<\/p>\n As Damien confirms on the podcast, once upon a time you could just \u201cwing it\u201d and probably get away with your nonchalance fairly easy. Just fly into Fiumicino (the border agents probably wouldn\u2019t even bother to look at your passport back then) and then stay as long as you could manage. Nobody really cared that much. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. Italy has made a visible effort to crack down on illegal immigration<\/strong>, and so you must either do it the right way, or get deported with prejudice. \u200bFrom what I\u2019ve heard anecdotally, you\u2019re looking at a minimum two year band from the entire European Union when you eventually get caught. And you will, sooner or later.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u200bAs for finding work, Damien also had some sage advice. The best strategy is to bring a skill that Italy is in need of.<\/strong> Engineering, I.T., or other technological knowledge are presently very desired. However, and this is encouraging, there are also great opportunities for the old standard of teaching English. He explains his strategy on the podcast.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Damien is originally from Ireland but has been living in Italy for over 30 years where he works as a Global Mobility Specialist. He focuses on tailor-made solutions for corporate and individual clients<\/strong>. In addition to this, he provides unique VIP strategy days, where in an immersion setting, he leads his clients through all the pros and cons of relocating to the land of la dolce vita<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n If the topic of expatriation in Italy interests you, I highly suggest that you join Damien\u2019s very popular Facebook group<\/strong>, Ultimate Italy<\/a>.<\/strong> It\u2019s designed to be an interactive forum where members help members, the result is a wealth of crowdsourced knowledge that can answer nearly any question that you have about the expatriate process in Italy. I\u2019ll go so far as to say that it\u2019s the most complete and concentrated source of information on this topic currently found on the web. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n And yet, information will only get you so far. If you\u2019re really committed to living in Italy and doing it right, then you should save yourself a lot of time and aggravation, and hire Damien for help<\/strong>. Because honestly, \u200bthe pitfalls that you will ultimately encounter can suck all the fun out of your romantic adventure. (Yes, I\u2019m speaking from firsthand experience.)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n In the meantime, here are the top three points <\/strong>that I took away from our discussion:<\/p>\n Damien O’Farrell<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Don\u2019t try to change Italy or the Italians.<\/strong> You\u2019re outnumbered 60 million to 1! Rather, take it upon yourself to assimilate.\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n \u200b<\/span><\/p>\n Avoid getting stuck in the \u201cexpat only\u201d circles.<\/strong> If you\u2019re making your new life in Italy you NEED to network with Italians.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Have a precise plan.<\/strong> \u201cIf you don\u2019t know where you\u2019re going, any road will get you there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u200bI would like to thank Damien for being so generous with his time and knowledge, and I encourage anyone considering a move to Italy to save themselves a lot of grief and contact Damien first. Click the icons below:<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u200bWebsite<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u200bEmail<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u200bTelephone<\/p>\n Click the link to check out other episodes and see my list of the best podcasts about Italy<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Move](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/a-metro-repubblica.jpg\" "\\"a")
<\/span><\/p>\nMove to Italy the Right Way<\/h2>\n
Damien O\u2019Farrell<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/damien-ofarrell-400x400.png\" "\\"damien")
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