Three Essentials for Your Move to Italy

While I don’t advise stressing out too much over getting ready for an overseas move (because no matter how much you prepare, you won’t be prepared), it is definitely wise to have a few things handy in advance, if only to take the edge off the shock of arrival in your new country.  Here are 3 things that I think are essential for your move to Italy:

1. The Internet. Cherrye recently published a great list of sites to look at before you make your move to Italy, and I second what she says.  While your experience will never be the same as anyone else’s, reading blogs and introducing yourself on forums such as Expats in Italy will be invaluable in your personal preparation.  Not only will you be able to get an idea of mundane life in Italy (yes, I put mundane and Italy in the same sentence), but there is nothing like being just a URL away from others who have already taken the leap.

2. Non-Italian Recipes.  Yes, you’re moving to Italy and you’re excited about the food.  I can’t blame you – we eat well here.  There are more pasta shapes than you can imagine, and the fresh produce is out of this world.  As you travel from region to region (if you can), you will discover all kinds of new dishes.  That said, there will come time when you crave foods from outside of Italy.  If you don’t live in a bigger city, you won’t have access to a lot of international cuisine.  Why not get creative and try to duplicate what it is you’re craving?  I made chocolate chip cookies a couple of weeks ago (for chocolate chips, I could have used “gocce di cioccolato” from Perugina, but since I had a 70% dark chocolate bar, I had fun and chopped that up).  Right now I’m in sort of a Tex-Mex mood and am thinking of making fajitas for my boyfriend on New Years Eve.  (Here’s a great flour tortilla recipe.  For sour cream while in Italy, you can mix mascarpone with lemon juice, or use Total brand Greek yogurt.)

3. A Blog.  Before I discovered what a blog was, when I lived or traveled abroad I would send mass e-mails every week, detailing my adventures and attaching photos.  How wonderful it was to discover blogging!  While e-mails are great for relatives and friends who don’t want to bother looking at a blog, it gets a bit tiresome managing a mailing list.  Not only do I have my writings archived in a single place, blogging has enabled me to reach out to other expats with whom I can share ideas and experiences.

What are your essentials for moving overseas?

*This post was written for AffordableCallingCards.net, the expat community site where you can also buy calling cards to Italy (got that, relatives? I’m waiting to hear from you!) You can click here to read more posts about expat life written by myself and other bloggers.