Is Italy perfect?

[Anonymous]

You’re in lala land

[Anonymous]

Italy is perfection. I love it.

[Anonymous]

A friend moved their for her husbands job a few years ago. She couldn’t wait to move back home. She was treated like an outsider, it was far too religious for her, she hated the inefficiency, found it deeply isolating and more. She still likes being a tourist in Italy but would never live there again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good god no.

Over 20% of Italians face food insecurity.
The population is aging.
The bureaucracy is insane and complicated.
Corrupt politics.
Violence against women and girls
Discrimination

It's very difficult to change the status into which you were born.

Just..no. Stop romanticizing it based on your experience in vacation.

Care to support any of you crazy claims? My sister has been living there for over 20 years and has a wonderful life. They are not without some issues but nothing like you describe.

Their wages are not as high but neither is their cost of living. My niece’s daycare costs $500/month. Their healthcare is very good and included with their taxes. They have much healthier food and live a much better life/work balance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A friend moved their for her husbands job a few years ago. She couldn’t wait to move back home. She was treated like an outsider, it was far too religious for her, she hated the inefficiency, found it deeply isolating and more. She still likes being a tourist in Italy but would never live there again.

Typical American.

[Anonymous]

My sibling is an ex pat in Germany and there's a lot that's very, very nice but once you live somewhat you will be more realistic about perfect. You weren't working while on vacation, that's not an everyday thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did not want to leave Portugal and was planning to fake my death to stay. I had major depression following my return to work and family life.

I love this

Yeah I did not want to leave CR or Italy. Or Banff. Or Aix.

But Italy has a special place in my heart.

To all you folks that talk about how good US has it over Italy, you're idiots.

Everything about the US is a function of money v time. Yeah we have a lot but it comes at a price, Italy may have little but what you have you didn't have to leverage. You can have it "all" in that you can have your time and your $. It'll be less money but because you have more time, the money goes further so to speak. Make no mistake, the work that brings the cash in white collar any way is totally based on how much you are able to excel and typically that requires quite a commitment. Most people who make a lot don't have that time to play. They can outsource and play hard but they are working longer than they are playing. That's the American way.

In many other countries it's just a different lifestyle. While you may prefer American life, the a Italian one doesn't require the work hard/play hard attitude as much as the love your life attitude and to a lot of people, like myself, that's what I believe.

It's why Italy has the potential to be perfect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A friend moved their for her husbands job a few years ago. She couldn’t wait to move back home. She was treated like an outsider, it was far too religious for her, she hated the inefficiency, found it deeply isolating and more. She still likes being a tourist in Italy but would never live there again.

What part?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Health care defenitely is not perfect. Birth rate is among the lowest on earth, there is a reason for it.

.

There are complex interrelated reasons for the birth rate, and free healthcare is not one of them

[Anonymous]

My young adult DS lives in Milan on a time-limited visa and is taking steps to convert and live in Milan indefinitely. He prefers Milan to DC, where he grew up, and he prefers it to London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm and Prague.

Serious people live in Milan, which is acceptably functional in a way Americans value. Yet, Milan retains many qualities that people associate with Italian life. Alas, great food isn’t really one of those things.

“Italy” isn’t just linguine and sunshine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:and taxes are outrageous

Bad you get so much for your taxes.

There is no company.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:and taxes are outrageous

Bad you get so much for your taxes.

There is no company.

* But you get so much…

[Anonymous]

Had similar convo with Uber driver in Florence and he said grass is always greener on the other side

Said it’s very hard to find jobs outside of tourism in Florence

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everytime I visit I am in awe and get depressed going back to the US.

Same goes for when I travel elsewhere in Europe like Spain and Portugal. The food, weather, beautiful people, work-life balance, cost of living.

I don’t think there is a lot of work in Italy. So, that’s one issue.

I love Italy, and sure, I could see a lot of appeal in living there. On the flip side, if an Italian comes to the U.S. for vacation and visits Manhattan, posh/nice parts of Los Angeles and goes to some of the big parks out west, they might be in awe of our “lifestyle,” which is much different than how most of us live in Woodbridge, Rockville, or any other random middle class suburb.

[Anonymous]

I have always loved visiting Italy so was very excited to move to Rome. However, after living here for almost six years with two young kids, I can't wait to leave. I am lucky that my husband is Italian (he deals with the bureaucracy) and I make an expat salary so money is not an issue. But it is such a dirty city, the playgrounds are nowhere near as nice as the DC area, traffic and public transportation are a mess, there are often strikes. In sum, I hate living here because of the day-to-day hassle. But when I am travelling around Italy and don't have to work, hustle the kids to school, or get anything done i.e. vacation lifestyle, it is a pleasant enough country.