10 Essentials Contacts For A Move To Beautiful Italy
Settling down in a new country can be much easier when you have existing contacts that live there. Here are 10 of the best connections you should have if you’re interested in moving to Italy.
The first couple of days in any new country, including Italy, can be daunting. It’s important to know at least a couple of people that can help you settle in, such as offering recommendations for places to eat and shop or even being able to build trust and start growing your social network.
Friendships are important in situations like these so that you can feel more comfortable in your local area, but what are the best contacts to get in touch with when you want to move to Italy?
1. A Fellow Expat
Making friends that you can relate to is a huge deal when it comes to integrating with Italian culture. Not only does a fellow expat offer you recommendations on where to go for social events, food and shopping, but they can help introduce you to Italian friends and assist in building bridges to network with more people.
You can generally find expats to communicate with over the internet, but you might also find expats in your local area, especially if it’s known to be popular with foreigners.
2. A Professional Barista
Italy has a unique coffee culture, and you’ll often find that baristas in the country are both friendly and accommodating to expats. Whether it’s just to simply get a cup of coffee, ask for help with a translation or even get recommendations on places to go for things like shopping and groceries, your local professional barista is much like a close friend that is in-the-know and can help you settle in with ease.
Whether it’s the friendly greeting when you enter their coffee shop or the expert local advice they can offer, a professional barista is one of the best contacts you could ask for when settling into Italy.
3. An Italian Neighbour
Getting to know your neighbour will be a massive advantage when it comes to settling in. They’ll offer you recommendations, help you grow your list of contacts and even help you get accustomed to traditions and mannerisms that are unique to Italy. Another benefit to getting to know your Italian neighbour is that it helps with your language training, giving you a partner to practice your Italian skills with and also translation help when you need it.
4. Currency Specialist
A financial expert is a fantastic friend to have when you’re trying to settle in a new country, but not everyone has the luxury of having a trained professional accountant in their contacts list. If this isn’t possible, then a currency specialist can serve a similar purpose, especially if you’re looking to convert your local currency to Euros to be spent in Italy. Since the conversion rates change all the time, having expert insider knowledge via a currency specialist contact can help ensure that you get the most out of your money instead of being ripped off by currency experts that purposely prey on tourists and foreign expats.
5. An Estate Agent
Estate agent contacts will help you find properties and even help you fix up your rental if you need help. They’ll walk you through every little step involved in purchasing a property and if you’re able to develop a good relationship with them, can even offer you advice and recommendations for the future when you’ve decided to move out from your current accommodation.
6. A Legal Expert
An English-speaking lawyer will help an enormous amount, especially when you’re just starting to settle in. Whether it’s to help you with tax-related issues, to assist with residence permits or even just to keep you out of any legal troubles, it’s vital that you seek out a good lawyer as a contact to help you ensure that you don’t end up in trouble for one reason or another.
7. A Civil Servant
Having a contact that works as a civil servant will help make legal matters a lot easier. Ask for help for things such as how to pay your taxes, how to find residency options and also how to fill in certain legal forms that are required by law for certain things. Civil servants typically have decent English, and it’s a huge advantage to your wellbeing if you can make friends with one.
8. A Tourism Expert
Tourism experts typically speak English very well in order to communicate with tourists. However, they’re a fantastic contact to have because they know their way around the city and could see you as a potential business opportunity especially if you’re the type that likes to tour around and explore Italy as you adopt the lifestyle.
9. A DIYer
Be it, someone that owns a workshop for woodworking or a handy person that knows a thing or two about plumbing, it’s important to make friends with a DIY expert especially if they’re a neighbour or live close enough to you that you can ask for help when you urgently need it. This could be related to fixing furniture, utilities or even your computer–whatever the problem is, a DIY expert is a fantastic contact to have.
10. A Medical Professional
Be they a vet or a family doctor, it’s incredibly important that you make friends with a medical professional that can not only help you get seen as soon as possible but also to make it easier to communicate with someone that could potentially save your life. Getting to know your doctor is important regardless of the country you’re in, but if you’ve recently moved to a new country then being able to communicate and comfortably discuss your health-related concerns is a huge bonus and will make settling down a lot easier.
Overseas Property Forum have an extensive network of trusted Professionals providing services such as Legal, Removal, Financial, Tax and much more. Just visit our Services section. And of course, we have a great selection of properties around Italy, with new properties being added every day. Find your ideal property here, and don’t forget to setup a New Property Listing Alert.
Alternatively, call us on +44 330 0575 990 or email info@overseaspropertyforum.com.
