Italy is Becoming a Gauntlet of Hassles
We’re getting awful close to a tipping point
Living in Italy is like having an affair with an outrageous, fabulously beautiful woman who also happens to have borderline personality disorder. It’s a lot of fun at the beginning, then the bullshit starts.
In Italy, the latest round of bullshit seemed to come online about a year and a half ago. I don’t know if this is due to the anti-immigration policies of Georgia Meloni, or just a general drift towards chaos and mismanagement that has checkered across most government agencies. But the delays, utter lack of communication, and nobody knowing jack shit has threatened the idea of having a sustainable life here.¹
In July of 2023, we crossed the five-year mark. That means we are eligible for the Carta di Soggiorno, or long-term visa. This is good for ten years, with a straight-forward renewal after five. In most respects you become like a European citizen with this card. We could move to another country in the EU for example without going through all the hoops for residency there.
Long delays in the visa renewal process signaled the first signs of trouble. It was happening across the board to all applicants. From the time the application was mailed, it used to take about three or four months to get an appointment. This was…
