# How do Italains treat the English



## not holland

Hi

I have been living in Holland for 5 years but I hate it, The food is bad the people are unfriendly ect ect, I was in Italy and thought it was really nice, just a few questions.

Do they treat English people well
Is it hard to make friends
How hard is italian to learn
How hard is it to move to Italy
Do they treat English children badly

The main reason for asking is when I first went to Holland they seemed really friendly but after I learnt Dutch it all changed.


----------



## dan|

Hi.

As far as I know, british people are usually considered very well. The only european citizens that many italians say they don't like too much are frenchs, but it's not really truth. 

One problem you can face here in Italy is the fact that most of italians aren't really confortable with enlish, but if you try to speak slow and clear it will be appreciated; don't forget to give compliments for the english knowledge, even if is not exactly the reality.

To make friends it depends on your age and even more from where you are going to live. Some regions are really friendly and open.

Italian it's a difficult language, for a british I guess it's harder than dutch, But you can do it, there are many classes for foreigners.

Moving to Italy is quite easy. Get a job is not impossible but it streactly depends on the field you are in, it's not a great moment now. If you were talking about moving within Italy, ....

Children are normally much better than us in making friends and learn the language, I've never recognize that the treatment for english childs are worst than the tratement for italians


----------



## abruzzo annie

not holland said:


> Hi
> 
> I have been living in Holland for 5 years but I hate it, The food is bad the people are unfriendly ect ect, I was in Italy and thought it was really nice, just a few questions.
> 
> Do they treat English people well
> Is it hard to make friends
> How hard is italian to learn
> How hard is it to move to Italy
> Do they treat English children badly
> 
> The main reason for asking is when I first went to Holland they seemed really friendly but after I learnt Dutch it all changed.


I live in Abruzzo a lot of the time, and I found it very easy to move there. To become a resident you will need to have all your paperwork in order, but you will get help with the form filling.
If you make a little effort to learn some italian, they will love you for it, and help you along. They are kind, strong, compassionate, kindly people who, because they live such 'close' family' lives; hate to see anyone lonely and living alone. At Christmas you will not be allowed to be alone!!!!!
Italians love all children and are very kindly to youngsters, whatever creed or colour.
A job is difficult at the moment because of the recession, and italy is a place where you must pay your taxes ... it is an offence frowned upson if you try to evade tax.
There is no yob culture in abruzzo region; the young are hardworking and go out and drink and have fun, but do not cause problems for other people. 
I have several houses in abruzzo. and rent out two of them. I have experienced kindliness and help all the way long........in fact you will get what you give!!!!!!
Just smile, be kind and helpful, and learn just a smattering of italian.....kind regards..Annie


----------



## ciquta

_Do they treat English people well_
Yes, as long as they understand english. Everybody in holland are able to speak in fluent english, but in italy it's not the same. 

_Is it hard to make friends_
It depends. Generally the more you move towards southern Italy, the more people is friendly. It's not very easy to make friends in regions like Friuli or Alto Adige.

_How hard is italian to learn_
I believe it's very hard. Be careful: in some region (expecially Veneto and Campania) people usually don't speak in italian, also in work environments like offices. They speak a local language that is VERY hard to understand also if you're 100% fluent italian.

_Do they treat English children badly_
No.


Hope it helps 


sorry for my english...


----------



## maisie21

not holland said:


> Hi
> 
> I have been living in Holland for 5 years but I hate it, The food is bad the people are unfriendly ect ect, I was in Italy and thought it was really nice, just a few questions.
> 
> Do they treat English people well
> Is it hard to make friends
> How hard is italian to learn
> How hard is it to move to Italy
> Do they treat English children badly
> 
> The main reason for asking is when I first went to Holland they seemed really friendly but after I learnt Dutch it all changed.


Hi 
We have bought a house in Ofena/Abruzzo with the view to moving there next year if possible.
Everyone that we have met has been welcoming and very helpful.
My Italian language skills are still quite poor but I manage to communicate quite well and my efforts are appreciated by the villagers, who in turn are picking up the occasional English word. One of neighbours lived in England for over 40 years and acts as a translator for us when we need to deal with builders etc.
The Italians, like most Europeans, idolise the children reagrdless of their nationality. They were stopping us in the street to chat to our granddaughter.
Judy.


----------



## IThouse

I have a few friends here in Abruzzo, but really nice people, very open and sweet.
I was surprised how it is different the people's mentality in the city comparing to the people in the village. 
In the city you have more privacy but people are more business orientated.
In the villages they are very warm but a bit nosy. 

My suggestion is always to be diplomatic with Italians, smile a lot and DON'T refuse the food!!!
Invite them for a "caffè", even if this could means 3 hours of chat. The caffè moment is something used to create relationship, it is a rite.

With some Italian friends we have had a frank exchange of opinions concerning the English people in Abruzzo.
Some of them let me notice that some English people come with a certain business idea about Abruzzo that some of them don't like at all.
I heard phrases like this : "they want to buy the properties for nothing and resale to English people for the double making business on us" .
Sometimes abruzzo people don't understand aslo the "golf club" mentality of people from UK.
Why they don't want mix with local people. This sounds quite offensive for them.

As many B&B runned by En people don't pay a penny of taxes this created some difficult to local B&B and this again is something they don't like.
The same for people are acting as estate agents without licence or are running building restoration company without pay taxes.

In general I can say that people here like foreigners but they start to realized that some of them are making business on them and this is something that they really don't like.


----------



## maisie21

IThouse said:


> I have a few friends here in Abruzzo, but really nice people, very open and sweet.
> I was surprised how it is different the people's mentality in the city comparing to the people in the village.
> In the city you have more privacy but people are more business orientated.
> In the villages they are very warm but a bit nosy.
> 
> My suggestion is always to be diplomatic with Italians, smile a lot and DON'T refuse the food!!!
> Invite them for a "caffè", even if this could means 3 hours of chat. The caffè moment is something used to create relationship, it is a rite.
> 
> With some Italian friends we have had a frank exchange of opinions concerning the English people in Abruzzo.
> Some of them let me notice that some English people come with a certain business idea about Abruzzo that some of them don't like at all.
> I heard phrases like this : "they want to buy the properties for nothing and resale to English people for the double making business on us" .
> Sometimes abruzzo people don't understand aslo the "golf club" mentality of people from UK.
> Why they don't want mix with local people. This sounds quite offensive for them.
> 
> As many B&B runned by En people don't pay a penny of taxes this created some difficult to local B&B and this again is something they don't like.
> The same for people are acting as estate agents without licence or are running building restoration company without pay taxes.
> 
> In general I can say that people here like foreigners but they start to realized that some of them are making business on them and this is something that they really don't like.


I totally agree with your statements.
We have found nothing but generosity from the villagers in Ofena.
On our last visit I had coffee with a neighbour who does not speak English. I went, armed with my dictionary and we managed to communicate quite well using hand gestures and a lot of laughter.
Even in Pescara, we have had assistance from total strangers.
Any problems that we have had are because we believed the information given to us from the house agent rather than investigating further and getting numerous quotes from different sources. But, as I said, that was our mistake.
We cannot wait to make the final move to Ofena.
Judy.


----------



## IThouse

maisie21 said:


> I totally agree with your statements.
> We have found nothing but generosity from the villagers in Ofena.
> On our last visit I had coffee with a neighbour who does not speak English. I went, armed with my dictionary and we managed to communicate quite well using hand gestures and a lot of laughter.
> Even in Pescara, we have had assistance from total strangers.
> Any problems that we have had are because we believed the information given to us from the house agent rather than investigating further and getting numerous quotes from different sources. But, as I said, that was our mistake.
> We cannot wait to make the final move to Ofena.
> Judy.


Hi Judy,
I agreed with you, I found many estate agents we dealed with a bit not cleared about the real structural status of the houses in sale.
Some of them are architects or surveyors and they try to push the sale saying that they can restore for you but is a second business for them.
Something I learned is to avoid NOT licensed people (this is valid in different fields) because I discovered that who is not licensed is not covered by an ensurance and this is a risk for your investment.

We used ITALY HOUSES and the lady speaks good English, she'is a FIMAA association member and she has some exclusive contracts with different estate agents in UK. 
We noticed the difference. Quality when you have to invest abroad is really important.

In any case I wish to enjoy your house in Ofena.
Italians can be really good with foreign people. 
Don't forget the "caffè"!

Good luck!


----------



## maleena

*I want to live in Abruzzo now.*

HI all
Everyones description of Abruzzo area has made me want to move there now... I was thinking Tuscany. I have 1 year to decide. We are coming to Italy September 2010.
If there are going to be any empty rental houses at this time let me know, I really dont like the prospect of dragging my kids around looking for some where to live.
As we come from Australia, we cannot afford to make many trips back and forth looking for housing and work. Or if you know anyone that wants there house looked after over winter (so the pipes don't freeze).
We would like to first live in a town for 3 months and get to know the area and people before deciding on what to do. I am learning Italian and am going to teach what I know to my husband and 2 boys aged 7 and 9. I am also doing a TEFL course to teach english (i would love to do private tutoring or teach small classes of children 5-12 years old) I would also love to teach housewives english as well.
You are all very descriptive and life in Abruzzo sounds so family orientated, I think we will enjoy our experiences over there and may end up staying for more than a year.
Ciao
Maleena.


----------



## Caporciano

I can highly recommend the Abruzzo region / unsung / undiscovered / much cheaper than other places (currently) and well the people are superb! It is an area renowned for its food throughout italy! Eating out (as many italian families seem to do) is so inexpensive. And then there is the local wine! Must go get a glass!!


----------



## Eco expat

Ciao,

I have been in Umbria for the last 4 years and would agree with most of what has been said here. People are friendly, they are helpful and forgiving with the language, they adore children. 

As for the food, I don't know of any better in the world. What makes it so great is the relationship that Italians have with food. Food connects people and brings them together. Often we go out (I now have an Italian partner) for a coffee in the morning, then to shop for food (always fresh and local) we meet friends along the way, by the time we get home we have 8 - 10 people for dinner that night. It's never "what you doing in a couple of weeks or more?" like in the UK when making arrangements with friends. Its spontaneous with Italians. ...Luckily my partner does all the cooking !

Re work, I have been in business here and found that more complicated than the UK, I have also had to learn the 'Italian way' of doing business and the differences between regions. In the North things are more efficient, the further south the slower things get!

The South is a lot poorer but it also means that property is much cheaper and things are developing there, so for investment there could be more opportunity than say Tuscany where prices are very high now. 

The people of the South are even more friendly and open. My partner is originally from the South, when we go to visit his family I see a huge difference in the people.

Buon fortuna

Ciao
Ananda


----------



## KathleenDelaney

not holland said:


> Hi
> 
> I have been living in Holland for 5 years but I hate it, The food is bad the people are unfriendly ect ect, I was in Italy and thought it was really nice, just a few questions.
> 
> Do they treat English people well
> Is it hard to make friends
> How hard is italian to learn
> How hard is it to move to Italy
> Do they treat English children badly
> 
> The main reason for asking is when I first went to Holland they seemed really friendly but after I learnt Dutch it all changed.


Oh Jee!! No Italians do not treat children badly! Rather the opposite! You'll have to watch out they will spoil them even too much! 
I am Italian, my father is American and I live in the NEderlands...i can tell you Italian people are really kind and friendly, especially when compared with the Dutch.
And they love strangers...where are you planning to stay if i may ask?
In what sense 'it changed when you learnt dutch'?


----------



## englishbee

*Just had to answer your post*



not holland said:


> Hi
> 
> I have been living in Holland for 5 years but I hate it, The food is bad the people are unfriendly ect ect, I was in Italy and thought it was really nice, just a few questions.
> 
> Do they treat English people well
> Is it hard to make friends
> How hard is italian to learn
> How hard is it to move to Italy
> Do they treat English children badly
> 
> The main reason for asking is when I first went to Holland they seemed really friendly but after I learnt Dutch it all changed.


Hello i was surfing op the site and came across your post i couldnt believe what i was reading, it was just like i had wrote that sentence myself except 21 years in stead of 5 years. I moved here with my husband and then at the time 2 young kids 11 and 10.
20 years later i am slowly drying inside so unhappy i cant even explain it.
i have experianced every kind of nastiest they is , from people i work and i have worked with. I am talking about myself 51 year old and feel like i am being pestered at school.
now my kids are married and i have 4 wonderful grandkids but i have dicided i have to move . My husband and i have dicided we are going to look for work in italy abruzzo.
because i have italian family living in abruzzo. But it is not easy but i know i will not be here in holland much longer. I have been going to italy for the last 12 years and i speak a little bit of italian but i know they could never be like the dutch.
they have a saying here IF YOU ARE NOT DUTCH YOU ARE NOT MUCH. and believe me they mean it .

like youself in the begining it was always oh these are my english friends but when you speak dutch and are able to have your own opinion in dutch , then the people you think are friends are not !!!!!!!!!!!! if you are still in holland we will have to get together .


----------

