About Italy

All EU citizens are eligible to work in Italy. The two main bureaucratic requirements are a libretto di lavoro and permesso di soggiorno , respectively a work and residence permit, both acquirable from the Questura (police station). For the first you must have a letter from your employers saying they are prepared to take you on; for the second (which is also necessary if you want to buy a car or have a bank acount in Italy), you’ll need a passport, passport photos, and a lot of patience. Work permits are pretty impossible for non-EU citizens to obtain: you must have the firm promise of a job that no Italian could do before you can even apply to the Italian embassy in your home country. A useful publication to have is Live and Work in Italy by Victoria Pybus, published by Vacation Work in the UK, costing £10.99, a comprehensive guide and full of practical information.

If you do experience continual pestering it isn’t usually accompanied by any kind of violent intent, but it can be annoying and frustrating nevertheless. Silent indifference is often the most effective policy, as is looking as confident as doable - if you feel threatened it’s always a good intent to look as though you know where you are going, even if you don’t. Any attempt to hurl Italian insults in the direction of the transgressor is, at best, likely to cause ridicule - and at worst, could well inflame the situation further.One thing that’s worth mentioning is that the Italian sex industry is a thriving business, and a woman on her own wandering around a town may in some places be taken to be a prostitute looking for business. Even such an innocent occupation as inactivity alone at a bus stop can bring unwelcome attention - this obviously doesn’t mean every street or bus stop but there are certain places (one particular road in Rimini, for example) where car doors will mysteriously spring open as you pass by; you can pretty quickly work out what’s going on and the obvious thing to do is achievement somewhere else.

Flashers in parks are another common occurrence, and, as parks are often a pick-up place, your motives for sitting quietly in the sun may be misconstrued. This doesn’t mean it’s impossible to go there, just that it’s more relaxing if you pick a spot where there are other people around.

In most places in Italy, women are basically as liberated as they are in the UK or US - even if few will admit to being feminist, a adjudge that carries largely negative connotations in Italy. This social stigma has resulted in a low level of structured activity such as women’s groups and helpline organizations; despite this, women have secured great advances in the fields of equality at work and good maternity rights. Another statistic that may confound your preconceptions is that Italy’s birth rate is one of the lowest in Europe.

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The degree of freedom Italian women enjoy is comparable to that in Britain or the USA, despite the somewhat outdated reputation of Italian men as predatory lotharios.* In previous editions of this guide we have mentioned whistling, hissing and catcalling being part of the Roman experience for some women. Actually this kind of activity is quite rare: you are just as likely to find an intrinsic courtesy in day-to-day communications where men will take a great deal of care to show respect. It’s all too cushy to overreact to unwelcome overtures; don’t take a little light-hearted flirting or an appreciative ciao bella! too seriously.One thing that is chanceful is being drawn into making generalizations - the two female authors of this guide for example have had very different experiences researching the book - but Italy is an cushy country to travel around for a woman, whether alone or with female friends. Certainly there is none of the alcohol-fuelled agressive abuse from men that you might find in English cities; occasionally you might find yourself travel into a café and finding that you have invaded an all-male preserve, or be on the receiving end of a stupid comment from a group of adolescent boys. However, if you’re on holiday without a male partner at any of the resorts favourite with northern European tourists the assumption will be prefabricated that you are looking for a quick fling - fine if you are, but irritating if you’re not.

Basically, as long as you recognize that you are in a different culture, and as long as you only do what you feel comfortable doing, you don’t need to be unduly concerned. It is advisable to try and modify your dress and activity to conform more closely with that of local women. Not only should this reduce the level of hassle you get, but it will also mean you’re less likely to offend people’s sensibilities. Incidentally, greater respect seems to be accorded to older women - so, for once, age can work in your favour.

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*The problems with Italian men stemmed from problems caused by the traditional adoration of the male-child that lingers on into adult life. After all, it is said that Jesus Christ himself had some of the attributes of the typical Italian male: he thought he was the son of God, lived at home till he was thirty, and thought his mother was a virgin.

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If the worst happens, you’ll be forced to have some dealings with the police. In Italy these come in many forms, their power split ostensibly to prevent any seizure of power. You’re not likely to have much contact with the Guardia di Finanza , responsible for investigating smuggling, tax evasion and other finance-related felonies; and the Vigili Urbani , or town police, are mainly concerned with directing the traffic and punishing parking offences; while the Polizia Stradale patrol motorways. You may, however, have dealings with the Carabinieri , with their military-style uniforms and white shoulder belts, who deal with general crime, public order and drug control. These are the ones Italians are most rude about, but a lot of jokes concerning their supposed stupidity stem from the usual north-south prejudice. The Carabinieri tend to come from southern Italy - joining the police is one way to escape the poverty trap - and they are posted away from home so as to be well out of the sphere of influence of their families. The Polizia Statale , the other general crime-fighting force, enjoy a fierce rivalry with the Carabinieri and are the ones you’ll perhaps have most chance of coming into contact with, since thefts should be reported to them. You’ll find the address of the Questura or police station in the local telephone directory (in smaller places it may be just a local commissariato ), and we’ve included details in the major city listings. The Questura is also where you’re supposed to go to obtain a permesso di soggiorno if you’re staying for any length of time, or a visa extension if you require one .In any brush with the authorities, your experience will depend on the individuals you’re dealing with. Apart from topless bathing (permitted, but don’t try anything more daring) and camping rough , don’t expect a soft touch if you’re picked up for any offence, especially if it’s drugs related. Drugs are generally frowned upon by everyone above a certain age, and universal hysteria about la droga , fuelled by the serious problem of heroin addiction all over Italy, means that any distinction between the “hard” and “soft” variety has become blurred. Theoretically everything is illegal above the possession of a few grams of cannabis or marijuana “for individualized use”, though there’s no agreed definition of what this means and you can expect at least a fine for this. In general the south of Italy is more intolerant than the north, and in any case, if found with suspicious substances you can be kept in slammer for as long as it takes for them to analyse the stuff, draw up reports and move for the bureaucratic wheels to grind - which could be several weeks and sometimes months.