Asklemmy

Italian living in Italy here.
Yes we have fascists but the americans who commented this post ignore a couple things:

1. our form of government is different from yours, the multi-partisan system helps keeping those things in check;
2. Italy is a founding member of EU and is financially depending on it, so even the fascist know that they cannot just do what they want, otherwhise Bruxelles might pull the plug.

Thus said, the problem here is another: jobs. There is a high level of unemployment, expecially among people that don't work in super specialized environments, like engineering, CS or healthcare, just to make some examples. I have a lot of friends and relatives that had to move abroad just to make a living.
And I mean A LOT: my best friend lives in Australia, my brother in Ireland, literally half of the company I hanged out with as a teenager lives in Holland and I myself lived in Spain for a couple years before getting an opportunity here. So, unless you work one of these jobs I suggest you to priorityze another country.

You do realize you’re attempting to move to the country that invented fascism in an attempt to…escape fascism?

You know that you will have to keep paying taxes to the US, right?

Progressive here too. We're staying on the blue coast.

Take a trip to Italy, as long as you can, and do a ton of research before you commit. That is a very large commitment, and you should have the language down pat, enough savings for a year, and a job lined up, or very strong prospects. If you are missing any of these things, I wouldn't recommend going.

For me personally, I wouldn't move unless there was significant danger. The grass is always greener. There will always be benefits and tradeoffs. I couldn't see my family moving to Italy, even if we were straight. Their slide is not too far off from our own.

Are you a cis woman? I ask because you said you have a husband and you may want a kid. Italy is going against gay adoption, and I think it's not easier if you're a trans woman with a cis man, for example. You could try to have some information about abortion, because right to abort isn't the same thing to access to this right. It's not specific to Italy, and I think a lot of European countries are currently going the same way.

Edit: I mean, if you like the country, have family and really want to leave, I don't think it's a bad idea.

If you're white and have a reasonable amount of money you'll be fine anywhere in Europe 😬..... I'm only half joking.

I say go for it. You have better luck getting rid of fascism in Europe than you have in the US. Just know that if US influence is waning over this part of the world, it means US democrat as well. And China will likely become the new big influence on the region if not Russia. And such a transition will be very violent.

Hello, Italian here.

So I've been a traveller most of my life, for work, and when I was younger, like so many Italians, I dreamed of emigrating to so many different places; life had other plans, and I stayied. Luckily I was able to make a career in a profitable field, and over time I came to appreciate my own country, always looking forward to coming back home.
There's much to be said for Italy's cultural heritage and natural beauty, and anywhere you may be in our country, a weekend getaway to visit a beatiful city, historical sites, beach or mountainside is always fairly accessible.

While the rightward move is worrisome, we also have the factor that governments in Italy rarely last to the end of their mandate (we've been getting better on that), let alone get elected more than once. Italy was never rid of fascism, in part because that wasn't in the US' interest, but also always had one of the strongest communist factions in Europe, so who knows.

What I've got to warn you about is economic struggles: Italy has among the lowest wages in developed Europe, for most of us it is impossible to afford an abode alone, most people wait until they're married because it takes two working people to be able to pay for a single apartment or house (houses for most people are only affordable way outside of cities) and where possible we get mortgages, because rents are impossible; all of our lives are coloured by monetary constraints: we drive small cars because they're cheaper to own and operate, we mostly hang clothes because driers are another appliance you have to buy and are expensive to run, we rely on a deteriorating public healthcare system because private healthcare is, while usually accessible, an expense we cannot afford.

That said, if you can manage to find good paying jobs, in my opinion this is a good place to live. Of course you need to speak Italian, there's very low knowledge of English here.
Best work chances are in the North, unfortunately it's also the least appealing when it comes to natural surroundings, fog, humid heat and bad weather are typical unless you go WAY north to the Alps. If you really feel the need to be in a left-leaning environment, Emilia Romagna is the "red" land of Italy, since the country's creation has always been governed by left wing parties, and as such has among the best public infrastructure.

Let me know if you need to know anything more.

Hi, Italian here

Italy, like many European countries, had strong social-democratic foundations. Many state jobs, strong state education, one of the best state healthcares out there, strong labour laws with contracts made by unions with specific job sectors.

That's now mostly on paper, and things change significantly from region to region. For example Emilia Romagna is still pretty strong on those, but go to the south and you'll see state school buildings being closed because they might collapse, or not offering any heating or A/C for the kids. Public healthcare is now very understaffed in most regions.

As for labour laws, companies aren't exactly too happy giving the expected raises or following work hours, and unskilled jobs are a disaster of underpay and unpaid overtime.

In general, social cohesion is hit or miss. Sure,most people are welcoming and friendly, but many of them are not paying all of their taxes. You're friends with the person in front of you, not with your whole nation.

Now that I broke some of the possible expectations: yes it's a good idea to come here. With time you will find some job, especially in the north and centre regions, just prepare for high rents in big cities and you'll be fine. Oh and possibly find somebody to help with taxes. If you decide for Rome, Napoli or Palermo, don't drive right away, take your time to learn how people drive here, what to expect etc

Lol my country is falling to the fascists. I may as well move to a country that has already fallen to the fascists.