Questions to those who moved to Italian coast recently

[Londonbabyland]

There seems to be an exodus in London circles to Italy. For those who already moved from London or is going through it, please share your experience/guidance on the actual practicalities especially for coastal towns (South Italy) with primary school child/ren.
-healthcare Vs NHS
-accomodation quality and value
-education options (local Vs international)
-basic safety
-public access (sport facilities, libraries, play centres)
-culture/lifestyle - much going on?
-transport
-ease of day to day functions (paying bills,sorting documents if needed, fixing house, plumbing, handyman, childcare)
-basic cost (say how different is equivalent of London rent + Waitrose) and basic service provision
-visa costs & options (for Brits)

Thank you!
P.s it's that time of year when sunny countries fill the dreams

Maybe not so much of an exodus then OP

There is no such thing as the Italian Coast. You need to be specific about the region. And when you say South, are you talking Puglia? Calabria? Campania? Sicily? How South? Would you be happy with Romagna? Marche? Toscana? I wouldn't go southern than that.
Healthcare is way better. To start, kids all have a paediatrician, they don't go to a GP. They have yearly health check around their birthday. Paediatrician for kids and GP for adults are free.

For everyone, it is quite common and easy to be seen by a specialist. You have a very low copay, 30 euros or so, sometimes less.
Preschool (scuola materna 3-6 years) is free, primary school is free and there is no streaming. On the other hand, you are made to repeat the year, if you don't pass with 6+ marks in every subject, including behaviour.
You can pick long hours or mid hours. Either you finish at 4 or you finish at 1 pm and go to school on Saturday morning.
Accomodation will vary. In general, many cities are flats, more than houses. It might however be a flat in a converted mansion built in 1300 with high windows, gorgeous floors and an arched staircase.
Everyone uses a bike. Nobody wears a helmet.
Softplay are not a thing. Kids go to the park or each other's house.

I have plenty more to say, but before I waste time, I wanted to check if you had a EU citizenship, because , well, Brexit... . I know you asked about visa cost but that's the easy part. Getting one is another story. Do you have a job offer? Hoping to go with free lance? Look at your visa option first https://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/home/en

I second everything Cormoran said. I'm not on the coast but in the north. One thing to say, it is absolutely not like in the Tuscan Sun films! I've never worked so hard or long hours in my life for very little pay. Standard working hours are 40 here, I do 45 I'd say. My rent on a small two bed apartment is my entire month's salary. Italian life is quite complicated think red tape and multiply it by 100, especially all the documents and permits to live here and I was here pre Brexit so in theory it was easier for me! I live in Milan, the most comparable to London, and even here where it's more 'modern', after half my life living in Italy, I still find it frustratingly complicated in terms of documents, The UK life is much easier in my experience. Most young Italians want to leave and live in places such as London as there are few job prospects here.

It is also expensive and salaries are low. Here in the north it gets really cold, foggy and very damp in winter, & the air quality is terrible (endless smog) heating is very expensive and houses are not insulted. Summer is very hot and humid, you can't sit out in the evening due to the numerous types of mosquitoes that live here, the coast would be better for this though. Food is pricey too, UK has come in line with our prices for most things. I paid €15 for a chicken recently!

However, there are a lot of positives too and I still prefer to live here than UK, I feel much safer, health care is better (but it's getting harder and harder to find appointments) the food & wine goes without saying, plus great holidays by car! On the whole the people are great too. I even prefer driving here, no road rage, once you understand that Italians drive to keep the traffic flowing, you're fine!

You'll need to speak the language though, even if it's just the basics at first, but life is better when you can communicate as nothing is in English and all the places you'd need to go to such as school, the local council to get your residence, the hospital, finding & booking hospital appointments ( the GP doesn't do it for you!) the dentist & doctor are only in Italian.

@Cormoran thank you for responding. Researching coastal Piedmont, places like Bordighera and others within an hour or so of French/Monaco border.
British docs, fluent in Italian (from decade ago, easy to restore), potentially freelance/self employment (author in UK) so relatively independent of local job prospects.

It's more of a lifestyle/value consideration-while I love London with its many positives, quality/balanced family life is a stretch—the weather just makes basic UK travel disappointing (tide, freezing water, basically quite raw for some of us vs predictable sun/sea/skiing in Europe), kids have to be sheltered because of safety concerns until teens (even then...) so it's limiting massively to both parents (especially single) and kids, playgrounds close as soon as sun goes down (unheard of in Europe), price/quality ratio for services (anything house related) is extortionate, service charges, planning permissions... I lived in Switzlerland early in my career for a short time and despite high price tag, the quality of life (and resulting mental health) was far superior.
Family is scattered across other countries and with local exp and his lot absent from picture (predictably, CM remains unpaid), so not much support family-wise in UK. DD will probably return for uni to UK, but that's over a decade away.

@twlighteaser thank you for replying. Exactly the point about personal safety. UK food prices are good compared to other EU countries and plenty of options too, fruit/veg taste is not great though unless shopping in asian/middle eastern/farmers markets. How are you finding it culturally? In London outside of immigrant community, it's pretty closed, but in Italy, people seem far more welcoming/humanely caring (vs not giving a toss), is it still the case?

Interesting thread. I did know most of this though. My ds1 wants to go and live in Italy once he's qualified. His Italian is coming along. He visits frequently and can't wait to go back.

Londonbabyland my comments are based on my experience of Milan as I've never lived anywhere else here, so imput from other areas would be useful too think.

I think Italy as a whole is a little less used to other cultures than UK, I am aware that racism does exist for example, at a level that Uk possibly had in the 70s, but it's mainly from an older generation, the young generation are more aware and open, however most people on the whole are polite, respectful & very tolerant, especially here in Milan that is multicultural. There's small problem with gangs of young Moroccan males here at the moment, I've noticed news reports that in Milan centre they have been causing trouble but I still think this is on much smaller scale to gang culture in UK.

The Japanese food culture is big here and well accepted, it suits the Italian palate, there seems to be Sushi literally everywhere. The Chinese have been in Italy since the 1920s so the Chinese culture has blended in over the years. Food wise, I can find everything I want here, in the past I had to bring so much form the UK but these days its not necessary and lots of small Asian shops are popping up everywhere selling PG Tips and curry spices - I can't imagine this is the same everywhere though. I've been to Genoa a few times, that is quite a multicultural city too due to the port, very different to Milan though.

@twlighteaser thank you. We're pretty local looking (aka girl next door), so probably many issues won't arise as a result (re culture clash/race acceptance). In terms of expenses, do rents typically include all services (heard that they're increasingly excluded and what are the ball park figures, say for

• Electricity
• Gas
• Water
• Wi-Fi
• TV (Canone RAI, a sort of TV tax per household) - is it necessary if don't have/not use a TV?
• Waste tax (TARI)
• Building fees (spese condominiali or service costs)

In case you know, is there similar mess with service charges for purchased properties as in UK (i.e. totally unregulated and difficult to challenge)?

Are electric cars practical/popular there i.e. charging spots, service?

Thanks!!!

does anyone also know of schemes for young families ? There was something I read some time ago about Italy trying to repopulate by incentivising young families (even pay said families for doing so).

I read an article on exactly this (which I now can't find) but from memory it largely applies to more central, rural areas like Umbria, which to be fair do feel quite depopulated when you visit and look at the demographics (despite being lovely holiday destinations). I guess my thoughts on this would be, there are going to be reasons why those areas are depopulating, associated with lack of opportunities, so unless you're 100% sure these won't apply to you, then I'd exercise caution - for example I wouldn't necessarily want to bring my DC up somewhere where there is a dearth of young people/ only one school option/ not many sports teams or musical opportunities like youth orchestras etc.

@LaPalmaLlama fair point. Still not a bad project though if it's 2nd/not main property not too far away from the base.
https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/one-euro-house-italy-aR0nk5Y8AiKk

Piedmont is landlocked, it doesn't have any coast and it is definitely not South Italy.
The city on the French border would be Ventimiglia, but it is like Calais in France, where those attempting to cross the border illegally will gather. They get to Italy, not the mainland, the islands, through boats, and then make they way up and Ventimiglia is struggling.
The Italy you have in your mind, you won't find it in Ventimiglia, or even Milan. Milan is a metropole, it is big, fast paced city, with long working hours and traffic, great shops and amazing aperitivo. Then you have the opposite, those dying villages that make the news, and the 1$ scheme. This is not an option for a young family, not because you can't access it, but because you will hate it. You might as well throw your kids on a rock in the middle of the sea. There is nothing. No school, no shops potentially, you are in the middle of nowhere on a hill , not even goats roam around. After the kids are gone, yeah, you can try this adventure, but now, forget about it.

Italy as a country is not very old. It was unified in 1861. This means every region is very different to each other, and you shouldn't throw it all in one bag. Piedmont and Puglia have little in common, from the food to landscape. I would pick Puglia over Piedmont. I would pick the coast, especially keeping the school holidays in mind.

One thing many don't know about Italy is that you have more than three months Summer holidays. School will finish between 4-10 June and start again after the 15 September. And you have one more year of schooling. Kids do their "maturità" at the age of 19.

Your questions about culture shows how little you know about Italy. There is plenty of culture. Even very small cities have a theatre, with seasonal tickets, and in the Summer, you have opera in the main square or inside monuments, not just Verona, many places, such as the Castello Sforzesco in Milan and for very little money you can enjoy it. In small towns, it will be free. Italy has more art than a lifetime will allow you to admire. From churches to museums, there is plenty anywhere you look. Then so many cities have a " sagra", and the streets will be closed, filled with tables and everyone sits together enjoying whatever food they are celebrating.

Accomodation will vary. We did a short posting in a main town, and our flat was in a building from the Middle Ages. Heating was centralised, meaning the whole building shared a big furnace and there were local laws when it was turned on (dates and hours per day). We rented a flat in a seaside town and it was modern. Overall , quality is far greater than Sydney where we are now.

@Cormoran you're to point out region - was meant to type Liguria, thanks.

Liguria, have you been there already? Like many Italian regions, it is quite unique. You have a few tourist hotspots, that would make moving more expensive compared to other Italian regions?
Can I ask you what attracts you to Liguria specifically? Don't get me wrong, it is a gorgeous region, I know it quite well, I am from not very far from it, Monaco.

@Cormoran
I worked in Italian side of Switzerland about 2 decades ago and travelled Italy including Liguria. Also spent quite a bit of time in Monaco (work related) and know Cote d'Azur well, have friends there and also speak French. Places like Bordighera are far less hyped than French counterparts and with flat tax in Italy could be more attractive longer term thanks to better current value and proximity to MC and Nice (incl. Airport). Hence, research into practicalities.

Perfect then!