At least once in our lives, we have all dreamed of moving abroad, of changing our country and lifestyle and living a new adventure, alone or with our partner or family.
When talking about places in Europe where it would be nice to live, Italy is almost always at the top of the list. A favorable climate all year round, cities rich in art and culture, a pleasant and carefree lifestyle are just some of the reasons why so many people want to start a new chapter of their lives in Italy.
If you also fancied the idea of moving to Italy, here are some useful tips to make this dream a reality.
Find a perfect location to live in
The first thing to do is to figure out where you want to move to and which housing solution can best suit your needs. If you have already been to Italy, you will probably have a clearer idea, but the first step is to do a search on the various property portals where you can see a wide offer of houses for sale in Italy to choose the one that best meets your needs.
Many expats decide to buy a rural house or a large flat in one of the Italian historic cities, to open an accommodation business, which may also be a solution to have an extra income.
Relying on a specialized lawyer with a good knowledge of English and on a currency exchange specialist is recommended to best follow the negotiations to buy a house in Italy.
Open a bank account in Italy
Many foreigners people who move to Italy keep their current account in the UK, but to better manage day-to-day expenses and utility payments, it is preferable to open an account with an Italian bank: there are many banks that also have branches abroad and most of the staff speak English. In addition, almost all banks now offer convenient and simple home banking services.
Opening a current account in Italy is also mandatory if you want to buy a house.
Do not forget to have your own Codice Fiscale, a tax code similar to the National Insurance Number, requested on many occasions, from paying taxes to health care.
Looking for tax breaks
Italy offers some interesting tax breaks for those who move to live in certain areas. These are generally initiatives to support the economy of certain territories, especially those where younger people tend to move away and, therefore, there are sparsely populated areas, or to redevelop earthquake-affected areas.
For example, in some Italian regions such as Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Apulia or Sicily, it is possible to pay a fixed tax rate of 7% for nine years if you move there, with a pension or a demonstrable income.
However, these initiatives are often decided by local administrations and, therefore, it is a good idea to inform yourself and get professional assistance if you want to take advantage of these benefits.
