# Move to Italy



## Ex415 (Sep 2, 2016)

I am an Italian-American and hold dual nationality with Italy. I am going to Italy in November and will be spending most of my time in Florence. I'm on a fact finding mission to see if it's realistic for me to live there. my preference would be to live elsewhere, but other than Milan it seems to be the only place where I can find studio space at an affordable price to continue with my jewelry making. I have been gathering information from the Internet regarding the things I need to know about making a move to Italy. I'm hoping some generous person could give me firsthand information about their move to Italy. Specifics I'd like to know include: Health insurance, pricing for public and private.
Renting an apartment vs buying an apartment currently I own a condo. Do I need to purchase appliances?
How costly would it be to ship the contents of a one bedroom apartment to Italy?
Tips on finding apartments. Utility costs.
Neighborhoods to consider in Florence?
Banking and transferring money from USA.
Reliable sources of information for answers to my questions, other than those who are able to respond to my questions.
Cautionary tales? Positive experiences?

Would appreciate your help.

Frank


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

As you can see, I'm not resident in Italy, but there are a few commonalities for countries within the EU that you should know about.

Health insurance: Italy has a national program that covers citizens and residents. Wikipedia has an interesting article on Healthcare in Italy that may give you a better idea of your options.

On shipping your US belongings to Italy, be careful. US apartments and houses tend to be much larger than those you find in Europe. IKEA found they had to produce larger furniture for the US market, and I can tell you from experience that when I walk into the Pottery Barn in the US, I feel like I've walked into "Giant Land." US furniture (particularly beds) often just don't fit into European apartments. So you may want to reconsider how much you want to ship after you've found a place.

I'll leave the other questions to those resident in Italy.
Cheers,
Bev


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## accbgb (Sep 23, 2009)

I agree with Bev concerning moving the contents of your one bedroom apartment.

As to your jewelry making business, please do your research on this as well. In the US, it is quite easy to get away with selling stuff and then either not paying taxes on the income generated or simply reporting it on your tax return as hobby or small business income. This entire process is much more difficult in Italy and you could be subject to severe penalties if you do not follow the law precisely.


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## accbgb (Sep 23, 2009)

By the way, if you don't mind living a bit outside Florence, consider Borgo San Lorenzo - a very nice comune north-northeast of Florence, about 39 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes and €4,40 to €6,10 by train to Florence depending on exactly which train you take. See https://www.lefrecce.it/B2CWeb/search.do?parameter=searchOutputViewer&cFID=oMGLGeO1RoGC

Less expensive by bus but a bit slower of course due to more stops.

Either way, you might find some very nice apartments at much lower cost than in Florence proper.


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## Ex415 (Sep 2, 2016)

Thanks for the response.


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## Ex415 (Sep 2, 2016)

Thanks for your response.


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## ilario (Jun 30, 2016)

Hello Ex415,

Do you know Puglia? It is a south Italy region. His characteristic is tourism, food, culture, history, handicraft economy and so on...

Give a look


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