Thank you Rafael, as always for your videos! We bought a house in Italy 8 years ago while still working, we retired in 2000 and then moved to southern Italy from the US. We have no regrets and we absolutely love living here. Here's why... the people where we live in the Campania region are kind and welcoming, the pace of life is refreshing, the food is to die for, I love the post-lunch afternoon "pausa" when everything closes down and you can spend time with friends and family or take a nap, the cost of living is amazing, the healthcare services have been great (and free), property tax costs are great (free is good because we are now Italian citizens, but even before that they were less than €500 per year, which is thousands less than in the States), there are lots of small towns and big cities to visit, and the seas and mountains are absolutely breathtaking. The challenges based on my personal experience can be... #1 Income taxes, so hire a good accountant or firm that specializes in helping with tax situations. Everyone's situation is different. #2 Learn the language before you move here, to some degree. It's imperative or you'll have a nightmare on your hands when it comes to dealing with doctor appointments, utility companies, your neighbors, store owners, the banks, etc. You can survive without doing this, but it's much easier if you learn the language. #3 Study the Italian driving book before you come, and download one of the driving school apps to do the practice tests, because your American license does not transfer over and you need to take the theory exam in Italian, even if you've driven in the US for 40 years! I wish I had done this. You only have one year from the time you move here to be able to drive legally without an Italian license, and if you're a risk taker after that year, the fines can be huge. Good luck to anyone considering an Italy move!
I would say that the #1 challenge foreigners face in Italy is finding meaningful work that will pay the bills. 'Getting by' is fine in your 20s, but this becomes very difficult as you get older and you want to buy a home, run a car, take vacations, and so on. Taxes are also high, but with a savvy accountant, you can find legal ways to pay less.
I left the US in 2013. Yes, the bureaucracy is my number one complaint in Italy. There are major perks living here like, no property tax on your first house. That's major savings. Housing in general is very affordable compared to the US. If your car is 30 years old or older, there's no annual registration fees and you receive major discounts on insurance. The are many lovely older cars on the road here. If you fancy pew pews, it's very easy to get a pew pew license. In fact, much easier than getting a drivers license. Azzault pew pews are legal and are not controversial.
My husband has been going back and forth his whole life, and I've gone with him 6 times. The #1, #2, and #3 reasons we'd never move to Italy (but would travel every year) is the bureaucracy, red tape, and frustration at getting simple things done. We have so many funny and ridiculous stories to illustrate this. Great place to holiday though
Bureaucracy, Italy’s favorite pastime…….i love your humor! Enjoying your videos! My pizza dealer - lol. So people really value their time off in Italy. Re: global warming…… it’s real. I live in Oregon and we would have maybe a day of 100 in the entire year. It rained on the 4th of July in 2010. Now we have weeks of weather in the 90’s and last year we had a new record of 116 F. So yea, it’s getting in here!
Thanks for the video, Rafael. Air con is so very important. It makes life more comfortable, especially in excessive heat, and when you're trying to sleep. 😊
Cool videos, and quite well grounded. However, living in Milan, I feel many aspects you describe are actually not everyday experience (e.g. the kissing thing: here usually only close friends do, and not everyone or every time. As to me maybe once or twice a year). I'm not sure, whether Milan is an exception, or whether some Italians play it "Italian" with you to make you feel more "local" xD
Ehi non scherziamo! Ferragosto is the threshold between the first part of summer and the second part of summer, it's not the end!!! Many people only go on vacation after ferragosto, in bassa stagione :) edit: wait. there's places that pay you on a weekly basis??
One of the things about Italy taxes, is what are taxes? My family in Italy consider these taxes: garbage, electricity, water, sewage. Also, remember that medical coverage is part of taxes. I tried to live there but gave up. My cousin and her son got into an argument, because he's worked outside of Italy and the EU, and pointed out that there are things Italians do business wise are not done anywhere else he's been, and theses things are holding Italy back. My cousin is a Commercialista, so her livelihood is based on theses absurd Italian regulations and business accounting and tax practices. Her daughter moved to Australia, missed Italy and came back, but then returned Australia. Itay is a nice ce place to visit or retire to if you have the means. But, Italians are normalised into that's how it's done and don't know that it could different; and that's what you'll need to adjust to living there.
Love the content and enjoy your personality.. but if I’m keeping it real, you sounded like a typical millennial in this video 🤷♂️ …I didnt hear anything you said that would really bother me. And yes. I’m moving to Italy (marche) next year.
Southern Europeans have a masterful way of making AC usage an issue when it isn't throughout the world - AC just exists, keeps us comfortable so we can do greater & better things, and it's not something meriting discussion. However, you'll have Italians tell you - in all seriousness - that AC causes respiratory and health problems and it's bad for the environment. Meanwhile they smoke like a chimney and drive with - let's put it politely - undue urgency...that's real good for the environment!
Italy is head and shoulders a thousand percent nicer and more beautiful and more satisfying than Portugal. ... Do you actually go outside and enjoy things that you could appreciate in Italy? That's not even discussing the art, food, cities...... Museums, archaeological sites, history.... Seriously?
@@BigSmallTravelit's not just that, Italy is a strikingly unusual place if you look at the diversity it has. It's not about size it's about the 10,000 boxes it checks off
@@paulcavallaro1469True, like Germany or France in that regard but a little more. We visited Bavaria in Germany and were shocked at how different it felt from Northern Germany.
Rafaele is looking handsome today. Italy is not my favorite country. I can't think of anything that works well. I get a feeling that they just don't care. Even catching the bus is a headache. In most countries, you get on the bus, pay the fare and you're good to go. Not in Italy. You have to buy a ticket from the tobacco stand before you get on the bus. Life there can be so stressful. It doesn't have to be. They could actually simplify so many things.
When I move to the EU, I will embrace the culture with the exception that I refuse to give up air conditioners and screens on the windows. I hear that monthly payments from your job is also an Austrian thing as well as Italian. I do wish the EU would pick an electrical socket standard and phase out the older ones.
@@BigSmallTravel I was in Italy for a few weeks (Rome, Florence, Venice) and then in Austria for almost 2 months (Vienna, Linz, Graz). I was not able to see it this trip but I want to go back and see Alto Adige / South Tirol and compare. Once my Italian language skills improve, I want to see my ancestral towns Faicchio and Brindisi Montagna.
Health insurance is $1200-1600 a month in New Jersey, USA alone.. property tax is $14,000-24,000 a year. I’ll take bureaucracy any day.
There's no property tax on your first house here in Italy.
Imagine that.
Bravo for this comment 🎉
There are all kinds of health insurance in NJ, many of them quite cheap. Stop lying!
@@glidercoachIncome tax is high in Italy.
@@MrAmhara
Depending on how much money you make.
Thank you Rafael, as always for your videos! We bought a house in Italy 8 years ago while still working, we retired in 2000 and then moved to southern Italy from the US. We have no regrets and we absolutely love living here. Here's why... the people where we live in the Campania region are kind and welcoming, the pace of life is refreshing, the food is to die for, I love the post-lunch afternoon "pausa" when everything closes down and you can spend time with friends and family or take a nap, the cost of living is amazing, the healthcare services have been great (and free), property tax costs are great (free is good because we are now Italian citizens, but even before that they were less than €500 per year, which is thousands less than in the States), there are lots of small towns and big cities to visit, and the seas and mountains are absolutely breathtaking. The challenges based on my personal experience can be... #1 Income taxes, so hire a good accountant or firm that specializes in helping with tax situations. Everyone's situation is different. #2 Learn the language before you move here, to some degree. It's imperative or you'll have a nightmare on your hands when it comes to dealing with doctor appointments, utility companies, your neighbors, store owners, the banks, etc. You can survive without doing this, but it's much easier if you learn the language. #3 Study the Italian driving book before you come, and download one of the driving school apps to do the practice tests, because your American license does not transfer over and you need to take the theory exam in Italian, even if you've driven in the US for 40 years! I wish I had done this. You only have one year from the time you move here to be able to drive legally without an Italian license, and if you're a risk taker after that year, the fines can be huge. Good luck to anyone considering an Italy move!
I would say that the #1 challenge foreigners face in Italy is finding meaningful work that will pay the bills. 'Getting by' is fine in your 20s, but this becomes very difficult as you get older and you want to buy a home, run a car, take vacations, and so on. Taxes are also high, but with a savvy accountant, you can find legal ways to pay less.
I left the US in 2013. Yes, the bureaucracy is my number one complaint in Italy.
There are major perks living here like, no property tax on your first house. That's major savings. Housing in general is very affordable compared to the US.
If your car is 30 years old or older, there's no annual registration fees and you receive major discounts on insurance. The are many lovely older cars on the road here.
If you fancy pew pews, it's very easy to get a pew pew license. In fact, much easier than getting a drivers license. Azzault pew pews are legal and are not controversial.
Wait, what? Assault pew pews are legal??
@@MartinaValla calm down.. the word “assault” means absolutely nothing. All propaganda.. Nothing different between a rifle and “assault” rifle.
@@marcb4788
AR's and AK's are legal here.
Full auto are not.
Conceal carry permit is almost impossible to get.
@@glidercoach do you know if I can bring my 9mm when I move there?
@@marcb4788
Yes. There's paperwork on both sides that needs to be done.
My husband has been going back and forth his whole life, and I've gone with him 6 times. The #1, #2, and #3 reasons we'd never move to Italy (but would travel every year) is the bureaucracy, red tape, and frustration at getting simple things done. We have so many funny and ridiculous stories to illustrate this. Great place to holiday though
Thank you dear
@@nicolettastrada5976 no problem baby
@@DesignedInNola😊
Bureaucracy, Italy’s favorite pastime…….i love your humor! Enjoying your videos! My pizza dealer - lol. So people really value their time off in Italy. Re: global warming…… it’s real. I live in Oregon and we would have maybe a day of 100 in the entire year. It rained on the 4th of July in 2010. Now we have weeks of weather in the 90’s and last year we had a new record of 116 F. So yea, it’s getting in here!
ya, the weather and climate change. just like it always has since we were created.
Thanks for the video, Rafael. Air con is so very important. It makes life more comfortable, especially in excessive heat, and when you're trying to sleep. 😊
Cool videos, and quite well grounded. However, living in Milan, I feel many aspects you describe are actually not everyday experience (e.g. the kissing thing: here usually only close friends do, and not everyone or every time. As to me maybe once or twice a year). I'm not sure, whether Milan is an exception, or whether some Italians play it "Italian" with you to make you feel more "local" xD
Ehi non scherziamo! Ferragosto is the threshold between the first part of summer and the second part of summer, it's not the end!!! Many people only go on vacation after ferragosto, in bassa stagione :)
edit: wait. there's places that pay you on a weekly basis??
One of the things about Italy taxes, is what are taxes? My family in Italy consider these taxes: garbage, electricity, water, sewage. Also, remember that medical coverage is part of taxes. I tried to live there but gave up. My cousin and her son got into an argument, because he's worked outside of Italy and the EU, and pointed out that there are things Italians do business wise are not done anywhere else he's been, and theses things are holding Italy back. My cousin is a Commercialista, so her livelihood is based on theses absurd Italian regulations and business accounting and tax practices. Her daughter moved to Australia, missed Italy and came back, but then returned Australia. Itay is a nice ce place to visit or retire to if you have the means. But, Italians are normalised into that's how it's done and don't know that it could different; and that's what you'll need to adjust to living there.
You had me cracking up with the kissing thing LOL
I find the amazing combination of incompetence and arrogance to be one of the greatest joys of Italy.
Woww😂😂😂 un vero intenditore 😂😂😂
Exactly. That was my exact experience when I visited recently. Arrogant and incompetent.
@@natalieohlsson7777that is a nice way to come across
Very helpful!
Interesting. My Italian background would still have me in Italy, however, do appreciate the straightforwardness. Food for thought!
Love the content and enjoy your personality.. but if I’m keeping it real, you sounded like a typical millennial in this video 🤷♂️ …I didnt hear anything you said that would really bother me. And yes. I’m moving to Italy (marche) next year.
7 days ago he released a video called "don't move to Portugal. move to Italy instead?" 🤣
I was going to ask you that question
Italy 🇮🇹 is the best and most beautiful country! ❤️
hospitals never close in Italy, they are always open.
Southern Europeans have a masterful way of making AC usage an issue when it isn't throughout the world - AC just exists, keeps us comfortable so we can do greater & better things, and it's not something meriting discussion. However, you'll have Italians tell you - in all seriousness - that AC causes respiratory and health problems and it's bad for the environment. Meanwhile they smoke like a chimney and drive with - let's put it politely - undue urgency...that's real good for the environment!
We really, truly hate AC. I can't stand it when I go to the USA. You guys are so unhealthy in so many ways
Italy is head and shoulders a thousand percent nicer and more beautiful and more satisfying than Portugal. ... Do you actually go outside and enjoy things that you could appreciate in Italy? That's not even discussing the art, food, cities...... Museums, archaeological sites, history.... Seriously?
Agreed, but Italy is much larger than Portugal and Italy is a G7 country unlike Portugal.
I love my own belly button too 👍
😁
Whatever that's supposed to mean @@lxportugal9343
@@BigSmallTravelit's not just that, Italy is a strikingly unusual place if you look at the diversity it has. It's not about size it's about the 10,000 boxes it checks off
@@paulcavallaro1469True, like Germany or France in that regard but a little more. We visited Bavaria in Germany and were shocked at how different it felt from Northern Germany.
Rafaele is looking handsome today. Italy is not my favorite country. I can't think of anything that works well. I get a feeling that they just don't care.
Even catching the bus is a headache. In most countries, you get on the bus, pay the fare and you're good to go. Not in Italy. You have to buy a ticket from the tobacco stand before you get on the bus. Life there can be so stressful. It doesn't have to be. They could actually simplify so many things.
In the Dolomites bus fares can be bought on the bus. But, some buses only take cash, some take touch credit/debit cards.
@@buning_sensations5437and in Verona, and in Firenze. I think credit card payment on the bus is pretty common. There are also apps in some cities.
For me, it's lack of particular gay rights like adoption rights.
When I move to the EU, I will embrace the culture with the exception that I refuse to give up air conditioners and screens on the windows.
I hear that monthly payments from your job is also an Austrian thing as well as Italian.
I do wish the EU would pick an electrical socket standard and phase out the older ones.
We just returned from Austria and we were happy to see the similarities with especially Northern Italy.
@@BigSmallTravel I was in Italy for a few weeks (Rome, Florence, Venice) and then in Austria for almost 2 months (Vienna, Linz, Graz). I was not able to see it this trip but I want to go back and see Alto Adige / South Tirol and compare. Once my Italian language skills improve, I want to see my ancestral towns Faicchio and Brindisi Montagna.
Ok so the question not answered is what side do you start to kiss on?
In Sicily it's the right and children only get 1 kiss.
😂
mostly on the left cheek (aka aiming on your right) cause most people are right-handed
Why did you choose Braga to live? There are more , beautifull, and interesting cities ( in Portugal) with better food and Ubers for sure :p! ,
This video should be able to answer why not only braga but why I came to Portugal:
ua-cam.com/video/rClbnAg-jt8/v-deo.htmlsi=NTGIW8WcFkrdFK-y
@@RafaelDiFuriaI hope you are happy wherever you choose to live
It's easy. You kiss like you write: from the left to the right. But on the cheek it''s not a real kiss, the mouth kisses the air.