Workation in Italy [what region, cost, atmosphere, period]

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Live like a digital nomad with more than enough sweet life around you. A workation in Italy is perhaps the ideal way to spend your time usefully and pleasantly. Here's what you need to know if you remote want to work in Italy.

More and more self-employed people and people in paid employment opt for a workation: a combination of holidaying and working. Logical too, because many are not necessarily tied to a location to do their work. Ideal candidates for a workation are screen workers such as copywriters, translators, graphic designers, online coaches and other professions.

The corona pandemic has taught us that it is often quite possible to do your work from another place. And what place is more beautiful for a workation than Italy?

Start the morning with a cappuccino and a fresh one brioche con cream, take a refreshing dip in the pool in the afternoon and read a book on your lounger with an Aperol Spritz on the side to have a nice barbecue or to get a pizza in the evening. Vivere la vita pazza!

Waking up like this for a few weeks and then going to work with a cappuccino? (photo: Danilo D'Agostino/Unsplash)

Why is Italy the perfect destination for a workation?

As an Italy lover, we probably don't have to tell you this, but still, briefly:

Depending on the region, Italy has a perfect climate with mild winters and warm summers. Even in the early and late season, the weather is often pleasant. Of course it can also rain and be chilly in Italy, so if you want beach weather, you should plan your workation in the summer season and a little further south.
Dolce vita, no doubt. In Italy you always combine work with enjoyment. From the people around you, from the sun, from the landscapes and medieval villages and, last but not least, from the delicious food!
Staying overnight and eating here can still be reasonably cheap, if you avoid the tourist hotspots.
Italy has no time difference with the Netherlands and Belgium and you simply pay with the euro here.
Italy has a large community of digital nomads and remote workers, so you can easily make contact with others.

Are there also disadvantages of Italy for a workation?

Of course there are also some disadvantages, which we do not think are insurmountable, but still good to know:

Italy is not necessarily a good destination if you are vegetarian or vegan.
You cannot assume that you can get by in English everywhere.
The internet speed is not always as high as you are used to at home or at work.
Some things happen the Italian way in Italy.
Traffic can be hectic and more popular places are very busy in the summer season.
In the summer it is often too hot in Italy to work (the cities are empty).

Traveling and working: that's how it can be (photo: standsome/Unsplash)

The best time for a workation in Italy

That depends entirely on your wishes, but for the classic workation where you combine sea and beach with working in a hammock, you are dependent on spring and summer. From April to September you can often enjoy the sun and pleasant temperatures. Keep in mind that this is also the tourist season and that it can get busy in some places.

High summer in Italy (July and August) is often very hot. If you still want to be able to work, you need a cool place. For example, a room with air conditioning (or very thick walls). A swimming pool nearby is therefore nice. Please note that in the month August many Italians (and tourists) move to the coast. Shops and offices sometimes close for weeks. Even larger cities can feel dead.

What can you do during your workation?

That is of course entirely up to you! Most workationers combine the useful with the pleasant. You then work for a few hours in the morning, in order to close the laptop in time in the afternoon and enjoy everything the area has to offer. That can vary from a dip in the pool, the lake or the sea, to a walk in the many beautiful gardens and parks that you will find all over Italy.

In large cities you can enjoy lunch with other digital nomads, take a city walk or visit attractions in and around the city. Join a group (see below) that also enjoys meeting others and doing activities together.

You can also perfectly combine a workation with learning the Italian language, a cooking workshop, wine tasting or other cultural or sporting activities. Just working in a different environment can be very inspiring and give you new ideas.

Find accommodation

The most important thing to arrange if you go to Italy with a workation is the accommodation. Where do you stay during that week, weeks or months?

Italy offers several accommodation options for a workation, including coworking spaces, shared workspaces, flexible offices and luxury villas. If you are looking for an authentic Italian experience, you can choose to stay in a bed and breakfast or agriturismo.

You don't need much for a workation in Italy (photo: Gabriella Clare Marino/Unsplash)

Do you need more privacy and space? Then consider renting an apartment or villa with a number of like-minded people. There are also many coworking spaces in Italy's major cities, such as Rome, Milan and Florence, where you can work in a professional environment and connect with other workationers.

If you google 'workation Italy' you will find a number of accommodation providers with fast internet. But a search can also start well on Airbnb or another website that offers rooms and apartments.

Please note that Italian law requires you to sign a contract with the host if you wish to stay in one place for longer than 30 days. To enter into such a rental contract, you need a fiscal Code (burgerservicenummer) is required. You can easily request such a number from an Agenzia delle Entrate. You also need this number if you want to apply for a bank account, take out a telephone contract or – to name a few – buy an Italian house.

Tip:: there are often special discounts for longer stays. Also try searching for 'workation' on the various platforms for surprising results!

Internet and stuff

The internet speed strongly depends on where you are going and the accommodation you choose. In general, the internet in Italy is of sufficient speed, but you should not expect the fiber optic speeds that you are used to at home in the Netherlands or Belgium.

If you want to be able to use the internet on a mobile basis, it is useful to purchase a local SIM card with a data subscription. This can be done through one of the many Italian providers. Walk into a phone shop to get advice. Then connect your laptop or tablet to your smartphone to use the internet.

You can also spend some money on one mifi, a mobile hotspot. Internet via public WiFi is also possible in many places in Italy, but you often need an account for this. It may then be easier to take a seat in a cafe. Please note that you should not arrange banking and other privacy-sensitive matters via a public network.

Surely the best place to use the internet and print is a coworking space, which you will find in every medium to large Italian city (see also the section below).

How do you meet other workationers in Italy?

It's easy to find coworking spaces in Italian cities (Photo: CoWomen/Pexels)

It is of course nice to get in touch with other remote workers if you go to Italy for a longer period of time to work and to enjoy a holiday there. Good news, in Italy you will find large communities of digital nomads, expats and backpackers with whom you can easily make contact.

If you stay in the big city centres, there are always coworking places you can go to. Many workationers make grateful use of this.

Here are a few popular examples (but there are many more):

Rome: Groworking & Coaster
Milan: Spaces (7 locations)
Florence: The SocialHub
Turin: Impact Hub Torino
Napels: The Spark Creative Hub

You see: even if you don't have accommodation suitable for working (for example because the internet is too slow or absent), you can also go to a coworking space that you will find in every major city in Italy. There are often advantageous rates to use the facilities for a week or a month.

During the preparation for your workation you can start getting acquainted while you are still at home. You can go to Meetup, a platform aimed at meeting new people.

Are you staying in another Italian city? Then use the search bar on Meetup. You will find local initiatives almost everywhere. You can also join one of the groups dedicated to learning Italian. This way you can both learn the language and meet new people.

*Dolce vita* for remote workers (photo: Armin Rimoldi/Pexels)

On Facebook there is the Tandem Linguistico for Italian speakers and Dutch speakers on Facebook. There are also other Facebook groups you can check out for meeting new people, such as:

By the way, you don't necessarily have to go on the adventure alone. There are plenty of options (which are also offered in the groups above) to go with a group. You can assume that the people who sign up for this all have about the same way of life. Often there is also a group app in advance where you can get in touch with each other.

What about the language?

If you are staying in Italy for a longer period of time, it is certainly useful to learn some Italian. English is not yet a second national language in Italy, as it is in the Netherlands. That said: the younger generation (40's and younger) simply speaks English (although they are sometimes a bit timid to speak it) and especially in the metropolitan areas you will have no trouble getting by in English.

You can combine a longer stay in Italy with an Italian course on location. This way you will be able to have some simple conversations in Italian after just a few weeks and your workation will bring even more experience and satisfaction.

You will also regularly find digital nomads at Starbucks in Milan (photo: Babak Habibi/Unsplash)

What are the best destinations for an Italian workation?

The best destination depends on your own wishes. Do you want a beach workation? Then go to Apulia, Sicily or Sardinia. Do you like urban hectic? Then travel to Rome, Milan, Florence or Bologna.

Each of these cities has its own charms. Rome, for example, has a rich history and offers many opportunities to explore, while Florence is known for its art and architecture. Milan is a trendy city with a thriving business and international scene, while Bologna is known for its authentic Italian charm and student life.

Want the raw Italy? Welcome to Naples or Palermo. The real island feeling? Elba, Capri, Ischia and Procida all meet your requirements.

You see: all of Italy is suitable for a workation. It mainly depends on your own preferences, which one you choose. Which region appeals to you the most?

Do you like an international environment where you can also speak English? Milan is *the place to be* (photo: Vitaliy Zamedyanskiy/Unsplash)

If you don't have any work yourself that you could do as a digital nomad from abroad, there are also various organizations that mediate in working abroad. Companies in destinations across Europe have ongoing vacancies for people like you.