Parma, Reggio or Modena for a year?
 

I'm taking a year off and moving to Italy for a year with my wife and 7 year old son. I am considering these three cities as a home. I am wondering if people have experience with these three small cities? Important things to us are friendly open people, green spaces (parks, etc), good food markets (we mostly eat organic- vegetarian), and cultural intactness. Our son would likely go to elementare, so schools would be another factor. Any insights would be helpful-- thanks!

I think you should investigate the school options first, what would be required, which situation would be best for your son, etc. It may be that other cities/towns should be considered. I would probably pick a smaller town, but that's personal preference.

If you're not an EU resident, I assume you have or are in the process of obtaining the necessary visas.

Of the 3, Reggio is famous for having developed a model elementary school system that it has actually exported to the world. You can find information about online. It also has a Frecciarossa train stop and handsome modern resisential buildings in addition to its small but enchanting and well preserved historic center. Parms has an exceptionally large amount of green space right in the historic city, and is set nearer to pretty countryside than the other, and it has the liveliest art scene. It also has a small airport. Modena (which is closest to Bologna airport) has the best food market, the beautiful historical Albinelli market, open every day but Sunday, but all 3 cities have gorgeous, unique food, in particular the amazing traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena and Reggio. You will, however, find scant vegetarian food served in restaurants in any of the cities, but there are some youth-oriented macrobiotic type places. I suspect of the 3 that the population of Modena is the wealthiest, although people in Parma definitely have money. This is a relatively well-off area of Italy, especially the Modena city center. Parma seems to have the biggest mix of socio-economic, with bigger gaps between gentry & working class. I've been treated with great courtesy and friendliness in each of these cities, nothing but happy memories, but for some reason, I recall the people of Reggio as the most open. Maybe that is because Reggio so rarely sees foreign visitors.

If you pick a town smaller than any of these in Emilia Romagna then you might find that your son's school options are considerably more limited. In terms of physical size, each of these historic cities would be seen as a small boutique town by American standards. The city centers of all 3 are completely walkable in every direction. There is a small bit of peripheral modern development around each, but then the immediate surroundings turn agricultural, with some factories. You would not need to own a car in any of these places, although you could rent one easily in any of the cities if you needed one.

I believe I'd be happy living in any one of them and I'd have a tough time deciding!

I've had no problem eating in restaurants and sticking to a veggie diet in this area, basically it is the food the local poor used to eat. But if you are there for a year then restaurants are the least of your concerns.

I might just add Ferrara into the mix as well.

bilboburgler---just curious why you would add Ferrara into the mix?

frencharmoire--thanks for your very thoughtful reply--it gives me a lot to think about

Jean--I am a son of an italian citizen but I renounced my citizenship when I was 17 because they wanted me to serve in militare. I have since learned that I can reacquire italian citizenship but I need to establish residency there in order to do it.

Vegetarian in Emilia?

???

Where are these restaurants?

There is a nice torta of this part of Italy with herbs and vegetables. The name is l'erbazzone. Also they have the melanzane parmigiana, which they like to eat in Parma but the name doesn't mean it is from Parma. That is in summer.

But for this part of Emilia this is meat, meat, meat, meat. The poor people ate meat -- ducks and pigs. You can't only eat cheese for 2 years! If you go to the market, you will find everything for vegetable recipes. The beans and vegetable proteins. Now it becomes more easy to find food in shops or the markets without chemicals. But normally the food you buy, except what you buy from a person you know with a garden, has chemicals. It is good food but you must clean it. It is the food in the new supermarkets that has a lot of chemicals.

It is expensive to eat in these cities if you go to restaurants. Reggio nell'Emilia maybe is the most cheap for restaurants. But they do not serve vegetarian menus.

"... but I need to establish residency there in order to do it."

And does that residency require visas? AFAIK, without visas, you're limited to 90 days.

But this website doesn't mention establishing residency as part of the dual citizenship application process.

http://www.dualcitizenshipitalian.co...-by-step-guide

Jean---
check out this website
http://www.esteri.it/mae/en/italiani...tadinanza.html
I am pretty certain that it is possible to get back my citizenship but it is a process and part of the process is living in italy and establishing residency.

If I were to open it up to any part of Italy--what might be people's suggestions for a great smaller city to call home for one year?

I still think you should find out whether you must have a residence permit or visa to live in Italy for the year.

See #5 in this link:

http://www.integrazionemigranti.gov....zenship.aspx#5

Jean--
Check this out. The implication is that if I go into the Italian consulate and make a specific declaration with the intent to reacquire citizenship, then all I need to do is (within one year) establish residence in a specific comune and I will then then regain citizenship, which should allow me to work. This is my hope and understanding--hope it is accurate.

RIACQUISITION OF CITIZENSHIP
Italian citizens who have lost their citizenship can reacquire it:
Automatically one year from the date in which they established residence on Italian soil, unless they renounce it within that term of time.
By specific declaration:
serving in the Italian armed forces;
by being or having been in the employ of the Italian government, even abroad;
if a foreign resident, once legal residence in Italy is established, within one year of the declaration for reacquisition submitted to the Italian consular authorities;
once legal residence in Italy has been established for at least 2 years, and it can be proven that the applicant has left the foreign government employ or military service undertaken despite express prohibition by Italian law.

I remember hearing of someone else who established residence in Italy in order to reacquire citizenship. I don't remember whether she needed a visa in order to do so, but it could very well be necessary. You need to talk to someone at an Italian consulate. I should warn that when I moved to Italy (after marrying my Italian husband) I got some mistaken information from the Italian consulate in New York, but they did give me the visa I needed (for family reunification).

I'm pretty sure you can't just show up and apply for residence if you're not an EU citizen. You establish residence at the town hall of the comune you're planning to live in (once you've already got your housing arranged). When I applied for residence, they definitely wanted to see the visa.

According to this site, from an Italian consulate in Australia, you have to request an Elective Residence visa before moving to Italy. That would probably require that you demonstrate enough income (not from working in Italy) to support yourself and your dependents, and that you provide your own medical insurance.

http://www.consperth.esteri.it/conso...ttadinanza.pdf

Here are the requirements for having the necessary visa. It's in Italian, and the translation offered isn't very good.

http://permessodisoggiorno.org/tutti...enza-elettiva/

I can't find the exact amount of income required, but it's double what the minimum income for social services is considered. That should be about €40,000 for a family with one minor child. To that you'd have to add the cost of a private health insurance policy for the three of you. That wouldn't cost as much as it would in the US, but it would be a significant addition.

bvlenci---thanks for all the links and information. I realize I have a lot of work ahead of me in order to make this happen. I didn't realize that one needed to show a certain amount of annual income in order to establish residency. This may be a problem for me, so I will need to look into it further. Thanks again for your help.

Hey man!

Did you ever end up moving to Italy? And if you did, how was it and which city did you pick?