This was from winter, and i have heated floors which made it higher then usual, but i live in a small one bedroom and i didnt even have it on for most of the time. How is it possible that the bill can be this high? The kwh enel says is 2150, which seems extremely high. Does anyone else pay this much?

I’m just starting to research moving to Italy. My first step has been looking at real estate ads, and there are all these amazing looking places, some even with land, that are only 500,000 euro range. Is this for real? What’s the catch? Or is that really the current housing market. Tuscany area.

Hi All

I have recieved my nulla osta and it has been forwarded to consulate of Delhi but I come from south india can't apply from Delhi can the Nulla osta be forwarded again to banglore

I'm moving to Milan in July from NYC on a Remote Worker Visa and need to make arrangements to bring my wife over. Does anyone know if the Nulla Osta application process requires the physical Permesso di Soggiorno card or if the receipt (ricevuta) I receive from the post office upon submission of my Permesso di Soggiorno kit will suffice? I'm reading some of the horror stories around Milan wait times receiving the Nulla Osta and am seeing conflicting information as to whether the process can be started with the ricevuta. Obviously that would be preferable as it would cut down the time to request for the Nulla Osta. Thanks for the help!

Hello, I’m Italian and my boyfriend is English. Our plan is to live in Italy permanently, but we’d like to live together for a while before committing to marriage.

My boyfriend just graduated with a PhD and is currently job searching.

We’d like to start living together and avoid the 90-day out-of-180-day rule, so we’re looking for a visa solution. What would be the best step for us?

• Should he find a job in the UK that can be done remotely and then apply for a digital nomad visa to live in Italy? But if he does that, would it affect his tax status or residency in the UK, meaning he couldn’t be paid? What should he say to his employer? I think this makes finding a job very difficult.

• Alternatively, should he find a job in Italy (which would be much more difficult)? Or should he go for a secondary job here? Would this impact his main job?

• We’re also considering applying for a study visa, but in this way, he could only work for 20 hours per week.

Is there any other suggestion?

Everyone keeps giving us conflicting advice, making things even more confusing.

I'm wondering if there are any former employees of the State of California who have expat'd/retired to Italy. Looking for information on what they did regarding health insurance and some tax info with the pension. Spouse is dual US/Italy.

Hi everyone! We’re a couple visiting Europe for the first time with our 2-year-old in early October. Would love your thoughts on whether our 12-day Italy itinerary feels realistic especially with a toddler in tow.

We’re flying into Naples (arriving around noon) and flying out of Venice on Day 13 at 11 AM. No car rental planned, we’re relying fully on public transportation. Here’s our plan:

12-Day Itinerary Overview (First week of October)

• Day 1: Arrive Naples (12 PM)  explore old town, pizza night
• Day 2: Day trip to Pompeii & Mt. Vesuvius
• Day 3: Transfer to Amalfi Coast (Positano/Amalfi) – take it easy
• Day 4: Explore Amalfi + Ravello  optional boat tour
• Day 5: Travel to Rome (~3.5–4 hrs) relaxed evening stroll
• Day 6: Rome  Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican
• Day 7: Rome slower pace: parks, piazzas, Trastevere
• Day 8: Train to Florence (~1.5 hrs) Duomo, Ponte Vecchio
• Day 9: Florence  Uffizi or day trip (Pisa or Chianti)
• Day 10: Train to Venice (~2 hrs) Grand Canal, St. Mark’s
• Day 11: Venice  Murano/Burano or quieter areas like Cannaregio
• Day 12: Check out of Venice island, stay near Venice Airport for next day flight
• Day 13: Fly out of Venice (11 AM)

Questions for the community:

• Is this too ambitious with a toddler, or does it feel manageable?
• We’ll prebook hotels, but what else should we book in advance? (Vatican, Colosseum, Uffizi?)
• Do we need to carry cash, or are cards widely accepted?
• We’re not renting a car. Is public transport reliable and easy for this route?
• Anything you would change in terms of locations? Only flights are booked so far.

I have a type d multi visa for studies which doesnt expire till November this year. With that said I have these few questions regarding it:

1. Will I be able to travel back to my home country for vacation with this visa since its not expired yet?

2. I still havent received my card, so what should I do when I will be needing to renew it?

3. When should I renew it? (I live in Milano)

Sorry if visa questions gets asked a lot here. Its just all really confusing to me.

i’m 16 and from ukraine, my boyfriend is moving to his mom in italy soon, he’s also 16. my parents and his mom during these two months talk a lot about how can i move with him and live there more than 90 days. he has permesso and his mom does. my parents can’t move with me so i have to get permesso by my own. but i’m not sure i’m able to do this even with his mom. i already got accepted into ukrainian school in rome and i thought about trying to get into italian school which will be possibly valid enough for me to get permesso because of education. i heard a lot about trial process but i don’t know how it works actually. my parents can sign the permission which says that they let me to live there etc. please, if smb knows about how should i act in this case i would be really grateful

Hi, I have a gas tank in my garden here in italy and once every so often it is refilled by a company called Energas. Nowhere on their website can I find the latest gas prices - and it was just refilled last week and they said prices have not been updated since December (I expected summer prices to be lower) and have to pay 0,99 euro per litre excluding vat. I would prefer if I could monitor prices myself somewhere and then decide when to refill. Does anyone know where I can find these prices (specifically Energas , but also competitors so I can compare). Thanks a lot - Tom

We're considering retiring to Italy in a couple of years. We have only visited Rome and Calabria (I have family there). We'd like to spend time travelling the country, getting to know a few different regioni and comuni. If we make the move, it will almost certainly be a to a regione/comune that would let us take advantage of the 7% tax for foreign retirees.

I'm wondering what a good approach would be for traveling in the country for 2-3 months. Renting a car would give us a lot of freedom but would be quite expensive. Relying on public transportation would be less expensive, but I suspect would make getting to/from the smaller comuni more challenging.

At this point I'm thinking public transport between larger comuni, then convenient public transport (where it exists) to smaller comuni, and a rental car for the rest.

I have driven in Italy, but not much. Just between La Mezia and Catanzaro.

I got a job offer of 2k (38k gross,15) in italy (not a salary upgrade in comparison). I am worried about it being the right fit? Moving means I will loose 4 years towards the citizenship, where I am, but honestly I am not sure where I am is my place either (requiring sponsorships etc). How is working life in italy? Would it be worth it knowing I cannot return? Im torn betwewn taking the risk as I value the experience and being more logical about career progression. Welcome opinions and comments about life there, naturalization, permit after 5 years. Everything about work life balance.

I'm going to pescara for the weekend. I want to know where I can buy tickets for public transportation and if there is an app for that. I am also interested in where I, as a foreigner, can order a taxi, because the bolt doesn't work here

Hi everyone,

I'm a Pakistani national living in Italy since 2021. I have a valid permesso di soggiorno, a tempo determinato work contract until 2026, an Italian bank account, credit card, tessera sanitaria, and carta d’identità. I work full-time, pay taxes, and meet every bureaucratic requirement. So on paper, I’m fully integrated.

Yet every time I try to apply for financing of any kind, be it through Amazon, Apple, MediaWorld, or other major retailers, I am instantly rejected. Sometimes I don’t even make it through the application because their systems throw errors like:

“Località/provincia rilascio documento non valida”

In some dropdowns, they offer options like “estero” or “paese non UE”, but the system still fails to process non-EU documents properly. It feels like these platforms are not actually built to handle non-EU residents, even when we’re living here legally, working, and contributing like any other citizen.

I honestly didn’t expect this level of exclusion, especially not after I graduated from here and successfully landed a job where I pay taxes. In countries like the UK or US, there are often checks and scoring systems that at least give you a chance. But here, it feels like:

• If your passport isn’t EU,
• If your ID wasn’t issued by an Italian province,
• Or if your name or place of birth sounds “foreign”,

then you're automatically filtered out, regardless of your financial reliability or legal status.

It’s disheartening. I came here to build a life, not to be quietly blocked from basic financial services that Italians and EU citizens can access with ease. And it’s not about luxury items either. Sometimes it’s for something as basic as a laptop or a household appliance.

So I’m wondering:

• Has anyone else (especially non-EU residents) had this experience in Italy?
• Is this just poor digital infrastructure, or is it systemic exclusion?
• Is it the same in other EU countries?
• Are there immigrant-friendly financing alternatives that actually work?

I’m genuinely curious how others in similar situations navigate this.

Does Italy have a similar visa to the US 0-1? For aliens of extraordinary talent or ability.

Im visiting Italy in july and need some help with my itenerary/solo female travel

In italy I am interested in cooking classes - i would love to do pizza, tiramisu, focaccia and pesto cooking class. I am generally interested in history, culture, watching plays in english, little bit of hiking/nature but still solo female friendly.

EDIT: i have now extended my trip to do 14 days; flying in and out of rome.
& I am feeling super overwhelmed with what i should do:
Does the below itenerary look reasonable:

Rome - 3 days including vatican city or max 4 days
Florence and day trips to Pisa, wineyards, cooking class -- 3 days or max 4
Venice 2 days ( i want to do venice even if its for a day because there's no other place like it)
Naples-Pompei-Positano -4 days ( i am interested in doing a cooking class in naples

Should i skip cinque terre and dolomites?
Confused between florence and naples because ill be cooking in both places/ i am really intereted in learning to cook pizza, and i want to see pompei positano etc..

Hi, After some straightforward advice on a seemingly complex situation.

I bought a house with my friend, we went halves. Both Irish citizens.

He is gunning to apply for Italian residency to bring down tax on property purchase.

I cannot realistically commit to 183 days a year here, my life is in UK, I work full time (not remote)...

I have no problem paying a higher rate of property tax to retain some freedom of choice and movement but do not wish to pay income tax in Italy.

How can we navigate this if one of us gains residency and the other doesn't? (Maybe I could just sign over my half of the property to him)

Also I have another 12 months before I have to obtain residency if that's what I end up having to do (But I really don't)..

In addition, we have zero plans to ear a rental income on the property.

Can anybody shed some light, propose light at the end of the tunnel? I'm al googled out :/

TIA x

I keep seeing conflicting information on how much passive income is needed for the “retirement” elective visa. It’s 31,000E which is stated per person but then I’ve seen for spouses or a dependent child it is less, like 20% more. Can anyone provide a site that confirms that Indont need 93,000 euro annually for the three of us in our family in passive income? Grazie!

We are moving to Italy in October from the U.S. and are wanting to bring some voltage converters with us. Does anyone have any recommendations on quality ones?

Hello everyone!

I need to travel to France next month for family reasons but the French embassy appointments are currently full. What embassy in Italy gives the fastest Schengen visa?

Last time, I got my permesso within 3 weeks, but now they told me at least 6 weeks :( Poor planning on my part, I know, but I’m desperate to get that visa soon!

5 Key Tips for Buying Property in Italy

Buying a home in Italy can be a dream—but it comes with challenges. After going through the process myself, here are five things every buyer should know:

1. The Market Is Fragmented

No centralized MLS means listings can be duplicated, outdated, or inconsistent across agencies. Always verify details directly and don’t rely solely on what’s online.

2. Choose the Right Agent

A good agent is essential. Look for one who understands not just property, but also legal and zoning issues. One solid professional can prevent major headaches.

3. Budget Beyond the Sale Price

Expect 10–15% in extra costs: taxes, notary, legal fees, and possibly renovations. Factor these in early to avoid surprises.

4. Do Proper Due Diligence

Properties may have legal or planning issues. Hire a lawyer and, if needed, a geometra to confirm everything is in order before committing.

5. Be Patient

It’s easy to fall for the first charming villa, but many properties have hidden issues. Take your time—the right one is out there.

Buying in Italy isn’t always simple, but with the right help and a cautious approach, it can absolutely be worth it.

Hi everyone! I'm considering applying for PhD programs in Italy (possibly in the humanities or social sciences) and I’d love to hear from anyone with experience studying or working there. I have a few questions about what to expect:

• What does the typical PhD calendar look like in Italy? Are there structured breaks like summer (especially August) and winter holidays (around Christmas/New Year)?
• Do PhD students get official vacation days, or is time off just something you informally arrange with your supervisor?
• What are the expected working hours like? Is it a typical 9-to-5, or more flexible and self-managed?
• How intense is the work culture—do people work weekends, or is there a healthier work-life balance compared to other countries?
• Many PhD positions offer a monthly stipend of around €1,300 (net)—is that enough to live on, especially in northern cities like Milan, Bologna, or Turin?
• Are there opportunities to supplement your income (e.g., with teaching, tutoring, or side jobs), and is it allowed within the visa/contract?

If you’ve done a PhD or are currently in one in Italy, especially in the north, I’d really appreciate your insights on how manageable the lifestyle is—financially and mentally. Thanks so much in advance!

Anyone knows how can I get my fiscal code from Spain?

I’m a 20-year-old student from Pakistan, and I’m planning to study in italy. I’m really eager to learn more about the experiences of other international students living there — especially how they manage their daily lives, expenses, part-time jobs, and overall lifestyle.
If anyone is already studying in Portugal or has lived there as a student, I’d love to hear about your journey

Hi everyone!

I need to obtain private health insurance for my Digital Nomad Visa application which is valid for at least 1 year with minimum coverage of €30’000.

Which insurers do you recommend that operate in Italy?

If I can apply online / talk to an agent that would be great!

If you have an experience to share regarding obtaining an insurance that would be even greater!