I am approaching one month living in Italy and it has been wonderful so far. I wrote a post about the complications with the first steps to get my residency permit and I had a comment from a family member asking me if it was worth all of the issues to get here so I felt it’s only fair that I talk about that.
The people in the cities and towns have been wonderful. I go into my favorite bakery most mornings and get a cappuccino and a pastry like many of the locals. They graciously put up with my bad pronouncing and always try to help me. I will say something in what I think is Italian and they will say yes, then repeat what I was trying to say correctly.
They say if you try to speak a little Italian (even poorly) that it goes a long way. I have found that to be absolutely true. When I tell them I am trying to learn the language and to please put up with me, it goes even further. They truly appreciate that you are trying to learn their language and they want to help and see you succeed. Many Italians in the larger cities speak multiple languages and many speak English. Certaldo is not one of those places. It feels authentic and that includes most of the residents not being able to speak English, which is part of the reason I picked it. It’s more of a struggle for me but I will get further with the language by being surrounded by Italian speakers rather than seeking out English-speaking people. At least that’s my hope.
There is a wonderful lady that lives in San Gimignano whom I refer to as my guardian angel. She took me on as her project and was going to do everything possible to get me settled here months before I arrived. This is a person I had never met or spoken to before. She spent a ton of time calling offices and investigating what I needed to do. She gave up her time to take me to get my tax ID (codice fiscale). She set up an appointment to ask about the process of citizenship through heritage (jure sanguinis). She called the province where I would have to submit the paperwork for citizenship asking more questions. She took me to her bank and translated so I could set up a bank account here. Through all this she’s asked nothing in return. The list goes on and on. She is truly a wonderful person. I can happily say while she is at the absolute top of the “nice list”, helpfulness is not unusual here. In fact, it’s everywhere.
I will share my absolute favorite moment so far. One morning I made coffee and walked outside to see a man spreading nets on the ground under the olive trees and then he began beating the trees with a stick to knock the olives out of the trees. You can’t buy a moment like that…
So yes, it is absolutely worth it.
Mike D. relocated from Florida to Certaldo, Italy in 2022. He blogs about his experiences with the challenges of Italian bureaucracy and the joy that balances out all the challenges. You can read his other posts here.
So happy to see your new post. I love reading them and am thrilled that since you have been there your experience has been good. It’s so nice to hear how kind the people are to you.
Thank you. The people I continue to run into are surprising helpful.
Great to see your post! I’ve been checking everyday. Happy that things are going well and you are enjoying your time there.
“Enjoying” is an understatement.
Mike if it does not work out in Italy maybe you can give the Azores a shot. And then Ireland. Just to check out the other half of your ancestry.
First, I’m honored I got typed message from my brother.
It is working out better than I could have expected
So proud of you!! This is your dream come true and the trip of a lifetime. Love all the posts.
You helped get me here. Remember that when I don’t want to come back.
Great to see you enjoying your adventure. It is truly inspiring watching you live out this dream.
Thank you. It is working out far beyond what I expected
Certaldo sounds like an amazing place. I’m really glad you fund it. Hope timing works out to come visit you when I’m in Italy in August!
Thanks and yes, hope to see you in August
Please keep the post coming. This is wonderful to see. So glad you’re boing the journey, Mike.
This is wonderful! Loving your journey.
You should try it. It is worth the effort
Mike, so happy for you and glad you are having such a wonderful experience. We visited Tuscany in 2014 and loved it!! We visited many smaller towns and yes English was rarely spoken but they were very friendly and appreciative when you tried to speak their language.
What I loved the most was the tranquility and overall beauty of the area. Love the posts, keep them coming!!
As the days go by, it reinforces my feeling about that tranquility
and my desire to stay. The slower pace of the Italian people is something I try to emulate but as with the language, it is an area for improvement.
But I have lots of time to work on both