Q: Should I live in a gated community ? Is that safe enough or should I have a security system as well ?

A: Many foreigners, especially families with children who are not used to living in big cities, choose to live within  gated communities. But there are many more neighbourhoods in Rome Centrum that are densely populated with expatriates and they live just as safe. There is crime evewhere, but in Rome fortunately the crime rate is very low and a lot less than one would expect from a city this size.

What you have to worry about more is pickpockets on public transportations and car traffic for the children !

There are lots of good security systems available here so you need not be afraid to live in City Centrum neighbourhoods.

Q: Is it difficult to meet other expatriates in Rome ?

A: No! There are several Associations and Organizations offering networking and other social gatherings with other expatriates of all ages, married or single.There are both Local and International clubs, Country Clubs , sport groups, foreign language cinemas, theatres and bookshops, language & culture schools, coffee get together, dinners, fairs given by the International Schools, family activities, and activities such as wine tasting parties. There are also several Culture Academies that have large lending libraries and who organize various cultural events.

Rome also have a variety of Churches, Temples and Mosques that have services in many languages.

Q: Should I bring my furniture when moving to Italy ?

A: Good furniture in Italy can be just as expensive or more than many other Western Countries. 

It's a good idea to get  residency before shipping your possessions, especially if you have not yet determined that this will be a permanent move.  You have one year after you have established residency in which to bring your things into Italy before they are subject to duty by the Italian government.

Q: Will my appliances, DVD, VCR, TV, etc. work in Italy ?

A: In Italy we work on 220 v electricity and the U.S. for example is 110 v. Check the back of the device: some items do have a 110/220 switch. If this is the case then you will probably only need a plug converter ! North American power is 120V 60 cycles and the European is 220V 50 cycles. To run electrical items which do not have a 110/220 switch you will need a transformer that will change the voltage. You'll see something like 120V/60 this may work it may not 120V/50-60 this should work just fine with a step down transformer something like 110-240v 50-60 This should work just fine. The voltage can be dealt with easily with a transformer but the cycles can be a problem. In Italy  TV is on the PAL system while in the US they use the NTSC system. Make sure your TV is one that plays a multi system or buy an converter. If you buy new here get one that plays back multi system (PAL and NTSC). This way you can watch tapes either from Italy and USA. For DVD players you will need to get one that will play multi system and multi region. DVDs that are bought in Italy can still be watched in English or other languages as they all have the original language track.

Q: Are there clothes dryers in Italy ?

A:Yes there are dryers ! You can find 2 types, either vented or condensation.  For the vented ones you need to connect a pipe  to a hole in the wall, window or to the WC.  Those one that are working with condensation at the end of the cycle you need to empty the water from the condensation drawer. Dryers here  run on a regular electricity.

Q: Are there top loading washing machines in Italy ?

A: Yes there are. Make sure you get an energy friendly one that has many options.  Washing machines here are hooked up only to the cold water lines so it has to heat the water to the right temperature with electricity .  A load of whitewash can take a few  hours.  To reduce washing time you can connect the washing machines to a Y valve and hook one line to  hot and one to cold !

Q: What are all those numbers & letters on the washing machines dial?

A: Washing machine in Italy, just a base model, has 18 numbers, 6 symbols, a temperature dial from 30 to 100 degrees and 4 buttons !

Read the instruction book… Here are some good suggestions: open the water all the way, if it’s a new machine, run an empty load first to clean it, your machine will probably recommend a super long, hot load for your cottons. If you have anything delicate, beware!

If your dial starts at 30 degrees, but you want just a cold load, set the dial in the area before the numbers start. Use caution. Anything really cheap (t-shirts from the market), really bright (the year that turquoise was in) or really expensive (that adorable Max Mara shirt) should be hand washed with “Lip” (woolite). Experiment gradually until you find what works best. When loading a front-loader, make sure nothing gets caught in the door when you close it. I have been known to cause small floods in this way.

Q. Can you find garbage disposals in Italy ?

A: You can find great garbage disposals in Italy ! They are called "Trita rifiuti" in Italian. The problem may be to find a plumber that knows how to install it ! 

Q: Would be possible in Rome to get to UK TV: BBC1,2,3,4 - ITV1,2,3 - Channel 4 - Channel 5 and Sky?

A: All you need is a dish the size that suits your area (we recommend anything 60 cm or above to be sure of a good picture, especially in bad weather) and point it in the right direction, than a digibox decoder  plus viewing card and you will be able to get Sky Digital from the UK.
N.B. In this case remeber to keep your account open at a UK billing address !

Otherwise by signing up with Sky Italia (Italian Satellite providers).  You will then be able to watch a couple of English station (CNN, Fox, BBC Prime, and a few others) as well as having the option to watch in the original language on some channels.