Rome, Italy Report of what it's like to live there - 08/11/24
Personal Experiences from Rome, Italy
Background:
1. Was this post your first expatriate experience? If not, what other cities have you lived in as an expat?
No. Lived in Manila and London before and a few military bases (spouse job).
2. What is your home city/country? How long is the trip to post from there, with what connections? How easy/difficult is it to travel to this city/country?
Washington DC. The USG city pair fair meant we weren't allowed the direct flight so we were stuck with a massive layover in the States prior to flying over. The one from DC to Atlanta was the absolute worst.
3. What years did you live here?
2023-present
4. How long have you lived here?
One year.
5. What brought you to this city (e.g. diplomatic mission, business, NGO, military, teaching, retirement, etc.)?
Diplomatic Mission
Housing, Groceries & Food:
1. What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
Apartment near Villa Borghese. Four bedroom with a rickety elevator to a higher level floor. I can walk to the Embassy in about 25 minutes on a good day. A lot of people are placed in the USG owned Grazioli, which isn't too bad but in a good location for shopping.
Parioli is nearby too, but the locals are extremely snooty and hate Americans (they will make comments about you while shopping if they hear your English). Others are placed down near the Vatican area or the touristy city center and even WAY out in the Cassia near the schools. Housing is probably the number one reason why people short of tour here. It's often noisy (we got lucky, it's not for us), stuff doesn't work, absolutely no storage, etc...
2. How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Everything is seasonal. You're forced to eat the Mediterranean diet here. There is an international outdoor market near Termini and a small 'China town' area that also focuses on Indian foods. Places like Essalunga and DOC seem to carry some specialty items, but if you are looking, let's say - broccoli - if it's not in season, no single grocery store will carry it. Forget russet potatoes, and Mexican anything food. Most people go to the base in Naples for these items.
Our fridge is small and food goes bad fast - so we grocery shop 3-4 times a week, even for a small shop.
Casa and Co and a few other similar stores carry cleaning supplies, so no issues there. I actually prefer the Italian toilet paper over American style.
3. What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
Giant box of plastic forks, knives, spoons. Paper plates, better napkins. If you have access to the NEX, you'll be set, but getting stuff like good parchment paper, wax paper, aluminium foil, just isn't the same.
4. What typical restaurants, food delivery services, and/or takeout options are popular among expatriates?
Deliveroo and Glovo for delivery. LOTS of Americans love Smashtag burgers. We usually order delivery of our favourite pizza place or McDonalds. The rest of the time we cook at home, or go out as a family once a week. For us it's about 130 euros for a larger family to eat out for dinner.
Believe it or not, the Hard Rock Cafe has a really great chicken tenders platter if you are missing it.
5. Are there any unusual problems with insects or other infestations in housing?
Small mosquitos in the spring/summer. Check for ticks if your out in the parks.
Daily Life:
1. How do you send and receive your letters and package mail? Are local postal facilities adequate?
DPO. The pouch recently stopped all packages from coming in, so everyone who ordered from Chewy is stuck (they only ship pouch). During the fall/winter holidays, it took three months to receive letter mail and boxes in. I had a Christmas card that was sent 4 December that arrived in my DPO mail in February. Boxes get 'mis-sent' quite a bit. Average time waiting for a box is a month.
Many of us get a local Italian Amazon account or a German one to ship in. A few times we've paid a higher VAT and shipped in from the UK Amazon.
2. What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
We higher a housekeeper for one day a week every two weeks. The cost is very reasonable.
What will drive you batty is the contract for the household help and per Italian law the fees and costs at the end of employment are astronomical. Expect close to 2000 Euros per year for end of contract fees, social security payments, and 13th month and holiday pay. If you employ a babysitter/nanny expect to pay close to 4000 euros per year of employment at the end of your tour.
3. Do you feel that it is safe to walk, run or hike outside? Are there areas where bike riding is possible? What is the availability and safety of outdoor space for exercising? Are these easily accessible?
Totally safe for most housing areas. I've walked home in the dusk/dark through Villa Borghese and it's lit up well enough/has enough people that it's not an issue. Many locals use the electric bikes and scooters (Dott, Lime, Bird, etc...).
4. What kinds of gyms or other sports/workout facilities are available? Are they expensive?
Embassy has a gym, it's okay. There are multiple private gyms and swimming pools all around the city.
5. Are credit cards widely accepted and safe to use locally? Are ATMs common and do you recommend using them? Are they safe to use?
Yes, but some places still take cash. Most will take credit card though. ATMs are fine from bigger banks.
6. What English-language religious services are available locally?
Only one I know of is the St. Patricks American Catholic Church near the Embassy. I know there are more, but most families attend services in Italy.
7. How much of the local language do you need for daily living? Are local language classes/tutors available and affordable?
You NEED the local language expect for the main tourist areas. If you live outside the tourist areas, no one speaks English and communication is quite difficult and frustrating. One of the reasons this tour has been hard on us is the language issue. I didn't receive much prior to coming and my spouse hasn't been able to progress far in language either. We're able to get by with Reverso, but that's it.
The Embassy has language classes but attendance is mandatory. There are loads of local options for tutors.
Learning basics to order at a restaurants and grocery shop is key.
8. Would someone with physical disabilities have difficulties living in this city?
Yes. Absolutely. Although we have a local family that takes their wheelchair bound son out for walks, almost all apartments have stairs to enter and then there is an elevator.
Transportation:
1. Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?
Safe and affordable - yes. Reliable - nope. I cannot tell you how many times the bus on the transportation apps says it's coming, and then it drops off completely. I've waved buses down and they refuse to stop. It's like a carnival ride on the buses.
Most people use Uber or IT Taxi for longer rides, but I've successfully taken a mix of buses, trams, and metro to get where I'm going, it just will take probably an hour to do so.
2. What kind of vehicle(s) including electric ones do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, infrastructure, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car or vehicles do you advise not to bring?
No trucks or minivans, unless you live out in the Cassia or Grazioli and have larger parking. We use a parking garage, but they have limited hours. Parking on the streets can be rough. Smaller cars, including Smart cars, are king.
We found a mechanic that helps us with car parts and check ups.
Phone & Internet:
1. Is high-speed home Internet access available? How long does it typically take to install it after arrival?
Yes - we have 5G TIM. The Embassy installed it for us prior to arrival.
2. Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
If you work for the Embassy, your office will get you a work phone. For regular use we brought our regular phones and got a local TIM plan.
Pets:
1. Are qualified veterinarians and/or good kennel services available? Do animals need to be quarantined upon entry to the country? Are there other considerations regarding pets that are particular to this country?
YES. We have a fabulous vet that has done house calls and saved our dog from issues throughout the year. You have to register your dogs immediately upon arrival which is a lengthy process.
Employment & Volunteer Opportunities:
1. What types of jobs do most expatriate spouses/partners have? Locally based or telecommuting? Full-time or part-time? Can you comment on local salary scales?
Embassy employment, however my spouse hasn't been able to get a job and many other spouses are unable to get a job, it's a competitive location.
2. What volunteer opportunities are available locally?
Loads.
3. What is the typical dress code at work and in public places? Is formal dress ever required?
Business and business casual at work - formal for the many Embassy events to include the Marine Ball, etc... Public places, you can dress like the tourists, which is honestly sloppy. Local Italians dress much better, even casually.
Health & Safety:
1. Are there personal security concerns to be aware of at this post? Please describe.
Lots of theft in the tourist areas. A number of Embassy folks have their apartments ransacked, but most of this is due to poor security on their part (not locking the door).
2. Are there any particular health concerns? What is the quality of available medical care? What medical conditions typically require medical evacuation?
The air quality is terrible. Lots of people end up buying nebulisers for home use. I consider the quality of medical care substandard, but it's apparently excellent for Mediterranean standards. Appointments are frustrating and their system drives many of us crazy. Great care at Mater Dei and Bambino Gesu, once you're in the system. I hate to say this, I found NHS less frustrating.
3. What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
Moderate. Lots of seasonal allergies. Our A/C units collect so much dust.
4. What do people who suffer from environmental or food allergies need to know?
If you have nut allergies - hazelnuts are everywhere and there is just so much cross contamination with food. Many of the nice restaurants will list allergens on the menu, which is fantastic. There are a lot of gluten-free ingredients in the grocery stores and places like Natural Si carry niche stuff. I do carry my epipen with me everywhere though.
5. What is the overall climate: is it extremely hot or cold, wet or dry, at any time of year, for example?
Summers are so terribly hot, it's the most miserable part of the year. We call it the months of 2-3 showers a day due to excessive heat and just so much sweating. Lots of shops and places don't believe in A/C either and there isn't any on public transportation either. Carry around a hand fan. We absolutely hate summers in Rome. Spring and fall are really nice, but often extremely rainy, it's when the parks shine with greenery. It hasn't snowed here in forever, but it does get cold.
Rome has a schedule for when they turn on their heating in the apartments, so expect a few weeks of living with it being 60 degrees or lower in the apartment before the radiators turns on. And even then, the radiators go off in the middle of the night for a few hours. So bring warm warm bedding for the winter months. A lot of the split pack unit will also pump out warm air if it gets too cold.
Schools & Children:
1. What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
Most parents send their kids to AOSR and Marymount. Ours go to Marymount - no complaints.
2. What accommodations do schools make for special-needs kids?
We have a gifted child and one who has an IEP and they've been able to work with us and them extremely well.
3. Are preschools available? Day care? Are these expensive? What has been your experience with them, if any? Do the schools provide before- and/or after-school care?
There are, but I'm not familiar with them.
4. Are local sports classes and/or activities available for kids?
Yes, there are lots of local clubs, horseback riding lessons, the schools have after school activities.
Expat Life:
1. What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?
There seems to be a big divide of people who love Rome and people who hate Rome. We lean towards hating it. Those that love Rome are either single men, married couples without kids, and single women - in that order. Married couples with kids often get frustrated.
2. What are some typical ways to socialize, either with local people or with other expatriates? Are there groups or clubs that you can recommend?
We don't socialise much due to the kids school schedules and work.
3. Is this a good city for single people? For couples? For families? Why or why not?
Single men really love it here, they rave about how much they love it here. Italians are extremely misogynistic, more so than other places I've been. As a woman I've been talked down, had rude comments made, and other men ignoring me completely in a social setting or work setting. Couples without kids love it as there is a lot to do for them as well. Single women have a much harder time, mostly due to misogyny. Families who live in the Cassia have a tight community, but the commute in is terrible.
4. Is this a good city for LGBT expatriates? Why or why not?
Yes, very much so.
5. Are there problems with ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious prejudices? Gender equality?
Italy is very anti-immigration, especially if you are from Africa, Asia, or Arab. There are issues with gender equality.
6. What have been the highlights of your time in this country? Best trips or experiences?
Getting out of Rome. Northern Italy is SO much friendlier, nicer, and I daresay it - the food is much better. Highlights have been going up North.
7. Is this a "shopping post"? Are there interesting handicrafts, artwork, antiques, or other items that people typically buy there?
Most stuff is tourist trap items.
8. What are the particular advantages of living in this city?
You're not in WDC.
Words of Wisdom:
1. Knowing what you know now, would you still move to this city?
No.
