15 short answers to questions from relocation chats about Italy. Compiled from community experience and our own articles: figures and fees change, so verify the current details on official sites. This is not legal advice.
Updated: 2026-09-13
Per the community you drive on a Russian license (with an international permit or translation) for roughly the first year from getting residenza. After that only an Italian patente works: Russia and Italy have no conversion agreement, so you retake the license from scratch, with theory in Italian. Verify the rules on poliziadistato.it.
Per the community it varies: rental companies usually ask for an International Driving Permit (IDP) or a sworn translation of the license, and some refuse Russian licenses altogether. The second barrier is the deposit: prepaid cards like Revolut often fail the hold. Check the specific rental company's terms before booking.
Per the community you can request the codice even before moving via an Italian consulate (often by email), and in Italy the Agenzia delle Entrate issues it free with your passport and visa. A key trap: those born in the USSR should get country code 135 (URSS), not 154 (Russia) - the wrong code later breaks the permesso, SIM cards and services.
The codice is built by an algorithm from surname, name, birth date, sex and the birthplace code - our tool computes it and decodes any existing code, including codes for people born abroad. Remember: only the code issued by the Agenzia delle Entrate has legal force - a generated one is just a reference for checking.
Per the community SPID is in practice not issued on a foreign passport alone - providers require an Italian document, usually the CIE. Until you have one, the workaround is a CNS device (a chipped tessera sanitaria or a commercial key) giving the same access to government portals. And once you hold a CIE, a separate SPID is often unnecessary.
PEC is certified email with the force of a registered letter: you use it to write to authorities, the questura and utility providers. Per the community you can set up PEC before moving, with a foreign phone number - only your personal data and codice fiscale are needed. Those born in the USSR must pick URSS as the birth country, or the system rejects the codice.
Per the community usually yes - especially for regular subscriber plans, though in some shops a SIM was issued on a passport alone. Watch the birth country code in your codice: with an erroneous 154 instead of 135 the operator may create a tourist profile, and later changing plans or porting the number becomes a quest.
Per the community a patronato is a free union-affiliated social service handling INPS matters (pensions, benefits, NASpI), while a CAF does tax services like ISEE and returns, much of it free or for a token fee. Offices used to working with foreigners often also help with the kit, permit renewals and residenza.
Per the community a family of three or four is most often quoted 2,000-3,500 euro a month: the south and suburbs are cheaper, big northern cities pricier. Utilities surprise newcomers the most - 200-350 euro on average, and in winter the gas bill in an old building can spike sharply. These are anecdotal guidelines, not statistics.
Separate collection (raccolta differenziata) is mandatory: umido is organic waste, plastica, carta, vetro, and indifferenziato is the rest; rules, bin colors and pickup schedules differ per comune, and violations can be fined. Check your town's schedule and rules on the comune website or its app.
Per the community the south is clearly cheaper: Palermo, Catania, Bari, Pescara - a room there goes for 250-400 euro and a one-bed from 450. Milano and Como are the dearest, followed by Roma, Firenze, Venezia and Bolzano. Groceries and utilities vary less across the country than rent. Estimate your city budget in the calculator - the ranges are rough, check current numbers.
Per the community, with no Italian insurance history you are placed in the worst classe di merito (14 of 18), so the first RCA policy is dear: 800-1100 EUR versus ~560 for a driver with a record. Foreign experience does not transfer directly; legge Bersani helps you save. See the RCA comparison guide.
Per the community, gather several preventivo for the same car via direct online insurers and aggregators, comparing price and coverage. You need the RCA policy before driving off the dealer's lot: no insurance, no public roads. See the RCA comparison guide.
Per the community the minimum is the official Trenitalia app for tickets and check-in plus a schedule app (orario treni or trenit). For high-speed compare prices in Italo; for commuter trains you need your regional operator app (Trenord in Lombardy). Buses - Flixbus and Itabus; taxis - FreeNow, Bolt, and for an official white taxi appTaxi or IT Taxi. Check what works in your city - this is not transport advice.
Only in a limited way: per the community the usual UberX is barely available, mostly Uber Black works (a licensed NCC driver, pricier than a taxi) and only in a few big cities, and it often finds no cars at all. The gaps are filled by FreeNow and Bolt, an official white taxi is easier via appTaxi or IT Taxi, and by stations and airports the physical rank is faster. This is not transport advice.
This theme also has 11 community questions from the chats, answered by members: Community questions: Life in Italy
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