place with good driving roads (close-ish to the coast would be perfect) I am not necessarily a city person, but I have made the mistake of being too far away from 'the social action' in the past so would like to be somewhere within easy reach of some fun.

Obviously there is also the apartment side of things to look into. As an Englishman, I am hoping the permits will be relatively straightforward after doing some research on the net about these.

I do plan on at least attempting to learn the language, something I have done in each country I have lived in. If possible I plan to stay for at least 2 years.


If anyone has any tips/advice I would be most grateful.
many thanks

Simon

Hello Simon,

I think you would love Rome - I think everyone will love Rome. It's a big enough city to keep you interested, but there are places - shops, restaurants, neighborhoods that make it feel like your home. You can read how I made the transition to Rome on my blog on this site:

http://my.lifeinitaly.com/blogs/martha/31-living-rome.html

Good luck!
Martha

Hello,

We moved to Sicily in 2007. We used to live close to Rotterdam and we had enough of the cold weather.
Where we live now is just fine: a small town on the see close enough to bigger cities. Balestrate is between 2 airports, so if you have to travel that’s perfect.
The weather is warm ( it’s never been colder then 13 C degrees) and the surroundings are picturesque. As you’re also an EU citizen you should have no problem living here.
Contact me for further questions.