Living in Italy as an Expat - an Insider's View
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- čas přidán 3. 06. 2024
- What's it like living in Italy? In this video I explore the pros and cons of living in Italy, sharing our personal experience in Florence and shedding light on both the positive aspects and the challenges that have come with calling this beautiful country our home ♥️
Navigating the Italian bureaucracy and healthcare system can sometimes feel like a daunting task and I hope by sharing my experiences, both triumphs and setbacks, can help you navigate this complex system more smoothly.
As you can see in the video I advice you to hire a lawyer to help you with any legal procedures. I highly recommend "Studio Legale Capecchi" in Florence. A law-firm that I wish I would have found so much earlier than we did. They literally saved the day for us! Find their website here: www.capecchilegal.com/
Overall I am so grateful for my experiences in this beautiful country and I honestly feel it is the most beautiful country in the world!
If you would like to see more videos like this, inspiration on travel, living in Italy, natural wellness and beauty, don’t forget to subscribe to my channel or follow me on Instagram!
✩ Subscribe to my channel 👆🏻
✩ Instagram / saarsoleares
I am a mom-preneur who developed many healing, natural selfcare products, first for my own babies and later for mom’s and children around the world. You can find my products and contact details here :
www.saarsoleares.com
My other passion is travel. I travel the world with my best friend , designer, artist and husband Mauricio and my sweet dog Sammy. On our travel we combine finding inspiration and new products for my store, filming and art projects.
I hope that sharing my stories bring you joy & inspire you to follow your dreams!
Music featured 🎶
~ Track 1 : Carefree Swing
music by www.pixabay.com
~ Track 2 : Swinging in the 7th
music by www.pixabay.com
Thank you so much for watching & I hope to see you in my next video!
♡ Saar
#florence #italy #expatinitaly #livinginitaly
Buongiorno Saar so sorry to hear your husband’s health hasn’t been the best blessings to you both having family stay is the perfect potion for healing 🥰🙏I’m so grateful your sharing the pros and cons in Italy and yes life seems to sort itself out in the end even amidst change illness so happy you and your love can go out enjoy nature your lovely surroundings sending you all the blessings and well wishes from your devoted follower in New Zealand grazie mille Amore💖💖😘😘👌👌🌟🙏
Dear Brenda! I am so grateful for you, thank you so much for being so loyal and supportive - it means so much 🥰
@@saarsoleares7175 Piacere mio and your videos bring me so much joy sending love and blessings 💖
Sorry to hear that you have both had a tough time.Glad to know things are improving.Take care both
Beautiful photography!
Great video! It would have been even more helpful if you had been more specific and given more details about the issues you experienced.
Hi, i love your video, thank you for your advices, I’m Mexican/American my husband is German, and we were planing to move to Florence or Valencia in a few months, we thought will be easy as he’s European, but as much as I love Italy i may now choose Spain.
Thank you so much for sharing ♥️ . They are both amazing cities , wishing you so much luck with your new adventure! 🍀🌈✨
Thank you 🎉😂❤
Charming 😊
Nice
Considering moving to Florence after 7 years of Thailand. Thanks for your insights
I'm sorry about the Long Covid. I know an Italian around 40 years of age who struggles with Long Covid but it came after his vaccination
I’m sorry to hear that Andrew and yes, our long Covid also started after 3th vaccination- still unsure about what caused all of this, just profoundly grateful we got through it 🙏🏻
I like to understand what you said about Italian bureaucracy toward Americans ? is it harder being an American living in Italy, what are the negatives?....Thank you for taking the time
Hi There ! Thank you so much for watching my video ♥️. It’s not necessary harder being an American , but we applied for immigration of my American husband based on joining family (since we are married and I am an EU citizen). We thought it was the easiest because all the information online states that Americans have the same rights as EU citizens if they are married and it should be fairly simple. But this turned out to be not true at all and our lawyer said it is the most complicated. Also my husband has been in the EU already for a long time so he did not have the typical situation with the stamp of entry into the Schengen area, which is more common. Because our situation was not as common, everything became a nightmare. But honestly, I have heard many similar stories with bureaucracy here - the system itself does not work and the rules keep changing so fast that the organizations can’t keep up . The same experience we had with the medical system, there are good doctors, but getting an appointment or even getting health insurance was extremely slow and complex, hospitals over crowded and not enough doctors available. I am really hoping that is just our experience and that outside of Florence things are different, but it seems to be a bigger problem in Italy. I would say : if you are in good health and not dependent on Italian systems in terms of health or work and once you are passed the immigration part; .life in Italy is amazing and people are helpful and friendly ♥️. I am still in love with this country! , the beautiful landscapes, the pace of life and the quality of life is so good and I adore Italian culture and of course… food 😄 . I think it all depends on what your priorities are in life and what your specific situation is. I hope this clarifies and I am happy to answer any other questions you might have about moving to Italy! wishing you a great day! 🍀
@@saarsoleares7175 Thank you Saar, that was very kind of you taking the time and answering my concerns, I have hears similar stories about what you said and I just wanted to confirmed them from someone that is there and went through the system. I hope that your husband doing well and enjoying life with you. i hope that we can stay in touch....
Italian bureaucracy treats EVERYBODY badly. It is infamous for having one of the most corrupt state bureaucracies in the world.
I think much of your problem with the healthcare system is perhaps not alreayd being inserted into it before the crisis struck. You can also mix public and private - you can use the Misrecordia for all kinds of specialists at very low prices to see a doctor and get treatment - if it is something more serious that can then be transferred through your GP to that national system. I don't know how long you have lived here and also yes having friends does moake things somewhat easier but often Italians don't know how to access and work the system for non-Italian - meet an immigrant who has lived here long term and they are a goldmine of information! @@saarsoleares7175
Good thing you were not in the USA with a major health emergency! Bureaucracy is daunting when one is both unfamiliar with it and in a position of weakness - I find little difference between the complexity of doing things in the USA and Italy - you have to know the rules first and understand how offices work, what to do and not to do.
both countries are complicated but in the USA the healthcare system can and will bankrupt you if you can't afford high monthly insurance premiums
ইতালিতে ভালো থাকার জন্য এবং নিজের অধিকার বুঝতে ইতালির ভাষা শিখুন 🇧🇩🍀🇮🇹
I'm sorry to hear about your health-related problems. I got vaccinated but I am not sure if the vaccines protect us fully. I also live in Italy but so far managed to avoid getting infected. Would you have any info as to whether or not the vaccines prevent us from getting sick? Thank you for your very informative video!
Dear @lospopularos, thank you for watching my video ♥️. The vaccines are a difficult issue and I am not sure what to think of them since we got very sick for a long time and were fully vaccinated 3 times. So my best guess is that they don’t protect us fully - of course there is no way of knowing what would have happened if we got Covid without being vaccinated. So the issue remains a mystery to me. I sometimes even think that the vaccine is what made us so sick. But again - it’s all speculation. Just happy we got out of it again 🙏🏻. Have a great day ! 💖
@@saarsoleares7175 Thank you for your honest answer. Unfortunately, I share your opinion (and I'm not the only one, it seems). I am now a happy new subscriber to your channel and looking forward to your illuminating input. Cheers!
I would never get an experimental medication of any kind in my body!
Yeah, Italy is not easy to foreigners... But it's truthful. You can live here but it will not be easy. Apart for burocracy, it's not easy to just change culture. There's a lot of issues that comes in that way that can sometimes be impossible to win over.
Nonetheless it's possible. Definitely is way harder become Italians than just becoming citizens of any other countries in the world.
You know? Things that values a lot usually cost a lot. 😉
Good luck, be happy. Wish you guts the best. 👍
Beautiful! However, I thought that you were being scammed! I said to myself, "that's not Saar!" But, I figured out that it is your daughter. Also, I love your dog! What is her name? I lost my 16 1/2 yr. old Border Collie, Lucy, last June.
Thank you so much Debby 💖 hahaha yes it is my daughter and I understand the confusion . My dog’s name is Sammy , he’s a boy ☺️. He’s a total character! . I am so sorry to hear about Lucy 🥲 that just never gets any easier does it? they should live to be 100 years old ! Sending love from Florence ♥️
Saar - how did you learn to speak Italian so fluently?
I learned by “throwing myself into it” here in Italy and online ! There is a great online teacher here on CZcams called “Italian with Lucrezia”, she is the best. Still not completely fluent though, but I am still learning . It’s such a beautiful language ! ♥️
Hoi Saar, ik volg al een tijdje je mooie filmpjes over Italie simpelweg omdat wij ook sinds 1,5 jaar in la bella Italia wonen. Wij zijn onze zoektocht naar een plek 4 jaar geleden begonnen en zijn via Frankrijk en Spanje uiteindelijk toch in Italie beland. Mijn man is een stuk ouder dan ik en daarom is toegang tot goede zorg voor ons ook erg belangrijk. Vooralsnog ben ik het altijd die iets mankeert maar op alle plekken waar we gewoond hebben was contact leggen met zorginstanties en het vinden van een huisarts een prioriteit. Onze ervaring is dat het rond de grote steden makkelijker is wat betreft afspraken maken en ook het personeel lijkt er vriendelijker te zijn, wellicht omdat er niet zo'n drukte is als in een grote stad. Tijdens ons werkzame leven zijn we altijd in Italie op vakantie gegaan en hebben toen de grote steden en al hun pracht bezocht. Om te wonen hebben wij gekozen voor het midden van Italie, Umbria, in een klein bergdorp met alle voorzieningen, 10 minuten van Terni en 40 minuten van Rome. Ons bevalt het kunnen opzoeken van de drukte erg goed. Hopelijk gaat alles nu beter met je mooie man en mochten jullie ooit deze kant op komen dan zijn jullie van harte welkom. Blijf die inspirerende content maken en blijf vooral gezond! Lieve groet uit Montefranco
Hoi! 💖 wat een leuk en lief berichtje - dank je wel! Het klinkt alsof ons verhaal erg overeenkomt, wat leuk om te lezen . Ja wat is Italië toch prachtig en ook ingewikkeld- ten minste voor ons in deze situatie. Het is heel fijn om te lezen dat er betere zorg is bij jullie en hoop dat onze situatie in Florence een uitzondering is, want we zijn ons echt rot geschrokken van deze situatie met de gezondheidszorg. Het heeft ons beeld van “oud worden in Italië” wel veranderd moet ik zeggen. Dan waardeer je ineens de efficiëntie van Nederland zo veel meer 😃. Ik zal zeker jullie dorpje eens opzoeken - het klinkt prachtig ! En wens jullie heel veel geluk met “la dolce vita” 💖🦋
@@saarsoleares7175 Hoi Saar, dank voor je antwoord! Het lijkt er op dat onze situaties inderdaad veel overeenkomsten hebben. Ik begrijp dat jullie een druk leven hebben en ook de normale dagelijkse beslommeringen kunnen soms al tijdrovend zijn maar ik vroeg mij af of jij het wellicht ook leuk zou vinden contact te houden. Daarbij denk ik echt niet aan dagelijkse mailtjes of telefoontjes hoor maar soms is het voor mensen die hier niet wonen moeilijk voor te stellen dat zo een mooi land als Italië toch zijn obstakels heeft en dan kan het wel eens prettig zijn te delen. Voel je ajb niet verplicht, het is slechts een idee. Lieve groet, Anouk
ps ik heb na mijn Covid vaccinatie ( waar ik ontzettend tegen was maar omdat wij moesten verhuizen naar een andere plek, helaas noodzakelijk) een wat ze noemen " vaccination injury" opgelopen. Eigenlijk is het een vorm van long Covid en nu ruim 1,5 jaar later voel ik mij nog steeds niet de oude en lijk constant kleinigheden te mankeren. Ik vroeg mij af of jullie die ervaring ook hebben.
@@mackenzie1512 tuurlijk, laten we contact houden! Op mijn website saarsoleares.com vind je mijn contact gegevens ♥️. Jeetje : dat lang Covid verhaal is ook ons verhaal en ook na de derde vaccinatie! Heb je mijn Long Covid video gezien? Daarin vertel ik ons verhaal ! 🦋♥️
around Terni is wonderful - I worked on a program for several summers in Amalia and the are offers great propoerty values and good lifestyle!
Come to visit Acquasparta if you have time. Around 10 June the Renaissance festival will begin
Very nice only if something happens to you who look after you, because Italian has social care.
Why not fly back to America for health care?
Bureaucratic problems. Any specifics?
Honestly- too many to mention and on all areas : housing, immigration, health insurance, finding a doctor, getting or filling out any kind of government form or contacting any organization, getting an appointment at hospital. It really is a mess. An example: as a eu citizen I had a dutch health insurance, which meant that with an S1 form I would be able to easily register with the local health office and get my “tessera sanitaria”. You really need this in Italy because doctors outside of the general health care system not only are expensive, but also can not perform many medical steps and they refer you back to the general practitioner- which you can only get if you have a Tessera Sanitaria. It took me a whole year to get the health insurance because of bureaucratic nightmare, whilst having a health crisis. Then, once I got it, finding a GP that is taking on patients was next to impossible, because the GP can only take on a certain amount of patients and in Florence there is a shortage of available GP’s. To simply reach them is already a problem because no-one picks up the phone. There are many steps involved and filling out of forms , confusion and waiting, just to get a GP. Then when we finally got one - he randomly threw us out again because he discovered he could not take new patients after all. This is just one of many examples. But I do believe that , even though Italy is famous for their nightmare bureaucracy- it does matter a little where you are in Italy. We got super unlucky on every single angle of the process. Still, just be prepared and hire a lawyer when moving to Italy ! 🇮🇹
This is so, helpful! As someone who also has had long Covid complications, I can only imagine the lack of energy available to deal with all this...let alone get answers for the long Covid within a medical system. I am applying to a school in Italy as an EU citizen living in America and your comments/video inspire me to take action from abroad as much as possible if this opportunity opens. Feel free to be in touch for any long covid recovery tips and tricks. @@saarsoleares7175
@@saarsoleares7175
Ma lo sai che noi italiani in Olanda, impazziamo col sistema assicurativo della sanità olandese?
Credo che se cerchi su Internet, potrai trovare qualche video in proposito.
In parte mi sembra che non sei stata fortunata.
In parte credo invece che ognuno sia abituato al "suo" sistema e faccia fatica a capire come deve muoversi diversamente.
Da quanto scrivi, quest'ultimo punto a me appare parecchio evidente.
Per esempio, normalmente il medico di famiglia lo devi chiedere alla ASL che te lo trova in un secondo (essendo che l'ASL sa bene quali medici di base hanno o non hanno capienza).
Non devi essere tu a cercarlo!
Se poi qualcuno ha un problema veramente grave e immediato (ad esempio un infarto, ma faccio gli scongiuri per chiunque!) ti accorgerai di come tutto improvvisamente funziona.
Altro che negli USA!!
Sorry for all your troubles. It would have helped if you had provided details on the problems you encountered. Items like Visas could have been investigated from abroad before coming to Italy. That would apply to any country anyone wishes to move to. Same with health care. What were the good things (free) vs. the so-called health care system bureaucracy. Long COVID issues would be challenging anywhere, and it appears more daunting on top of all the other issues in a foreign country. You mentioned that eventually, some health care intervention helped. Details would help tremendously put things in perspective and make your video more informative. Sorry, but I only got generalities which do not help much..
Shes an EU Citizen so your nonsense about visas doesnt apply
and one more question: do mosquitoes bother you a lot?
Yes! They might be one of the worst creatures in the world 🙄🙄🙄
🤌
Funny?????
just call yourself an expat, is the right term "immigrants", or are only those who come from a poor country considered as such?
Hi there : we are expats because we have not come to live in Italy permanently- which is the definition of an expat. The definition of an immigrant is someone who moves to another country permanently. It has nothing to do with income . Hope this clarifies.
You do not have to be poor to be an immigrant. Look up the meaning in any dictionary.
@@lucianomezzetta4332 c****o vuoi?
To endure bureaucracy, you have to be willing to WAIT.
The worst aspects of bureaucracy are not the rules, which - admittedly - could sometimes be simpler, but the bureaucrats who themselves do not always know the rules correctly.
Anyway, I don't think that for a non-American in the USA everything is the easiest when it comes to these things.
Esattamente! Prova ad avere bisogno di cure in USA ad esempio e se non sei coperto da nessun tipo di assicurazione, ti si mangiano anche la casa minimo o ti lasciano morire!!! Prova ad aver bisogno di un ambulanza, ti può costare dai 5000 dollari in su! Per non parlare del costo di cure e medicinali!!!!!Meglio mille volte la nostra "burocratica" sanità della loro!!!