I read this book cover-to-cover before I moved! Best resource available before internet groups got up and running

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Product Description

So, you want to move to Italy for six months but you don't speak the language well. How do you look for a job? Your heart is set on buying a farmhouse in Tuscany. What are the legal pitfalls to avoid? You'd like to study in Rome, but your college doesn't have a program. Which schools should you apply to? With all-new information on the Internet and on the effect of the conversion to the euro, this essential companion guide to Italy features - hundreds of addresses and Internet sites, from real estate agencies to job banks - details on visas, banking, taxes, and residency permits - freelance, seasonal, part-time, and full-time employment options - more than two hundred language schools, American colleges, and Italian universities Written by two seasoned expatriates, Living, Studying, and Working in Italy is packed with candid insider's tips and practical, up-to-date information for travelers of any age.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #262266 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 365 pages

Amazon.com Review
The title of Living, Studying and Working in Italy says it all: this book is intended for would-be expatriates with an eye for Italy. The authors have both had extensive experience living and working in the Bel Paese--Neighbor was in Florence for four years while Larner still lives in Rome, where she is a journalist for Business Week. Together they have pooled their experiences and collective knowledge of living abroad to address the practical side of living, working, or studying in Italy.

The first thing you might notice about this book is that it lacks references to Italy's great art, popular tourist sites, and best hotels. But remember, this is no ordinary guidebook--leave the tourist stuff to others and let Neighbor and Larner take you on a tour of everyday life as an expatriate in Italy. Here you'll find information about taking language courses and teaching English, volunteering for archeological digs, and starting a business. There are plenty of practical tips about visas, banking, residency requirements, and--alas!--taxes. There are lists of language schools, volunteer opportunities, and internship programs as well as information about freelance, part-time, and full-time employment opportunities. In short, this guidebook extraordinaire might just be an expatriate's best friend in Italy.

From Library Journal
Anyone planning an extended stay in Italy will be grateful for this book. Neighbor, who managed the U.S. bureau of the leading Italian weekly, L'Espresso, for over two years, and Larner, who works as a reporter for Business Week in Rome, offer the distilled experience of a combined ten years of living in Italy. In scrupulous detail, they show the reader how to handle the vexations of bureaucracy, find accommodations, handle taxes, and so forth. The section on studying provides information pertinent to American students at Italian universities, American study abroad programs, and language schools. Some of the areas covered in the section on working are teaching, starting a business, internships and volunteer opportunities, as well as the nitty-gritty of obtaining social security numbers and Italian work visas. Lists of useful addresses and Internet sites are included, and the appendix serves as a handy reference tool. Recommended for public and academic libraries.?Ravi Shenoy, Hinsdale P.L., Naperville, Ill.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Armed with this thorough and informative guide, Americans can negotiate the challenges of settling in Italy without sacrificing their delight in its surprises and eccentricity."--Nancy Novogrod, Editor in Chief, Travel & Leisure
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Customer Reviews

My absolute survival guide...
Wow! What a fabulous book! I had the first inkling when I read it in the states before my move, but now that I'm here I can't imagine how mysterious and elusive the laws and quirks of this country would seem without it. Even my American friend who has lived here for 8 months learns things from this book everytime I pull it out (which is several times daily). It has been pretty complete so far and the information in it has been accurate without exception. The only thing that is different (common sense) is the dollar to lire conversion rate.

The final important point about this book is that it is geared toward Americans which is critical since the rules for EU citizens are different and not every book on the subject that is written in English is geared toward those of us from the US.

Final tip, even with this book I don't think I could have done this without the help of native Italians, (like hook up my gas) so do everything in your power to find italian contacts. But if it IS possible to do it with a book alone, this would be the one.

I Use It Every Week!
I got this book in preparation for a six month sabbatical in Venezia. Not only did it get me into the right mindset for my experience, but it gave me all the little details that would otherwise have taken hours, days, weeks, month to find for myself!

AND since I have been here (three months now) I find I continue to turn the book at least once a week. Sometimes big things, sometimes little things .... but always steered right.

A couple of examples:

to get the free internet service from Telecom Italia, you need your own tax number (codice fiscale). Quick look in the book, office to the Ministry of Finance, redirected to a different building, got the number, used it, got on-line (56K for free!), in less than 2 hours.

to have a legal stay over 90 days, have to get a visa in advance -- check out the book, contact the appropriate consulate, and everything was done in perfect order

then to have a legal right to stay in Venezia, need a Permit of Stay --- check out the book, go the Questura, get the information, appear for the interview, return for the final form ... yes, it all took two different mornings for about two hours each ... but without advice from the book, I would have wasted many days arriving later in the day, etc. Just one little quibble -- the book suggests that you will be confronted by less-than-helpful police: here in Venezia every official I have dealt with, including the police, have been polite, professional, and very helpful!

So, if you are planning a non-vacation stay in Italy, GET THIS BOOK! NOW!

THE source for Americans wanting to live in Italy!
As a Librarian I see many books about living abroad. Unfortunately they are usually written from the British perspective. The British information regarding employment in Italy really doesn't pertain to US citizens.However, this book explains all the ways to work, live and have a wonderful life in Italy! Make sure your bags are packed - you'll want to leave for Italia as soon as you are finished reading the book!