Moving to Italy is a major life change.
These are the experiences of clients who chose not to navigate it alone.
“Turns out, this is vastly more complicated than we expected”
My wife and I originally made a plan for retirement in the US. We bought our forever home and we poured everything into it as we prepared to enjoy our golden years. A significant part of our plan was to travel! Then we took our first trip to Europe and everything changed. We had traveled around the US and we'd been to Canada and even cruised the Caribbean. We had never really experienced the rest of the world. Our hearts and minds were made up quickly We made the decision to move to Italy for several reasons, including the cost of living, the quality of life and the proximity to the kind of travel we'd never dreamed of before. We joined many groups on social media platforms and started our research. We had a general idea of what we needed to do and we started our list and began the VISA process.
Our first hurtle was securing living accommodations, a requirement for our specific VISA, and this was something that we immediately needed help with! We could have searched Immobilare and Idealista to find an apartment and then attempted to secure a lease remotely. Turns out, this is vastly more complicated than we expected. Incidentally, more properties are available through the "people network" than through the real estate sites. Each "vacation trip" to Italy was costly. Enjoyable for sure, but costly. Thankfully we found Verso Italia! Alice and Jaime have been invaluable with their support. We identified several places, they helped us narrow it down and then THEY met with the leasing company onsite. We did a video call where they did a walk through and then later, they offered advice and recommendations. After, they mediated the lease signing and served as our interpreters. This alone saved us thousands of dollars. Looking back, I don't know how we would have done that without support.
We thought we had a full understanding of what needed to be done. Identifying the list of things to do was actually not that difficult. Getting them done efficiently and effectively (without speaking the language) was another story. Even with our first consultation with Verso Italia, we quickly realized that the process isn't the challenge. Learning to deal with things in Italy was a big deal. Things don't operate the same way in Italy as they do in the US. Italians prefer to talk to you directly on the phone or in person. If you're fully fluent in Italian, this may not be a big deal. We were not, and even small mistakes or delays in the beginning quickly snowballs into major delays and issues downstream. This is really the value of working with Alice and Jaime from Verso Italia, they know the processes, but they also know how to navigate the Italian bureaucracy.
It's about the little things because there are many of them, and they add up. We had challenges with getting utilities established. We had challenges getting around for the first month. Even the mundane things like going to the grocery store and paying for fuel can be frustrating. It is all of these little things that simply having someone who understands how these are challenges and can help show you the way once (or twice) is so valuable.
In retrospect, we are so happy that we decided to hire Alice and Jaime to guide us through the steps. To give us the insight we didn't even know we needed. And to give us the confidence to take our first steps on our own in our new "La Dolce Vita".
“Because they managed all the complex nuances, I was able to bypass months of stress and fast-track straight to enjoying my new life”
Moving to Italy is an incredible adventure, but I can absolutely say navigating the bureaucracy can be overwhelming and is not understated from anything you may have read or heard. I prepared a great deal before the move. I'm a details person so knowing as much as I could about such a huge endeavor really helped me feel prepared. However, while I definitely understood the general mechanics of the process, not speaking the language made execution incredibly difficult. Even with translation tools and instructional videos, filling out forms like the Permesso di Soggiorno left me with critical questions unique to my situation. Its one of those situations where you don't want to fill out a form incorrectly, who knows what the impacts would be! Add to that a time crunch after you arrive to fill out and submit the paperwork and it becomes a very stressful situation quickly.
Thankfully, Verso Italia stepped in and handled every single detail of my move perfectly. They guided me through each step of the process, replacing my constant worry with absolute confidence. What sets them apart is their deep understanding of the dynamics of moving between cultures; they truly get where you are coming from and where you are going. I know it sounds silly and obvious to say, but Italy truly is a different place than anywhere I've lived across the United States. That meant things I thought I knew how to do, I had to relearn how to do here. Add to that the language issue and you really will face more challenges than you may think, no matter how much research you've done. Almost nothing here is done online (if it were, things would be easier as you're learning a new language). I suspect its true no matter the language that translation apps are great, but they leave a TON to be desired. I've seen a number of really interesting translations and all I can do is laugh and apologize that I don't understand (one of the first phrases I learned here). Turning on utilities or making a doctors appointment were tasks I'd never had to give any thought to, but Verso Italia knew who to call for what tasks and tracked each of them making sure I had what I needed each step of the way.
Verso Italia also pointed me toward invaluable resources that I had never heard of, despite spending months scouring Facebook groups and Reddit threads. Because they managed all the complex nuances, I was able to bypass months of stress and fast-track straight to enjoying my new life—learning the language, traveling, and exploring my new home. In fact, compared to other expats I have met since arriving, my transition was remarkably fast and smooth.
I am incredibly grateful for their assistance and their continued support. Knowing I can still reach out to them whenever a future question arises provides immense peace of mind. If you are planning a move to Italy, I cannot recommend their services highly enough. They are worth every penny!
