Each month we introduce you to someone who has made the dream of picking up and moving to the Bel Paese a reality. In their own words they share the good parts, the bad parts and the just plain absurd moments of day-to-day life in Italy.
Looking to move to Italy?Try the reader-recommended Survivor Package
If you live in Italy, we would love to hear your story–Contact form

ID Card:
My name is Dan Gedacht. I am a teacher and writer, and I have lived in Italy for 5 months (Dec. 2001 ndr) and counting. I am 31 years old, American, and married for 3 1/2 years with a dog. You can check out my (noncommercial) website at www.gedacht.com or email me at dang1313@yahoo.com. Please do so if you are looking for writers, either creative or technical!

Currently living in:
I currently live in Arona, Province di Novara, Piedmont, on Lake Maggiore.

By way of:
Before Italy, I lived in Washington, DC (almost 4 years). Before that Jerusalem, Israel (where my wife is from) for 6 months, and before that Seoul, Korea for 4 years. I met my wife and our dog there.

How (or why) did you get here from there?
After enjoying the dot-com ride in the US for a few years, I realized my heart really wasn’t in it and I wanted to pursue my longtime dream of writing. My wife was studying industrial design in Washington but wasn’t happy. She wanted to study in Italy, so I left my job and we came here. I have had one short book published and am writing more. She starts at Politecnico di Milano this autumn.

What role did language skills play in your experience?
I don’t really speak Italian well (I’ve never studied it), and that often makes life here difficult, especially when dealing with Italian bureaucrats. That would be what, daily? I speak fluent Korean, but even before learning that language I found Koreans more open to trying to speak English or at least understand your less-than-perfect speech. I can get by here, but many Italians have no patience for only semi-good Italian and seem to have a chip on their shoulders. It often feels like “If you don’t speak perfect Italian, get out!”

Your biggest challenge:
I am not sure if it is my biggest challenge, but a big one is finding movies in their original language. I don’t live in a big city so they don’t play in the cinema here. I just don’t like dubbed movies. I don’t want to see a Benigni film in English any more than I want to see E.T. in Italian.

Compare an aspect of your home town (or other place you’ve lived) to current town.
I have never lived in such a small (15,000 people) town as Arona. At first I had cabin fever, but have grown to appreciate living on a lake at the foot of the Alps. I like being able to walk everywhere. By contrast, Seoul had 12 million people and pollution so thick you could chew it. However, I don’t love it that everything in Italy closes at 8 or 9 o’clock (except discos, which I never go to). Also, the cost of housing is so cheap here! You can get a one bedroom for Euro 400 here, less than half of the price in Washington or Seoul.

Latest pursuits:
My latest pursuits are submitting my stories for publication. Other than that it is wrestling with the authorities. Italian bureaucracy is like an onion. Finally work your way through one layer, and there is another. A specific office can certify an official photocopy, but another place must certify that a translation is official. I think there may be another office to certify that the certifications are official. What a pain.

A preconceived notion about Italians/Italy that is true:
I had always heard the horrors of Italian bureaucracy, and in general they have been true. See above. (This is especially true of notaios, aka the
children of heaven).

Your response to the following question: “I really want to live here, but I don’t speak Italian or have a job. What do you think?”
Come on over, you’ll find something! Just be patient and open-minded.

How would you sum up your Italian experience in a word (and why)?
Confusing. Every time I was told I couldn’t do something, it has seemed to work out. On the other hand, often when I was told “no problem,” there has inevitably been a problem.

Italy’s best kept secret
hmmm. Not sure if this is a secret, but I have found out that in general if you don’t make waves your official needs will eventually get through. Even if they don’t follow the letter of the law, keeping your mouth shut goes a long way.

Each month we introduce you to someone who has made the dream of picking up and moving to the Bel Paese a reality. In their own words they share the good parts, the bad parts and the just plain absurd moments of day-to-day life in Italy.
Looking to move to Italy?Try the reader-recommended Survivor Package If you live in Italy, we would love to hear your story–Contact form

ID Card:
Roberta Kedzierski, translator, market researcher, editor, journalist. Has been in Italy since 1987.
Currently living in: Milan, while spending as much time in Florence as possible. Luckily, I can work anywhere. Have iBook, can travel.

By way of: Leicester (England), Canterbury (England), London (England), New York (New York), London (England)

How (or why) did you get here from there?
My mother was Italian and I actually spoke Italian before learning English! Unable to study Italian at school, I graduated in French from the University of Kent (which explains Canterbury, see above). Told there were no jobs using languages, I got one — in a Tourist Information Centre in London, answering visitors’ questions in the language in which they asked them. I then moved into marketing for tourism, before getting into marketing for higher education. Had almost given up hope of using my languages actively when I met someone in Milan who was a translator, and he suggested I come out and join him in setting up a business. Which I did. After a while, I started doing market research — interviewing in Italian and writing in English — and from there I started writing for trade magazines. I do all three right now, with some editing also. I also contribute articles on cross-cultural issues to publications such as HelloMilano. http://portal.hellomilano.it

Your biggest challenge:
Dealing with what Italy is today, as opposed to what it was while my mother lived here, and then what it was in her imaginings while my sister and I were children. Let’s just say Leicester did not exactly do it for her.

What did you do to feel at home or adapt here?
It may sound crazy, but I joined an English-speaking women’s organization in Milan. Through the PWA, I met a lot of women who had had, or were having, similar experiences to mine. Knowing that I was not the only one who found certain things frustrating or hard to deal with, helped me realise that it was not me who was especially peculiar or particularly intolerant, or whatever.

What do you still have to get used to/learn?
I have been here a long time, so it is hard to think of anything I have not got used to, and still will. Noise is one that remains a bugbear. Particularly road noise. Interestingly, the Italians have now started to notice it as well.

Compare an aspect (or aspects) of your home town (or other place you’ve lived) to current town.
Milan vs. London? Where do I start? Milan is so compact you can get to see a client on the tram, and get back again on one ticket. In London, it would take you hours to get there, and it would cost a fortune! OK so the ticket prices in Milan are about to go up, but nowhere near London prices. Milan is built as concentric circles with arteries cutting through. Even someone like me, who has no sense of direction, can find her way. London is all over the place. (New York is the other city where I always know where I am going.) Milan is one-third the price of London, so a visit to the Smoke is always heart-attack inducing. Lots of fun, but severe damage to the credit cards is guaranteed! Milan: the food is great and the coffee is sensational. I don’t care what anyone says, the same is not true of London. And so on and so forth. Plus Milan is closer to Florence than is London. London does have a river, though, and lots of beautiful parks.

Latest pursuits:
Looking to explore more writing opportunities, see what else I can do. I am quite interested in screen-writing and/or doing more reporting in the health field. As you can see, I am keeping my options open.

A preconceived notion about Italians/Italy that is not true:
That the weather would be wonderful or, in any event, that — compared to what I was used to in the UK — I would never complain about it again. Fact is, blue sky, sun, and light become the norm, before you even realise it. So when it starts raining, you complain as loudly as the Italians do.

A preconceived notion about Italians/Italy that is true:
That the TV is not only as bad as you think it is, but it’s actually worse than you can imagine. And there is so much of it.

Your response/advice/warning to the following question: “I love Italy! I really want to live here, even though I don’t speak Italian or have a job.”
Don’t expect an easy ride. Know that unless you have a skill that you can exploit — and you may discover it while you are here — work is hard to find. Learn the language. And, if you decide after a while that you prefer this place as a holiday location, that’s OK too.

How would you sum up your Italian experience in a word (and why)?
Interesting. It has taught me a lot about myself, about my mother’s experience as a woman undergoing what would these days be called a cross-cultural experience; it has helped me develop my language skills, proved to me that I can do a lot more professionally than I ever imagined possible, and — best of all — continues to stimulate me.

Italy’s best kept secret
The sheer wealth of beauty. It’s like the opposite of Italian telly: so many places are more beautiful than you ever imagined possible, and there are so many of them.

Each month we introduce you to someone who has made the dream of picking up and moving to the Bel Paese a reality. In their own words they share the good parts, the bad parts and the just plain absurd moments of day-to-day life in Italy.
Looking to move to Italy?Try the reader-recommended Survivor Package If you live in Italy, we would love to hear your story–Contact form

ID Card: Rob Keynes, Australian slacker turned bio-farmer…It’s a long story…

Currently living in: Todi (Perugia)

By way of: Sydney, Australia

How (or why) did you get here from there? As I said, it’s a long story…The short version: I had burned through about the 13th of those odd-jobs you’re supposed to get after university when a friend (also out of work) suggested a drive through Europe. The used car we bought, which had given us problems the whole way, rolled over and died while visiting friends here. He went back home, I wasn’t ready to leave just yet…That was 1998.

What role did language skills play in your experience?
Language is everything, don’t believe those people (especially other foreigners) who say you can get by, Italians don’t mind etc. It’s simply not true. Italians have a good attitude towards foreigners but you really can’t expect to make any real friendships or relationships if you cannot communicate…For me, learning Italian has been a huge challenge, I still wouldn’t call myself bilingual or even fluent, really. But I’m getting to the point where at least I can try to translate jokes–and sometimes they work out..

Latest pursuits: I’m a farm hand! I never thought I’d say that (and say it with pride, even) but that’s what I do now. My friends introduced me to some friends who have an azienda biologica –that’s bio-farm to you–and I help out wherever they need me. I learn something new every day, they’d also like to market some of these products abroad so hopefully I’ll have a big hand in trying to pull that off…I don’t regret not doing more with my studies, I’m much happier in this sort of life, at least for right now. Whether you’ll find me here in 20 years, I don’t really know…

A preconceived notion about Italians/Italy that is not true:
Just about everything you see in those black & white Neorealist movies– the big family, the loud voices, “talking” with their hands, etc. All stereotypes have some basis in truth, but modern Italians just aren’t like that..

A preconceived notion about Italians/Italy that is true:
Italian women do not fancy men who look like farm hands! Just kidding. I mean, the other guys I work with, if you see them after work look like regular business men, they have that Italian non-casual, casual thing. Whereas I tend to look like I’ve been digging ditches all day, even if I was sweating over the business registars…It’s true there’s an expectation to cut a good figure, to look at least well groomed at all times…

Your response to the following question: “I really want to live here, but I don’t speak Italian or have a job. What do you think?”
Oh boy. I’d say go for it, I don’t think I would try to tell anyone to think twice about it even. Maybe it’s only the kind of move you can make if you’re completely ignorant as to how difficult it will be. Fortunately, I have an EU passport but that didn’t keep me from having to go through the permesso di soggiorno nightmare, it took me a long time to even get my head around it…

How would you sum up your Italian experience in a word (and why)?
Wild and worth it. Though that’s not one word, sorry. It’s been an extreme experience–the car trip was the first time I’d even been in Europe and then trying to stay here, learn the language and settle in was wildly different from just taking a long vac…

Italy’s best kept secret (music, culture, food, way to get round things)
Definitely the sagre–the food fests. They’re pretty much everywhere from summer/fall, it’s a great excuse for a ramble out to the country and fantastic foods. I keep threatening my friends they’ll have to take me to the frog fests and boar fests, but so far they’ve been spared…

Each month we introduce you to someone who has made the dream of picking up and moving to the Bel Paese a reality. In their own words they share the good parts, the bad parts and the just plain absurd moments of day-to-day life in Italy.
Looking to move to Italy?Try the reader-recommended Survivor Package
If you live in Italy, we would love to hear your story–Contact form

Deirdr? Straughan, 39, US passport.
Writer, with lots of experience in Web marketing, online customer service/support, etc.
Hobbies: Reading, writing my own Web site and newsletter (<http://web.tiscali.it/deirdres/>), family, cooking, fine dining.
Deirdre_straughan@hotmail.com

Currently living in: Milan for the last 10 years.

By way of: Born in New Orleans. Subsequently lived in Beaumont, TX; Honolulu; Bangkok, Thailand; Pittsburgh, PA; Norwalk, CT; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Mussoorie, India (boarding school); Santa Cruz, CA; Austin, TX; Varanasi, India; Washington, DC area; New Haven, CT. For more details, see http://web.tiscali.it/deirdres/tcks.html
My career is even harder to explain, so, again, a URL: <http://web.tiscali.it/deirdres/whatido/resume.html>

How (or why) did you get here from there?
Married an Italian (whom I met while he was in graduate school in the US). Before I met him, I had never been to Italy (barely been to Europe), and had no interest in Italy at all. If I?d gone out looking for a husband, it would not have occurred to me to look for an Italian mathematician!

What role did language skills play in your experience?
You definitely need to speak Italian to live a fulfilling social life among Italians. Many Italians speak English, but if there are two or more Italians in a group, no matter who in the group speaks English or doesn?t, the Italians will always speak Italian. So learn to speak Italian, or you?ll find yourself being lonely in a crowd.
I started taking Italian classes in the US, soon after meeting Enrico, but didn?t really speak it until I spent a month in Rome without him, with my in-laws, when our daughter was an infant. My mother-in-law speaks no English, so I had to speak Italian!
My spoken Italian made another great leap when I got my first job in Milan. The boss did not tell me he spoke any English (I found out afterwards that he did, perfectly well), so I was forced to speak Italian at the office all day.

Your biggest challenge:
Living in the same city ? even the same apartment! ? for 10 years is far and away a record for me. It?s been very hard to learn to stay in one place. I have to travel a lot to keep myself from going insane.

What did you do to feel at home or adapt here?
As a third-culture kid (see <http://web.tiscali.it/deirdres/tcks.html>), one of my survival skills is feeling more or less at home almost anywhere ? except my ?native? country, the US. Italian culture turns out to be a happy medium between the Asian cultures I grew up in and the American culture of my family, so Italy has mostly been easy for me to adapt to.
However, much as I love Italian food, I also like variety. I have yet to find a decent Indian restaurant in Italy, so I had to learn to cook Indian food myself. My next culinary ambition is to learn Thai cooking.

What do you still have to get used to/learn?
The post office. I absolutely hate going to the Italian post office. Services and processes have improved over the years, but still leave a lot to be desired. As a result, to date, I have never actually mailed a package from Italy. (The time I arrived at the post office and found a robbery in progress also rather put me off.)

Compare an aspect of your home town (or other place you’ve lived) to current town.
I spent a lot of time in California over the last six years (for work), and one thing I love about it are the rigorous anti-smoking laws. Way too many people smoke in Italy, and most are not considerate about it.

Latest pursuits:
Building a steady client base for freelance work (said she hopefully). Accompanying my daughter to riding school. MBA course.

A preconceived notion about Italians/Italy that is not true:
That they?re all interested in ?la dolce vita? above all, and therefore are not hardworking. Many of them are actually very good at both working hard and playing hard. They?re just smart enough not to take their work with them on vacations.

A preconceived notion about Italians/Italy that is true:
Family above all!

Your response to the following question: “I really want to live here, but I don’t speak Italian or have a job. What do you think?”
Living in a country is not at all like spending a vacation there, and the reality can be a rude shock. Especially if you haven?t lived outside your native country before, leave yourself an escape clause: try it as an experiment for 6-12 months and see how you really like it before you commit for the rest of your life.

How would you sum up your Italian experience in a word (and why)?
Home. My life and my family are here, and it?s unlikely I?ll ever live anywhere else again.

Each month we introduce you to someone who has made the dream of picking up and moving to the Bel Paese a reality. In their own words they share the good parts, the bad parts and the just plain absurd moments of day-to-day life in Italy.
Looking to move to Italy?Try the reader-recommended Survivor Package If you live in Italy, we would love to hear your story–Contact form

ID Card:
American photographer Nancy Robinson has been exploring and documenting Italy?s enchanting Campania region for the past three years. She came to Sorrento for a visit, found she literally could not stay away, and decided she was never going to leave again. Grace Gallery, which contains a substantial catalog of photos with online ordering, (www.gracegallery.it ) is the result.

Currently living in:
Sorrento.

By way of:
Born and raised in the New York City area, Nancy went to the High
School of Performing Arts in Manhattan, and the State University of New York at Buffalo.

What role did language skills play in your experience?
Well, I think clearly it?s crucial. I bought every book I could find and studied during the time I was preparing to come here, but I feel I didn?t really begin to improve until after I arrived. It was truly an adventure in the beginning as I was confronting different and unique situations every day during the long process of getting the gallery open. Each day there were new words to learn depending on the situation (police, carpenter, licenses,etc.) and sometimes it was pretty comical. In the first few months there were times I had to get assistance with some things but day by day I?ve improved. I?ll feel I?m done when I can speak Italian as I speak English, so there?s plenty of work left to do. Most importantly, there is so much more available to me experience-wise the more I can communicate with people.

Your biggest challenge:
The biggest challenge was getting the gallery open. That?s a very short sentence to describe such an incredible experience. There were two years of preparation in the U.S. before I came. I?ve been here for a year and a half now, and the gallery?s been open a little more than a year, and it?s just recently that I?ve felt like I could relax and breathe a little and really begin working. Up until now all my energy was devoted to getting through the process of getting it open and then to getting it functioning. Now my focus is on growth and establishment, and on enjoying every minute I have here.

What did you do to feel at home or adapt here?
I felt at home here before I even saw it; I had wanted to see Italy for quite a while before I was actually able to ? there was just some kind of unnameable connection there. When I actually saw it (particularly Marina Grande), I was stuck; there was just no question that I had to be here. The only question was how to pull it off.

What do you still have to get used to/learn?
I still haven?t become accustomed to all the visual beauty ? it?s a constant daily treat. And the people here have made me feel so welcome. I think these two things are the biggest contrast for me to my experiences in the US, and two of the things that I appreciate the most. I also love the relaxed pace, another stark contrast to New York City.

Compare an aspect of your home town (or other place you’ve lived) to current town.
But, the flip side of that was the one thing that took me a quite a while to get used to, meaning it?s hard to get things accomplished
because everyone is busy relaxing (ie waiting months for a telephone). It?s taken me this much time to become used to that ? something that would take a day in New York could literally take months here, and I don?t believe that urgent is part of the vocabulary. I think I can finally say that I don?t get too crazy about that anymore.

Latest pursuits:
Working on the website was a several month-long project, and I?m happy to say that it?s completed and I?m free to move on to some other ideas. I guess
you could say my latest pursuit is my life. Every day is an adventure to me, and I?m fortunate in that I am doing exactly what I want to do, in the place where I want to be. My problem is that my days aren?t long enough for all the things I want to do, and sometimes I think I just have too many ideas ?
they keep coming. My biggest pleasure is photographing and discovering new places with my photos; I have a long list of places yet to explore. The gallery?s growth remains a focus. And I recently had this idea that if I could find a way to bring really good music to Sorrento, I could make this place literally perfect for me (I?m still thinking about that one). Classes for kids in photography, drawing and painting are also on the drawing board
right now. I could go on but I won?t.

How would you sum up your Italian experience in a word (and why)?
Cherish? Relish? I?m not sure I can find words, never mind one word. I love it. Everything ? the total experience – the gallery, photography, the people, the place, the difficulties, the challenges, the beauty. It was a gift from God and a lot of hard work and a long time in the making. It?s a wonderful way of life in a wonderful place. A while back I was sitting in the piazza one evening with a friend and a scene from “Cinema Paradiso” popped into my mind ? when everyone leaves the piazza at night and that sort-of crazy guy starts running around yelling, “La piazza ? mia!”. I feel like that ? like everything is mine.

Each month we introduce you to someone who has made the dream of picking up and moving to the Bel Paese a reality. In their own words they share the good parts, the bad parts and the just plain absurd moments of day-to-day life in Italy.
Looking to move to Italy?Try the reader-recommended Survivor Package Contact form

ID Card:
Marjorie Taylor, a Real Estate Broker from Manhattan, NY. I am also a licensed broker in the state of Florida. I am engaged to marry a wonderful Italian man from Venice, who is working in Rome. I have an adult daughter living in Florida.

How (or why) did you get here from there?
I came to Rome in Jan. 2001 to help my fianc? pack and move. He was in negotiation with a US company to open a new division. The job fell through, however, I stayed!

What role did language skills play in your experience?
Unfortunately, I had no language skills. I think learning the language is very important in feeling at home.

Your biggest challenge:
One of my biggest challenges has been driving in Rome. I thought I could handle it after living and driving in busy Manhattan. The drivers here make up their own rules. However, I have not given up!

What did you do to feel at home or adapt here?
I joined two organizations that are quite different from each other with varied and diverse memberships. The American Women?s Association (AWAR) provides a multiple number of social and cultural functions and has given me an excellent start in my new adventure. The second group I joined is the Hash House Harriers (HASH), a crazy running club comprised of members from all over the globe. These groups have helped me to connect to other ex pats here and learn from their experiences, and most importantly, make new friends.

What do you still have to get used to/learn?
The language. I?ve taken a few months of Italian lessons and find it challenging as well as frustrating to carry a conversation in Italian. I find this most exasperating because I am a person with a lot to say!

Compare an aspect of your home town (or other place you’ve lived) to current town.
Housing, is costly In Rome. A small two-bedroom apartment is difficult to find for less than 4 million Lire, monthly, in the center. It is time consuming and often difficult to locate an apartment just as it is in NYC. Some of my friends have had good luck by consulting bulletin boards of the various English language schools, bookstores and churches as well as the FAO and WFO of the UN. The public transportation is wonderful and inexpensive. You can get just about any where you want to by bus, tram or train. The only problem is that trains and trams do not operate 24 hours a day.

Latest pursuits:
Since I am not working, my latest pursuit is trying to fill my days with productive activities. After the busy lifestyle of a Manhattan Real Estate Broker, I find it a bit difficult with so much time on my hands. I would like to investigate what is involved with opening my own business here.

A preconceived notion about Italians/Italy that is not true:
That they are all short, my fianc? is 6?7!

A preconceived notion about Italians/Italy that is true:
That they are warm and friendly. They are also accepting and appreciative of us foreigners when we butcher their beautiful language. But the truest preconceived notion is that the men are very romantic and love women.

Your response to the following question: “I really want to live here, but I don’t speak Italian or have a job. What do you think?”
Unless you are a citizen of the European Community, finding a job is difficult without the necessary papers. You must apply for an entrance visa at your nearest Italian Consular Office in the US and wait until it has been granted. This process will take several weeks so do this well in advance. Additionally, start to learn the language. Although many Italians speak a little English, it is most helpful to acclimate if you learn the language first. (I wish I did!) At least enough to get along with your basic daily activities.

How would you sum up your Italian experience in a word (and why)?
Unbelievable! If you would have told me last year that I would be living in Rome, exploring Italy and Europe, learning a new culture and language, I would have declared you insane. However, I find it to be the most unbelievable and incredible experiences in my life. Even though my friends and family think I am nuts to give up my job and apartment, I feel quite fortunate for this unique opportunity.

Italy’s best kept secret (music, culture, food, way to get round things)
Outdoor festivals during the summer. There is something going on every evening here in Rome. Food, games, exhibits, all sorts of music from small local bands, to big name stars. A lot of them are free!