We all know Italy as home of some of the most in-demand dishes in the world: pizza and lasagna from Naples, gelato from Florence, pasta from Tuscany; and that’s without even mentioning the hundreds of Italian wines produced in regions across the country.
In this expat guide, we will be focusing on the day-to-day experiences of real-world expatriates who have chosen to blog about their overseas adventures. From the North to the South, we will be exploring the 20 best expat travel bloggers in Italy.
Expats in Rome
Speeding past the Colosseum on a Vespa, marvelling at the Trevi fountain and wandering the grounds of the Sistine Chapel are all part of the quintessential romantic montage conjured up when thinking of Italy. It is no surprise, then, that so many expats choose to settle in the beautiful city where these world famous artefacts are located: Rome.
Shipped directly from the United States, Natalie has been living in Rome since 2010. In just over a decade this talented writer has created a blog which serves as a one-stop-shop, documenting everything from where to stay, where to eat and where to shop in Rome. She has also created a series of useful guides to Life in Italy, for anyone eager to gain background knowledge of the country’s cultural traditions and expectations.
This colourful and creative blog was created by Marina, a writer who also goes by the nickname “Rinaz”. After getting married in 2008, Marina moved to Italy from Singapore, and has been in Rome ever since. Her detailed blog posts offer invaluable insight into working and living in Rome, providing particularly useful context for any South Asian expats hoping to move to the city.
As its title suggests, the concept for travel blogger Gillian is to curate different lists of various things to do, eat and visit, for expats and tourists. Based in Rome, Gillian is well-versed in the city’s local offerings and pens helpful itineraries and resources, as well as specific guides for anyone traveling to and from the Roman capital.
Started by Italian-Australian, Maria, HeartRome has turned into a popular expat resource that functions as both an informative website and head-turning Instagram account. After packing in her corporate career in Melbourne, Australia, Maria decided to follow her dream of pursuing an expat lifestyle in Rome and has been documenting her Italian adventures ever since.
Expats in Northern Italy
Northern Italy is a diverse part of the country and home to many of the country’s most beautiful towns and cities: from Milan to Venice, Turin to Bologna; every corner of the North offers something different. These 5 travel bloggers know exactly where and what to recommend to fellow expatriates relocating to this stunning part of Italy.
The popular Italian phrase “dolce vita” translates to “sweet life” which is exactly how Canadian author, Jasmine, feels about being an expat in Rome. From her vantage point in Venice, Northern Italy, this fun-loving blogger documents everything an expat can expect in regards to love, lifestyle and language in Italy.
This blog has been set up and maintained by Nan McElroy, a writer and photographer from Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. Having lived in Venice for almost 20 years, and as the published author of travel book Italy: Instructions for Use, Nan is an authority in the blogging world of expats in Europe.
Specifically focusing on renovation projects, artist Lisa Chiodo runs home and design blog Renovating Italy, with her husband Sam, from Northern Italy. Browse the blog for free or sign up to an official membership plan and gain access to the website’s community of expat renovators who offer support and inspiration, as well as feature interviews with guest experts from the interior design industry.
The term “Cinque Terre” refers to a cluster of 5 seaside villages located on the idyllic Italian Riviera where Amy, the author of this blog, has lived for almost 20 years. Amy describes herself as “a wife, mother, animal lover, American expat, travel destination blogger, substitute teacher and student at the Università di Pisa.” By writing about her different interests and passions, Amy has created an insightful expat platform that is hugely useful and informative, especially for those headed to this region of northwest Italy.
Expats in Tuscany
Tuscany is best known for its stunning vistas, award-winning wine and the awe-inspiring Leaning Tower of Pisa. We have collated 6 of the most insightful and interesting blogs for any expatriates wanting to start a new life in the Tuscan hills.
The Maremma is a lesser known part of Tuscanny, despite being just 1.5 hours from Rome; and Elisa, the Australian journalist and creator of this expat travel blog, likes it this way. She refers to the region as small and secluded, but paradiascal. Her website serves as a comprehensive guide to Maremma’s diverse offerings, making it easy for tourists to plan their visit or make plans for a longer stay.
Alexandra Torey is a Canadian art history professor who relocated to Florence from Toronto. As its name suggests, the focus of this online blog is equally shared between Art and Travel in Italy, with a special emphasis on the region of Tuscany. From wineries to luxury hotels, art exhibitions to design studios, ArtTrav covers it all.
Melinda is a writer and photographer from California who relocated to Florence in 2004. She set up this expat website as a digital outlet to reflect on her life overseas. Typically Melinda pens long-form posts that divulge details about seasonal offerings and activities in Florence; this is an excellent resource for anyone looking for local inspiration and insight on life in Tuscany.
The “girl” in question is Texan writer, Georgette Jupe, who first went to Italy to study in Florence, where she met her husband Nico. The pair have since started a family, with Georgette logging her experiences through her well-written blog posts. In addition to series’ dedicated to preparing for life overseas and where to visit upon arrival, the Locals I Love column stands out as the most popular content on Girl in Florence.
Tiana is a globe-trotting, multilingual digital marketer who lived in Florence for 3 years and regularly vacationed in Sestriere, a resort town in the Italian Alps. The Italy travel section of Tiana’s website is vast: from holiday rental reviews to suggestions for day trips, to the best coffee spots in Tuscany; there is plenty of content for hopeful expats to get their teeth into.
Expats in Southern Italy
When it comes to visitors, one of the most popular parts of Southern Italy is the Amalfi Coast, with millions of tourists flocking to places like Sorrento and the island of Capri each year. In addition to spellbinding coastal towns, this region is home to Pompeii and Naples, two of Italy’s most famous cities. The South is also generally considered cheaper than the Northern regions, an enticing factor for expats who want to relocate to Italy.
This stylish and chic travel blog was created by writer, art historian and photographer Laura. Originally from “middle America”, Laura has been documenting her expat journey for the past 14 years through her online journal, blog posts, travel podcast Rediscover Italy and most recently, her own published guidebook, Moon Amalfi Coast: With Capri, Naples & Pompeii. Ciao Amalfi is undoubtedly one of the best travel resources for anyone researching Southern Italy.
Expats exploring Italy Blogs
Due to its great diversity, many expats that relocate to Italy can’t decide on just one region so, instead, they continue to journey around the country to drink (and eat) it all in.
Originally from Utah, author M.E. of Surviving Italy has a real way with words and a talent for story-telling. This “non-traditional travel blog” is a tongue-in-cheek, no holds barred, journal-style account of relatable and humorous life experiences. Blog posts include all manner of expat experiences; from travelling with a baby, to culture clashes, tips on studying abroad and expectations of Italian traditions, to name a few.
Anna Karsten is a solo travel enthusiast and digital nomad, who left her home in Poland 14 years ago to explore the world. The Italian section of the Anna Everywhere blog covers everything an expat would want to know about the culture, the food and the places to visit or relocate to in Italy.
Food inspired expat blogs
For many, eating is the first item on the agenda upon arrival in Italy. Whether it’s pasta, pizza, cheese or wine, consuming everything in sight is a popular pastime for expats in Italy. The following 4 blogs share this level of enthusiasm for Italian cuisine, documenting the most exciting Italian dishes and where to find them.
As you would expect from a blog named Delicious Italy, this is a fantastic gastronomy resource that is organised by region. Whether you want to learn more about wineries in Central Italy, coffee in the South of Italy, or cooking classes in the North, this website is jam-packed with recommendations and advice for foodie expats.
Based in Rome, Katie Parla’s self-titled blog is a culinary guide to Italy. Food tours, events and restaurant reviews are all included in this blog, with Katie’s articles featuring in popular publications such as Eater, The New York Times and Food & Wine. If you are looking to explore the diverse culinary scene Italy has to offer, we would recommend starting with this website.
After relocating to the Calabrian village of Badolato in 2003, American writer Michelle Fabio began documenting her expat life in Southern Italy. On her Bleeding Espresso platform Michelle publishes articles about traditional Italian recipes, through her blog series What’s Cooking Wednesday, as well as a diverse collection of tasty tidbits all about Calabria, food tours, walking tours, cooking classes, wellness retreats and farmers markets.
The final foodie blog in this list is encyclopaedic travel platform, Italian Notes. Covering a wide array of people and places - from Abruzzo to Veneto - this is a great resource for expats to swat up on the different kinds of national dishes found in Italy ahead of their move over.
Other useful blogs for expats in Italy
Italy’s expat community is growing at a rapid rate, so we have compiled these other useful resources for readers searching for additional insider tips and travel recommendations. Check out the following blogs when planning your trip to Italy:
Wanted in Rome: This website reports all the latest Italian news and events, in English
Expat Exchange: An expat forum for those currently living in Italy, as well as those planning to move there
Ms Adventures in Italy: This cleverly titled site follows blogger Sara Rosso’s adventures in Italy and beyond
Internations: A global platform designed to connect like-minded expats
Expats Living in Rome: This expat resources covers events, jobs and accommodation
Life in Italy: A travel and lifestyle website covering all traditionally Italian
The Local: An online community of 40,000 expat members living in Italy
Easy Expat: This informative platform covers all the major Italian towns and cities
Move Hub: Helpful travel listicles and advice on how to arrange international shipping, removals and insurance
Choosing the Top 20 Italy expat blogs
All you have to do is consider the simple pleasures of Italy for it to become quickly clear as to why so many expats move there for a taste of “la dolce vita.” We know that many of our users visit our website to learn how to transfer money overseas as an expat. For this reason, we take our responsibility of providing expat guides very seriously, and ensure only the most reputable sources are included in our list of Top 20 Italy Expat Blogs.
To provide insight into our selection criteria, we will reveal how we picked the blogs included in this list:
Diverse knowledge of life as a local: We were on the lookout for authentic, lived expat experiences covering specific regions and areas of Italy. In particular, we wanted to include bloggers who presented contrasting experiences of life at home, compared to life in Italy.
Well written and well researched: It was important for us to find entertaining and engaging blogs, but we also wanted to ensure the information presented was clear and concise, so anyone with expat ambitions would find each website useful.
Plenty of information: As well as quality content, we also wanted to ensure there was a substantial quantity of content on each blog, with lots of helpful tips, tricks, advice and recommendations for future expats to learn from.
