Moving to florence - biggest culture shocks?

[LostinMedici]

We’re evaluating a move to florence - we have 2 dc, one primary age and one preschooler. What have been the major differences and things to consider if anyone has done this?

We’ve lived overseas before but not in Europe.

Hi Lostinmedici! I live about 30 minutes outside Florence and am pregnant but don't have kids yet, so not sure how helpful my advice will be, but I'll try since no-one has responded yet!

I think a lot depends on whether you are planning a short or long-term stay, can speak (or are intending to learn) Italian. Florence has a large expat/international community (especially Americans) and especially in the centre you can find English-speaking doctors, lawyers etc if you need them, as well as social clubs and events for English speakers. Generally though, people don't speak English as well as in northern European countries so learning the language is a must if you want to integrate and meet people outside the expat community. In my experience Italians really appreciate it if you make an effort with the language and will help you a lot, even if you make loads of mistakes.

I've been here 5 years and haven't suffered that badly from culture shock, but I'm married to an Italian and can (now) speak the language, which definitely help. By far the most frustrating thing for me is still the bureaucracy. Things like going to council offices, registering for a doctor, and even just going to the post office are all massively frustrating and time-consuming and you get told lots of contradictory information. It depends where else you've lived though, you might be used to that already - I lived in France where they also like paperwork and seemingly random regulations, but Italy is worse! A lot of patience is required, especially when you first arrive.

Generally though I'm very happy here, it's a really beautiful part of the country, lots to do in terms of culture and nature for kids and adults, and and a more relaxed pace of life in general. Italians love children and you can take them everywhere. I've found the state healthcare to be really good so far (had a few long-term things diagnosed here which my UK GP would never refer me for), but can't speak for education. I guess it depends whether you want the kids to go to state nursery/school or are thinking of sending them to an international school.

You could try contacting this expat mum's group who could advise you on schools and similar: firenzemoms4moms.com/

Thanks Lee - sorry I just saw this reply, good to hear about the health care. We don't speak italian but learning it as a family is a huge part of the appeal to us as we're big fans of tuscany. We'd hope to have some basic italian before we left and then obviously, improve it.

We're looking at international schooling, we're off on a visit to check into that soon.

I admit I'm quite concerned about the patience needed for the admin side of things!

I don't know Florence terribly well, we've only been twice and once was dragging a very unimpressed toddler around!

Do you know where we'd look at apartment rentals? I have no idea about the main websites for rental properties.

We're looking at a 5-8 year move, so a good chunk of time. The more relaxed pace of life sounds good, we could do with some of that!

congrats on the pregnancy btw, such a lovely time, having the first baby. I have recently given away the second DC's baby stuff and it was a sad moment, ideally if I'd started a bit earlier I'd have gone for another one, slightly addictive, having babies!

Thanks for the congratulations! It's slightly daunting going through first pregnancy overseas but it's going well so far. : )

In terms of renting, we found our first flat on casa.it or immobiliare.it , I think. I'd expect most agents in Florence to speak English, so once you know the area you're interested in you could contact some local ones with your specifications. Lots of places are rented 'vuoti' without kitchens, and standard rental contracts are 4+4 years, so if you want something furnished and a shorter contract you need to specify/check what you're getting! This page girlinflorence.com/2013/09/06/making-friends-in-florence-italy/ has a list of various expat groups at the bottom which you might find useful for advice, and there are a few Florence expat facebook groups who might be able to advise on Florence housing specifically.

The international school must have experience in helping families settle in - hopefully they'll be able to support you with some of the initial bureaucracy! I obtained my codice fiscale (tax code/social security no.: conslondra.esteri.it/consolato_londra/en/i_servizi/per_i_cittadini/codice_fiscale/) before I left and that sped things up a bit - you need to show it for everything! Overall, the admin can be challenging but when I've had a nightmare day of queuing I make sure I treat myself to something nice, such as a gelato in the sunshine, so I remember why I'm here!

Had dd1 in the US - no language issue but if anything superior healthcare to dd2 in the terribly understaffed Uk! I hope your experience is similar. Glad to hear it’s going well!

4 years - and without a kitchen (faints)! I had noticed Italians aren’t big on fitted kitchens despite all the very luxurious US and UK kitchens being Italian stone!

Thank you for the links, much appreciated - and excellent tip on the tax code - I remember we were stuck to do things for weeks without our social security number in the US.