In a continuation of the mini-series on living in Italy, today brings us to the work visa, the retirement visa, and the working holiday visa.

In this episode, we dive into why the work visa isn't as easy to get as a student visa, how to apply for it, and how to apply for other types of permits that will allow you to work in Italy (such as the Blue Card). As we mention towards the end of the episode, we highly encourage you to find a recruiter or an agency that helps with this in order to increase your chances of success.

As two other booking keeping notes, we have an updated website and this time we've added in what SHOULD be some subtle ads. Please let us know if you visit the website and feel bombarded by ads, that shouldn't be the case.

We will also be taking a break on Wednesday, February 26th while we visit Venice for the Carnavale.

Thank you all so much for listening!

www.onlyabag.com

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/onlyabag.com

Links:

Blue Card: https://www.apply.eu/BlueCard/

Blue Card Information: https://immigration-portal.ec.europa.eu/eu-blue-card/italy_en

Work Visa Information: https://visaguide.world/europe/italy-visa/long-stay/work/

Elective Residency Information: https://visaguide.world/retirement-visa/italy/

Working Holiday Visa: https://visaguide.world/europe/italy-visa/long-stay/working-holiday/

If you're thinking about moving to Italy and studying or working here, then one of the first steps is securing housing. While this might sound dry, trying to find an apartment in Italy can be one of the most rage-inducing aspects of living here, but it can also be one of the most exciting.

In this episode, we break down what to expect, what to look out for, what the lengths of a contract are, where to find apartments, and even how to get acodice fiscale.

We mentioned a few of the websites that we use which are:

immobiliare.it

idealista.it

casa.it

housinganywhere.com

And if you'd like to support Only A Bag, you can do so by using our affiliate link to sign up for Trusted Housesitters (if housesitting is something you'd like to explore!).

If you want to look at and compare the different costs of living in Italy, you can use Numbeo.

You can find us on onlyabag.com, Instagram, or BlueSky.

The 1 euro house project has been talked about in countless articles, on the news, and spread across social media. So, can you really buy a house in Italy for 1 euro? Sort of. What most people don't mention are the extra costs like taxes, fees, and renovation costs. Plus, did you know about the renovation timeline a homeowner has to adhere to? In this episode we lay out the details of buying a "1 euro house" and the alternative, buying an inexpensive house in Italy "regular style."

In this episode we mention two great resources.

Idealista article:

"1 euro houses in Italy: the villages still in the spotlight in 2025" by Flavio Di Stefano

One Euro Houses article:

Map of 1 euro houses

The HGTV show we mention is Fixer to Fabulous (during recording Darcy mistook this show for Home Town (a cuter show in her opinion)).

If you'd like to support the podcast you can use our affiliate Booking link or Trusted Housesitters link.

Thank you so much for listening! We would absolutely appreciate it if you could follow us and rate us wherever you listen; it helps the podcast grow and it makes us feel like we're making a difference!

You can find us at ⁠⁠onlyabag.com⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠@onlyabagpodcast⁠⁠.