How to Italy

Useful sites for living and working in Italy

As I said yesterday, I've officially become a Twitter addict. I've found it really useful for sharing my favourite links and websites I've discovered.

Here's a round up of some of the urls and news:

* www.lowcostaccounting.it, www.contipronti.it and www.101professionisti.it for low-cost accounting options in Italy

* Craigslist now in Bologna, Tuscany, Genoa, Milan, Campania, Perugia, Rome, Sardinia, Sicily, Turin and Veneto

* www.milanexpat.com - the best links for expatriate life in Milan

* Starting a business in Italy? You'll need these sites: www.agenziaentrate.gov.it & www.inps.it. Try www.actainrete.it & www.formaper.it

* www.casasanruffino.com - fabulous B&B run by two Brits in Le Marche who've realised their dream of living in Italy

* Looking for an English-speaking job in Italy? www.jobsinmilan.com would be a good place to start

* Want to learn Italian but there aren't any courses near you? www.myngle.com has individual and group lessons via Skype and online

* Want to buy property in Sardinia? Start here: www.sardiniapropertyfinder.com, www.preciousvillas.com & www.housearoundsardinia.eu

* Need office space in Italy: www.italycenter.it, www.mbcenter.it, www.pickcenter.com, www.businesscenter.it, www.regus.it

* If you want to export, click on the Italian Trade Commission's website www.ice.gov.it. It has 16 offices in Italy and over 100 worldwide

* www.milanin.com - business networking club in Milan so successful it's now spreading to other Italian cities

* www.girlgeekdinnersitalia.com - informal networking dinners in Milan for women in IT. The driving forces behind the initative includes Sara Rosso, aka Ms Adventures in Italy. Featured in Glamour, Marie Claire and a host of others, I'll have you know.

Starting a business in Italy: obtaining finance

Coming up with a winning business idea is the easiest part. Coming up with the cash is far more difficult, especially if you don't have a huge trust fund or money in the bank.

But don't give up before you start. Italy is beginning to wake up to the advantages of micro-credit. In 2006, more than Eur5m of loans were distributed to the country's neo-imprenditori.

The capped limit is Eur15,000 but this depends on the bank, charity or public organisation lending the money. Interest rates vary between three and eight per cent.

What a lot of people don't know, is that these loans are given out to all kinds of companies in Italy- and not just those termed 'ethical'. Businesses awarded micro-credit in the past include an organic catering service using locally-sourced produce and an after-school arts club for children.

The following all lend money:

1. Banca Etica (www.bancaetica.it)
2. Micro.Bo (www.microbo.it)
3. Smoat (+39 055 22384223)
4. Fondo Etico Le Piagge (+39 055 373737)
5. Regione Lazio (www.regione.lazio.it)
6. Progetto Senapa (+39 0875 714454)
7. Agenzia di Sviluppo Integrato (ww.kalat.net)

HowToItaly on Twitter - and why I rate it

The dinosaur age.*

That's when I lived in Bologna. There were no internet points, hardly anyone had email, we couldn't phone out on the house phone and mobiles were few and far between.

Keeping in touch with friends and family back home was a particular problem. Faced with having to write a letter to keep in touch or not keep in touch, for a lazy student like me not keep in touch was the option.

Of course, that's all changed these days, particulary with the onslaught of networking sites like MySpace and Facebook (I'm on both, so come and join me). Even so, sending flowers to someone for their e-garden, adding your virtual bookcase, or simply biting someone as a vampire can take time and effort. And then there's the whole dilemma of who your Top Friends are and do they think the same way.

That's why I like Twitter. It's simple. It's easy. And it's not time-consuming. Not least because you've only got 140 characters to play with.

I use mine for business purposes and to post things that don't warrant a lengthier blog post. But you can use it to connect with friends and family and broadcast what you're up to without sending out hundreds of texts. And, because you can keep the settings private, no one else needs to know.

Anyway, on the right hand side of this blog, you'll see my Twitter updates. Why not click on and see what I've been up to?

*not really. Only 10 years ago. But it felt like it.

Great place to work in Italy

Want to know the best places to work in Italy?

Here they are.

Yo to my night at Gatwick airport

Well, my week in England is up and it's back to Gatwick for me in four hours.

Fed up of trying to get some sleep in the chairs at the airport, I've booked myself into the new Yotel which has just opened on the concourse there.

It's £40 for eight hours kip which seems pretty good going to me, especially because it's actually inside the terminal and not a 20-minute taxi ride away like most airport hotels.

I'll let you know how I get on tomorrow when I'm back in Sardinia. In the meantime, read all about it from Yotel.com. You can see room plans, pictures and the services provided.

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My email is still on the blink. Please email on howtoitaly@googlemail.com. Thanks.

Running a business in Italy

Those of you thinking about starting a business in Italy may be interested in this.

Claiming EU citizenship in order to work in Italy

I've mentioned this before but I've had a flood of enquires recently about EU citizenship and was also sent the link by Jason, a regular commenter on here (thanks, Jason), so I thought I'd recycle it.

ICGS - Italian Citizenship & Geneology Services - has a handy page on its site which allows you to see whether you are eligible for Italian citizenship. It's really, really simple to use. All you need to do is select the relationship between you and your ancestor from Italy and, voila, you have your answer.

Of course, you don't need Italian citizenship to work in Italy. Italian and all EU citizens are treated equally. If you have parents, grandparents or great grandparents from another EU country who haven't renounced their own citizenship in favour of the new one, then you can apply to become a citizen of that country. Once granted, you will be able to work anywhere in the EU.

Resource for choosing your location in Italy

I was talking to friends yesterday who reccomended the following site. http://outside.away.com/

For those of you after an adrenalin rush in Italy, it's particularly recommended as the articles mention lots of little known destinations for you to get your adventure hit.

You never know, it may even give you ideas for places to live in the Bel Paese that you never even thought existed.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Free accommodation in Italy

If you're moving to Italy and you're on a tight budget, why not try one of the following? Not only will you get a free place to stay, you'll also be able to meet new friends and see your new town from a local's perspective.

The Couchsurfing Project

Hospitality Club

Global Freeloaders

Franchise opportunities in Italy

A lot of you write in asking about running a franchise in Italy as a way of starting your own business in Italy.

That's why I thought you might like to know about the franchising trade fair taking place in Milan later this  year.

More than 250 exhibitors will be at FieraMilano, located at Rho, to show off their businesses and recruit new franchisees. Famous Italian brand names looking to seduce you during the event include Accessorize, Inkland, Italiancase Immobiliare and Naturallook.

It makes sense to me - in a country where you are not too sure of the rules, you don't need to waste valuable time trying to understand them. Instead you have the full support of the franchisor in your start-up phase and already have a business model to follow.

If you're seriously thinking about starting a franchise, then I suggest you get yourself to FieraMilano between October 19-22.