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    Moving to Italy
    Unavailable
    Moving to Italy
    Unavailable
    Moving to Italy
    Ebook287 pages4 hours

    Moving to Italy

    By Stef Smulders

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    A TRUE STORY ABOUT LIFE IN ITALY

    Would you dare to follow your dream and move to Italy to live La Dolce Vita?

    Stef & Nico did take the leap to start a B&B and now from your comfortable armchair you can share in their hilarious & mindbending expat adventures.

    Told in a fast paced, very entertaining and humorous firsthand voice.

    A crazy contractor, a rubbish real estate agent, a fake plummer, an escaped electrician…, the mindbending burocracy: Stef and Nico confronted them all and miraculously survived.

    This book is a mustread for lovers of amusing travelogue memoirs and for those interested in practical advice on how to relocate to Italy. An abc to Italian life and culture. 

    Glossary of Italian words and phrases included! Learn the true meaning of essential Italian expressions like "non ci sono problemi", "di fiducia", "persone serie", "tutto a norma" and many more.

    Reviews
    A comical, often downright hilarious account (Reader's Favorite Review ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️)
    Smulders' storytelling artistry is wildly entertaining (Blogcritics/Reader Views ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️)
    A charming and light-hearted collection (Kirkus Reviews)
    A joy to read with many witty laugh out loud sections (a reader)

    Recognition
    Reader Views Literary Awards Winner
    Readers’ Favorite Award Winner
    eLit Award Winner

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBadPress
    Release dateJul 17, 2023
    ISBN9781507158852
    Unavailable
    Moving to Italy
    Author

    Stef Smulders

    Dutch expat, living the good life in Italy since 2008 where he runs Bed & Breakfast Villa I Due Padroni www.duepadroni.itAuthor of the book Italiaanse Toestanden (2014), a collection of short stories in Dutch about emigration, buying a house, living in Italy. The English translation is available from November 2016 as "Living in Italy: the Real Deal - How to survive the Good Life".

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    Reviews for Moving to Italy

    4/5

    29 ratings9 reviews

    What did you think?

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    • 5/5
      The author has written a very humorous account of he and his partner's purchase of a property in Italy, and the development of it into a bed and breakfast. I laughed out loud several times while reading it, and marveled at the patience they had dealing with the Italian bureaucracy, neighbors, and especially their crazy contractor. This is not your typical "dreamer/lost soul/jilted lover buys a rundown house in the Italian/French/etc countryside" and it's usual accompanying finding romance/true purpose in life story. It's much better. Instead, Smulder's describes in detail the steps and pitfalls in the process. And makes it interesting. Especially the aforementioned crazy contractor, holy smokes!I have to admit, I had a vested interest in this book. My wife and I, thanks to being "adopted" by our Italian exchange student and her family, have strongly considered buying our own home in Italy. While we are still strongly considering it, this book has shown us some of what we might expect. It will not be as easy and painless as we thought, or as simple as buying a vacation home here in the U.S. Maybe just an extended vacation there this year, and maybe we can sneak down to the author's B & B on a side visit. One more vested interest. The author is from the Netherlands. Our next exchange student, arriving this August, is also from the Netherlands. The author's writing from a Dutch perspective gave me a look into the Dutch mindset/culture. Several times in the book, he described things (mechanical, etc) using descriptors that did not register with my American mind. I had to research a bit to find out what he was talking about. While it was somewhat confusing, it has helped prepare me better for seeing things from my new student's perspective. All in all, this is a very enjoyable book. I can highly recommend it to anyone with a travel bug, or anyone who wishes to experience a different culture written by someone from another different culture. It was fun!I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      Italy, new beginnings, humor, nonfiction Culture shock plus bureaucracy makes for some really great stories,and I think that Emese Mayhew did a fantastic job of translating from the original book written from personal notes by the Dutch author. The publisher's blurb gives clues but can't begin to prepare you for all of the insanity of totally changing countries and lifestyles told with an irrepressible sense of humor. I really didn't want to put it down, but life is what it is. So grab a copy and laugh yourself silly! I am so glad that I entered and won the LibraryThing Giveaway!
    • 4/5
      I was sent this book by the author after he read a review of another book that I had written. He did not ask for a review. He guessed right about my tastes. I really enjoyed it. It fits neatly into the "people emigrate to a new country to set up a new business and what befalls them" category. This time it is two Dutchmen moving to Italy to create a b & b. What befalls them is a stream of bureaucracy and form filling and. most critically, a builder called Tordi. I was amazed at their patience with him. The book is essentially episodic but he paints great pictures of even minor characters and it is very easy to read. They succeeded in their ambition eventually and I looked up their website. It looks a great place for a holiday!
    • 3/5
      I think if you were thinking of visiting or moving to Italy, then this book is a must to read. This story gives the more personal side of living in Italy ..... the nitty gritty bits of life in Italy. I found the school sections quite boring though and didn't think they should be in there anyway. The main story was the B & B and I think that should have been the main focus. The chapters themselves were short, which kept the interest. All in all a good story.
    • 3/5
      This book is on par with the "Under the Tuscan Sun," and others in the similar vein. It's all Italy, which is weird, considering all the other amazing countries out there. I wasn't written in a way that kept the reader interested with all these other, better written comparisons, but it wasn't terrible.
    • 4/5
      Entertaining and informative story about living in another country. Chapters made me laugh out loud while others made me sad for the author. Wow, what abundant patience the author had to cope with the all the red tape. A must read before embarking on the idea of living abroad.Thank you to librarything.com and the author for a copy of this book.
    • 5/5
      Well written, entertaining, really enjoyed it. It gave a nice look into Italian way of living.
    • 5/5
      Ever since Under the Tuscan Sun, I have thought that is my other life, my intended life. But after reading this book, I don't think I want to purchase an old house in Italy that needs work. This book made me realize that Italy is what I always thought it was, a relaxed, easy going culture where everything is no problem but can take 10 times longer to get done. Well written. If I'm ever back in Italy, I might have to find this B&B and stay a few nights.

      I received this book from Stef Smulders for my honest review.
    • 4/5
      Fun read about opening a b&b in Italy. Makes me want to visit. I googled the property and it’s beautiful. All the best to them.