In our first episode of the monthly series “The Expat Files” here on The Real Life in Italy, Evelyn interviews Damien O'Farrell, an expert on global mobility who has lived in Italy for over 36 years. Damien shares his journey from moving to Italy to assist a friend, to running a teaching business, and eventually starting a global mobility agency. We also get into just how important it is to show Italy not only as a place to retire but as a place to create a life and work. Damien also offers...

In this episode of 'The Real Life in Italy,' I’m taking you for another technical, bureaucratic journey to understand maternity leave in Italy, but not only. I’ll also cover paternity leave, and the options for parental leave in Italy. Italy has both “obligatory” leave for parents, and optional extended maternity and paternity that can still be paid leave. As expats in Italy, I think it is so important to understand the benefits we have access to under our Italian social security, and it’s...

In this episode of The Real Life in Italy, host Evelyn Hill chats with Jasmine Mah of QuestaDolceVita , explore the experience of being a mom in Italy as a foreigner. We look at the things we love, and the things we are not crazy about being a mom here in Italy. We talk about cultural differences, challenges, and joys of raising children in Italy. Topics covered include what we really think of our pediatrician, or what they think of us; the dynamics of raising a bilingual kid, and the Italian...

This week the Real Life in Italy explores the misconceptions and realities of Northern Italy vs Southern Italy. Your host, Evelyn is an american in Italy, located in Piedmont, Northern Italy, and this week I’m joined by Claire, a British expat living in Sicily. We each chose to share 5 stereotypes we hear about North Italy and South Italy, and share our own experiences with them. Is it true Southern Italy has a lot of crime? Is it true that “everything works” in the North? Ehh, well time to...

This week on The Real Life in Italy we are back again talking about freelancing in Italy, featuring a discussion with your host Evelyn, and Claudia. We’re sharing our journeys with the partita IVA in Italy, covering key topics like managing taxes, finding clients, and the choice between online platforms and traditional accounting. While our experiences may look different from yours, we hope we can provide other expats in Italy an overview of the challenges and opportunities faced by...

Ready for another, more practical, episode of The Real Life in Italy? We’re talking about the Partita IVA, what it is, when you need it, and how it all works. If you as a foreigner living in Italy, ever had hopes of opening a small business or going freelance in Italy, then you’ll need to get real familiar with this code. The Partita IVA is your tax code that lets you do business in Italy. We’ll explore the different options of the partita IVA in Italy, what taxes in Italy look like with this...

On this episode of The Real Life in Italy, we’re getting into a topic I think is so important to understand: The Mafia in Italy or rather, Italian Organized Crime. This is a little 101 for you to understand how these organizations operate, where they operate, and who they are. Oh, and how that might effect life for us foreigners living in Italy. Spoiler: You’ll probably never even notice it, but it’s all around. Expats in Italy seem to have so many misconceptions of the mafia in italy on two...

This episode of the Real Life in Italy is answering the question: who the hell were Garibaldi and Cavour anyway? These names are everywhere we look in Italy. It’s because these two characters were key players in the Italian Unification - the Risorgimento. There’s a long, long history lesson behind that, but today, let’s take it easy and just get to know your new Italian (er or are they French?) friends: Giuseppe Garibaldi and Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour. I’m joined by fellow American in...

This episode of The Real Life in Italy is all about one of our favorite topics: Coffee in Italy. Living in Italy coffee probably shows up in your daily life - either you're like me and you're addicted, or it's not your thing but you find yourself trying to navigate the social aspect of it. Together with our guest Catalin Varela, we’re exploring local coffee culture and what that means to us expats in Italy: how coffee is important to daily life, what our favorite Italian coffee is, and how to...

A bonus bureaucratic episode for you this week. We’re talking all about the Permesso di Soggiorno - the Italian Residence Permit. An essential part of life in Italy as a foreigner, but also our worst nightmare as expats in Italy, and while I admit it can be a boring topic, you need to know about it, and some of the tips shared might just make your next appointment much easier. I’m covering: what the permesso di soggiorno is, how to apply, and most importantly how to survive your time at the...

On this episode of The Real Life in Italy we’re finally answering What IS the difference between the Carabinieri and Polizia? A question I know many expats in Italy have probably asked themselves every once a awhile. Probably the more important question we've asked living in Italy is: no seriously, WHO DO I CALL? Turns out it’s more complicated than a jurisdiction thing, but we’ll at least take a glance. I know why you are really here though, you want to know: Team Carabinieri or Team Polizia...

In this kick-off episode of The Real Life in Italy, I'll share my story of how I moved to Italy, and what it's been like since then.Even after 12 years of living in Italy, I don't feel any closer to being Italian, and I feel even further from being American. As expats in Italy, I think we all feel this way at some point, but it's nice to know we aren't alone. In this episode, beyond my story I'll share my thoughts about how to make life in Italy work for you, what I think about if it gets...