Living in Italy

Quietly, a Mass Exodus from the U.S. is Underway

August 27, 2018September 20, 2019 - by The Captain

As I have gone through the process of claiming my Italian citizenship and now moving to Italy, I’ve learned a lot of interesting things. Perhaps the most surprising one, to me at least, is the sheer number of people who are doing exactly what I’ve done: claiming their citizenship by birthright and then moving — permanently — to Italy.

I am in a Facebook group called “Americans Living in Italy.” That group currently has …

Adventures in Italian-ness / Italian Citizenship / Living in Italy

Dealing with the Bureaucracy (Life in Italy)

August 23, 2018September 19, 2019 - by The Captain - 6 Comments.

You can’t talk about Italy without talking about the bureaucracy. No matter how much you might love the country, the people, the food, the atmosphere… there is still that slow-moving, often-conflicting, left-hand-doesn’t-know-what-the-right-hand-is-doing, we-have-a-rule-for-everything-and-then-some Italian bureaucracy.

I’ve heard and read stories of it innumerable times. Now I’m plunging into it myself.

I will say at the outset, however, that being an Italian citizen actually does seem to cut through much of the red tape. Which is …

Adventures in Italian-ness / Italian Citizenship / Living in Italy

Through the Looking-Glass and Into Italy

August 5, 2018September 19, 2019 - by The Captain

So… It is five weeks ago today that we landed in Sardinia, opening up not just a new chapter in our lives, but an entirely new volume. Somewhat surprisingly, it was almost Alice-through-the-looking-glass easy — you step onto an airplane leaving one dimension, you step off that plane and you’re in a whole other dimension. Boom, just like that — your entire reality has changed, in what seems like just the blink of an eye.…

Adventures in Italian-ness / Italian Citizenship / Living in Italy

The Big Move

May 24, 2018September 19, 2019 - by The Captain

If you only read this blog and don’t follow my personal page on Facebook, then you tend to miss out on a lot of things in my life. Because, I admit it, I post on Facebook a lot more than I post here.

For one thing, it’s easier, almost Twitter-like. Just have a thought and post it. Posting on this blog, by contrast, I treat much more seriously — like I’m writing an article. It …