There are many reasons Britons might want to move to Italy. It promises a slower pace of life – perfect for retirees – gorgeous villas at affordable prices and stunning landscapes, not to mention exquisite cuisine.
However, relocating to another country poses a unique set of challenges, from learning a new language to leaving your home comforts behind.
The Expat Insider 2023 survey found that Italy was one of the worst places to move for British expats, coming in at 47th place out of 53 countries. According to one expat in Italy, Britons might struggle to get used to being a pedestrian on super busy roads – “it’s totally different” to the UK.
Expat Ms Britaly shared that while she loves Italy – and has lived in south Italy for four years – she has found that British people have some “wildly different characteristics” to Italian people, and there are big contrasts in lifestyle between the two countries.
She said: “This is the reason why I think it can be difficult sometimes, especially if you come to live in Italy from the UK.”
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An expat warned Britons that one aspect of life in Italy is ‘totally different’
YouTube / Ms Britaly
In addition to the language barrier, as English “is not widely spoken in every part of Italy”, Britons might find it hard to get used to using the roads – and not just the fact everyone drives on the right.
The expat warned Britons that they may find it hard to adjust to “road traffic matters”.
She explained that crossing the road in Italy is her “biggest bugbear”, because “Italian drivers just don’t know how to stop their cars”.
The expat claimed that even if you’re standing at a designated place to cross, people will continue driving and “it’s very rare for somebody to stop for you to cross”.
She said that even if you’re halfway across the road, drivers will continue to drive towards you, and claimed that when it comes to driving, Italy does not have the same “courtesy”, “safety aspect” or “rules of the road” that the UK has.
The expat continued: “Of course, if you choose to cross in the middle of a very busy road where you’re not supposed to be crossing that’s a completely different situation.
“But if you’re crossing at the designated points where you are supposed to cross you feel safe in those moments, but in Italy it’s totally, totally different.”
She warned that you need to have “gumption” to cross the road as opposed to waiting for someone to stop – but make sure to only do this when it is safe to do so.
Ms Britaly explained that this change might be hard for a Briton to wrap their heads around if they’re used to a culture where there’s “mutual respect” on the roads.
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