Month 1 | Salerno, Italy
Where this month found me
Tys and I arrived in Italy with nothing but our luggage and each other to begin our year abroad. Before we even landed, we knew the first month would be full of learning curves, a fair bit of discomfort and a lot of pasta. We spent a lot of time navigating the Italian Bureaucracy – permesso di soggiornos, house hunting, and tax codes – which brought its fair share of stress. But amid the chaos, we found a new rhythm and began forming connections.
Arriving & settling
I’ve always been a “travel light” kind of girl (checked bag? What’s that?) so even moving abroad, we kept things pretty minimal. Arriving in Rome at Fiumicino Airport (FCO) with a 22kg checked bag, a carry-on, and a personal item each, we caught our train down to Salerno in southern Italy, where we decided to settle for this year abroad.
Having done a fair bit of travel, I am comfortable arriving in a new place where I know only the basics of the language and figuring it out as I go. But this felt new… trying to live rather than travel, the vibes are just different, and it doesn’t really feel real at first.
We spent this first month in an Airbnb while figuring out our long-term living situation. In a neighbourhood far from the tourist hubs, we got an authentic peek into life here – morning espressos, evenings spent gathering on park benches, and local pescherie with their fresh catches on display!
The admin & logistics chapter
I had heard that the Italian Bureaucracy was difficult, but I don’t think I fully understood just how exhausting it was to navigate. I cried frustrated tears more than once and have a newfound respect for anyone going through this process completely alone! The visa (youth mobility/working holiday) was relatively easy to get – as long as you meet the requirements, your odds of approval are pretty high – but the real struggle was the permesso di soggiorno (PdS).
I knew settling in a new country with a limited understanding of the language would create hurdles, but this was excessively hard to navigate. It wasn’t a language-barrier problem, but rather a lack-of-information problem.
When the Italian Consulate General website told us one thing, the local authorities would tell us another. The forms were outdated and missing information, and no one seemed to have ever heard of a vacanza lavoro visa. Eventually, we got everything submitted (hopefully correctly) and received our follow-up appointment for the end of January (8 months later). Until then, we’re in limbo. Once we eventually get through the entire process, I’ll make a cheat sheet so future nomads might have an easier time than we did!
We also navigated getting our tax codes (codice fiscale), setting up phone plans (200GB of data for only €10 a month? Unheard of in Canada), and locking down a lease for the remainder of our year in Italy!
Language & culture
After spending the first few days settling in, stumbling through small interactions, and adjusting to the new time zone, we figured we should put a little extra energy (and money) into our Italian skills. We signed up for a week of Italian classes, which was so helpful in building a solid base for our learning going forward! And now? We can order a coffee in Italian with a fair bit of confidence… as long as there are no follow-up questions! Goals for the upcoming few weeks are to learn a few more verbs, and build our confidence while communicating.
Culture shocks
Settling into a new country is bound to come with it’s fair share of cultural adjustments, and Italy is proving to be no different.
During one of our first grocery runs, we visited an Eté, and were very quickly reminded that you need to don a plastic glove to touch produce. But it’s not every shop. In some places, no gloves required; other places, an employee grabs it for you. It makes it a little tricky to get the swing of things if I’m being honest.
The second shock was that swim caps are required in all public pools! We went out to La Conchiglia, a pool bar on the coast in Salerno, and had to buy caps to swim. Everyone wears them, so after the initial adjustment phase, you forget you’re wearing them… until you see the tan line later!
Side Quests
Tys celebrated his 29th birthday at the end of May, the perfect excuse for our first day trip! We took the ferry from Salerno over to Maiori, where we hiked the Path of the Lemons over to Minori. We grabbed some incredible pastries from an award-winning shop and walked the coastal road into Amalfi.
People & connection
Before we moved, we had joined a few Facebook groups for people living abroad in Italy and the Salerno area — a great place to get information and meet other English speakers. This past week, we were invited out to drinks with a group of younger expats. It was a great group of people and step one in building a bit of a social life while we’re here!
We were also lucky enough to connect with a couple of ladies from the UK who were here on an extended vacation — double our age, but very similar in spirit. We ended up spending 4 nights between the end of our Airbnb and the beginning of our lease with one of them and had the most wonderful time. We love you, Sal!
Small joys
In the middle of this chaotic adjustment period, we also took some time to appreciate this new phase of life. Some of the best moments were the simplest: discovering bottles of wine that were $20 back home selling for only €5 here, the endless hours spent floating in the sea, and our friend Sal bringing us to a small park she found, complete with a pond full of turtles. La dolce vita, indeed!
What this month taught me
This month was a terrific start to our life here. We definitely had our fair share of hardships, but it was balanced out with a lot of small wins too — take that bureaucracy! I’m really excited to see what the rest of this year has in store for us, slowing down, and experiencing a culture different from the one I grew up in.
Looking ahead
Allora, this coming month will be busy and exciting! We have visits from a few people back home scheduled for mid and late July, but I’m also looking forward to settling into our new town, building a routine, and forming connections with the people here.
