Improving her Italian and assimilating the local culture are some of the things that fabulous Canadian expat Joanne has the pleasure of doing in the city of Milan, where she lives with her family. Look at what expat Milanese life is for Joanne, and learn from her experiences and tips about moving to and living in Italy.	Joanne Natale

-Where were you born?

I was born in Toronto, Canada.

-In which country and city are you living now?

I am currently living in Milan, Italy, but before that I was in Rome.

-Are you living alone or with your family?

I live with my husband and our 8-year-old son.

-How long have you been living in Italy?

We moved to Milan in 1997 for work reasons and even though we kept saying it was only temporary, we’re still here.

-What is your age?

I don’t do numbers any more, I have switched to adjectives. This year I turned *Fabulous*.

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Italy?

I had always played around with the idea of living somewhere in Europe for a short period of time before settling down.

Meeting my husband and the fact that I already spoke some Italian were big factors in choosing Italy.

I also felt a connection to the country because both my parents were born here and we still have many close relatives in the country. The idea of exploring where I came from was very appealing to me.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?

Yes. Italian bureaucracy is legendary with good reason. It was terribly frustrating and at times seemed downright impossible. If it weren’t for my husband I probably would have given up in frustration.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

Italy has universal health care so actually getting health insurance was quite easy. Finding the right information was a little more difficult. I received a lot of conflicting advice until I contacted the ASL (National Health Service) and was lucky enough to encounter someone who knew their stuff. Once I knew the procedure and where to go it only took about 20 minutes.

-How do you make your living in Italy? Do you have any type of income generated?

When I first arrived and for many years after I worked as an English teacher and I translated on the side.I was fortunate enough to work for several different types of language schools and companies and I found all my jobs through local papers. Now I translate full time and I found out about my current position through another expat. She told me about the job and I sent in my CV.The rest, as they say, is history.

-Do you speak Italian and do you think it's important to speak the local language?

I spoke some Italian before I moved here and it has improved greatly since living in the country. I think that it is of vital importance to speak the local language because otherwise you are really just a long term tourist.Culture shock is hard on expats and clinging desperately to your native language and customs just makes life lonelier and more frustrating than it needs to be. I have found that by observing local customs and speaking the language you can really belong to the community and experience it to its fullest.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes? Please describe your favorite recreational activities there or those that are available.

Of course I do.  Missing home and family and friends is something that never goes away no matter how long you live abroad, especially when there are special occasions in your or their lives.  But there are always visits and the Internet (which wasn’t what it is now when I moved here) has done wonders to bridge the distance.

My favourite recreational activities all involve local culture and traditions. I love going to *sagre* or *feste di paese* which can best be described as harvest festivals or town fairs.  I love wandering the kiosks and learning new things, tasting things I’ve never had before (or enjoying old favourites), seeing craftsmen at work.  It is my absolute favourite thing.

-Do you have other plans for the future?

We sometimes toy with the idea of moving to Canada, where it would be my husband’s turn to be an expat, but the truth is that we are happy here and quite frankly another inter-continental move terrifies me.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

We are currently renting with a view to purchasing in the near future. Housing prices have skyrocketed and in a city like Milan were land is at a premium, finding affordable housing is a real challenge.  A 100 square metre, 2 bedroom apartment located outside of the city centre would start at around €300,000.

-What is the cost of living in Italy?

The cost of living in a big city in Northern Italy is quite high, but then again so are the salaries. The further south you go, both get lower.

-What do you think about the Italians?

Milanese are very cautious neighbours, but once they get to know you they are warm and friendly.  Italians as a rule are welcoming to foreigners, especially if they see you make an effort to speak the language.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Italy?

Wow, entire books have been written on this subject and I don’t know if I have a word limit!

Let me start with the positives first: The food, can there be any doubt?  Good food and eating are a way of life here.  Cheap fresh produce, local fruit and cheese, amazing affordable wine, espresso! The history, towns that have stood for centuries, artwork famous the world over, traditions that have stood the test of time – almost like living in a fairy tale. The people, fiery, passionate, generous and so uniquely adaptable.

Now for the negatives:

Almost all public services: transit, post, you name it, which leads us to ...
The bureaucracy: enough to drive anyone crazy. It has to be experienced to be believed and can, all by itself, negate all the positives I listed above. Any others that are coming to mind right now are directly related to bureaucracy so I’ll just leave it at that.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Italy?

Be patient, don’t compare Italy to where ever it is you are from (very hard to do at first but you must try) and try to embrace the culture.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Italy?

There are quite a few good Italy blogs and going to anyone of them will lead you to others.  My own food blog, Frutto della Passione, has predominantly Italian recipes and restaurant reviews as well as links to my favourite Italian blogs.  A good start for those that want to start exploring blogs written by expats in Italy are the following:

Bleeding Espresso - http://bleedingespresso.com

Rubber Slippers in Italy - http://rubbahslippahsinitaly.blogspot.com

Milanese Masala - http://milanesemasala.wordpress.com

NYC/Caribbean Ragazza -  http://sistergirltales.blogspot.com

All of these will lead to to some truly excellent blogs about Italy, so please have a look through their blogrolls!