Rome, Italy Report of what it's like to live there - 06/15/26
Personal Experiences from Rome, Italy
Background:
1. Was this post your first expatriate experience? If not, what other cities have you lived in as an expat?
This is my fifth expatriate experience. I'm not new to the unfurnished post rodeo so that wasn't an issue.
2. What is your home city/country? How long is the trip to post from there, with what connections? How easy/difficult is it to travel to this city/country?
Northern Virginia. About a 8 hour travel time depending on which fly America/city pair flight you get saddled with. Easy in and out.
3. What years did you live here?
2023-2026.
4. How long have you lived here?
Three years.
5. What brought you to this city (e.g. diplomatic mission, business, NGO, military, teaching, retirement, etc.)?
Diplomatic mission
Housing, Groceries & Food:
1. What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
We were assigned housing in the Pinciana region, basically north of Villa Borghese. We were lucky to get an apartment decent enough for our family size. It has a portiere who is super nice and does their best considering the other tenants in the apartment building. No balconies but it's very spacious considering. No storage whatsoever.
We do not have parking at our apartment and it's a good ten-minute walk to the parking garage. The parking attendants will ignore you if you're a woman and the hours don't seem to line up with what they post. Most of the time we end up needing to park on the street. However, there has been a major uptick of car thefts, even with diplomatic license plates. One person's car was stolen right in front of a police station; so while the garage is the best place to park, it's not always open.
Apartment size and what you get totally varies. Our neighbors in the same size unit as us have a completely different layout and it depends on what the owners/landlords have decided to do to upgrade.
I feel lucky I can easily walk into the Embassy in about 20-30 minutes through Villa Borghese, or take a bus (if they actually show up) or use a Lime or Dott scooter.
To provide context on what we do not like, our dissatisfaction with the housing is specifically tied to the behavior of other US Embassy personnel within our building. While we previously had no issues with neighbors, the arrival of some new mission families has introduced significant challenges. Multiple residents (including Italian residents) have raised concerns about their conduct that they perceive as inconsiderate or unprofessional. Concerns have also been expressed regarding some of the interactions particularly with other women, which some residents have considered inappropriate.
2. How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Find a good variety of produce is very hard as the Italians like to only sell what is in season and fresh. So that means an overload of zucchinis for a few weeks and very little 'other' types of produce. We ended up shopping at the International markets and asian stores to get a decent variety of certain vegetables and fruits.
Lots of speciality cleaning stores and houseware stores. Best places to shop are the much larger stand alone grocery stores, but they require a car to drive out to.
3. What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
I do okay with spices, but ones like dried dill and Mexican spices are really hard to find. Plenty of Asian and Indian grocery stores in the city. Castroni's near the Vatican has a wall of Mexican food items, but it's a pain to get to.
4. What typical restaurants, food delivery services, and/or takeout options are popular among expatriates?
We use Deliveroo and Glovo quite a bit when we don't cook at home. Usually only for fast food or non-Italian cuisine. Our area has multiple restaurants to include a few that have English speaking waiters due to the high influx of English speaking expats (Brits and Canadians as well).
5. Are there any unusual problems with insects or other infestations in housing?
If you open your windows when it weather is nicer, you'll get bit by mosquitos.
Daily Life:
1. How do you send and receive your letters and package mail? Are local postal facilities adequate?
DPO does it best, however the DPO sorting center in the US is quite possibly the worst I've ever experienced. Even my medication gets sent to the wrong DPO and I've watched it bounce between Albania, Tel Aviv, Turkemenistan, back to the US, and finally to Rome. Items I order from ebay or Etsy arrive in decent time, but anything Amazon is hit or miss. I had a Quince order that took two months to get here as it was mis-sent to other places first.
Again, not the fault of the DPO here, they are fantastic people working there, but a much larger issue with the sorting centers back in the US.
I am able to get mail locally and often order things to our apartment. Our portiere will collect them for us during the day. People who live in Grazioli are unable to order things to the residence, so that is the only downside of living there.
2. What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
We employ a housecleaner to come every two weeks. I know a lot of people with nannies and more full time help. What most people don't realise is you have to pay 13th month and a holiday bonus. At the end of your tour, people are shocked how much 'extra' they owe for the help. One family who stayed here four years and employed a full time housekeeper/babysitter ended up paying well over $10k in severance fees for the help upon departure. Embassy HR is really excellent about informing incoming personnel, but most ignore it.
3. Do you feel that it is safe to walk, run or hike outside? Are there areas where bike riding is possible? What is the availability and safety of outdoor space for exercising? Are these easily accessible?
I walk all the time. Never had an issue.
4. What kinds of gyms or other sports/workout facilities are available? Are they expensive?
Embassy has a gym that is maintained by AECA. It's okay, it's good for it being there.
5. Are credit cards widely accepted and safe to use locally? Are ATMs common and do you recommend using them? Are they safe to use?
Credit cards almost everywhere to include Apple Pay. Smaller vendors prefer cash. ATMs are fine. The BNL in the Embassy charges and arm and leg in service fees, I avoid using that one.
6. What English-language religious services are available locally?
St. Patrick's Catholic American Church. There are a few others scattered around for various Protestant services.
7. How much of the local language do you need for daily living? Are local language classes/tutors available and affordable?
I struggle hard, in fact my lack of language training has made my tour extremely hard. I have issues at the doctor's office/hospitals, getting blood drawn, communicating with anyone in my neighborhood. Embassy offers classes but the times for the classes are at the worst possible ones. Many use online tutors.
8. Would someone with physical disabilities have difficulties living in this city?
Yes, very much so.
Transportation:
1. Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?
Buses are a roller coaster of a ride. They are safe, but never on time and sometimes they never stop even when flagging them them. Taxi stands are everywhere and I use Uber a lot.
2. What kind of vehicle(s) including electric ones do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, infrastructure, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car or vehicles do you advise not to bring?
Car theft is on the rise. Many folks have purchased wheel locks or installed Apple Tags in the cars to find them later on.
If you will get a dip plate, any car is fine, you can even park in the 'no no' areas. If you won't get a dip plate, smaller is better.
Phone & Internet:
1. Is high-speed home Internet access available? How long does it typically take to install it after arrival?
Yes, there is a guy at the Embassy that helps with installing TIM in your apartment.
2. Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
We use TIM pay as you go for the family, but there are other options.
Pets:
1. Are qualified veterinarians and/or good kennel services available? Do animals need to be quarantined upon entry to the country? Are there other considerations regarding pets that are particular to this country?
YES. Frederica is a phenomenal vet and makes house calls to newly arrived personnel until they get their cars. Dogs often have a hard time adjusting to using the bathroom on the streets/pavement.
Employment & Volunteer Opportunities:
1. What types of jobs do most expatriate spouses/partners have? Locally based or telecommuting? Full-time or part-time? Can you comment on local salary scales?
Most spouses are unable to secure a job. I've heard of so many depressed and upset spouses about lack of employment for them. There are spousal groups but they are geared towards women (aka crafts as a get together). It's a massive gripe among spouses without jobs. I've heard of many lashing out or needing mental health care due to lack of purpose.
2. What volunteer opportunities are available locally?
Plenty if you can speak Italian.
3. What is the typical dress code at work and in public places? Is formal dress ever required?
The Embassy issued a dress code about a year ago. For anyone who has worked at Main State it should be no surprise. Suits for higher up personnel and business casual for everyone else. The dress code extended to family visiting the Embassy compound as well (but very few follow it). It gets very very hot in the summer, so many personnel come into work casually and change in the office into their suits.
Health & Safety:
1. Are there personal security concerns to be aware of at this post? Please describe.
I've had issues with other residents in our building (non-Americans), and have been accosted on the street and yelled at and told to 'go back home' because of anti-American sentiment in our area.
2. Are there any particular health concerns? What is the quality of available medical care? What medical conditions typically require medical evacuation?
You are better off getting more serious medical care outside of Rome if possible. I had issues dealing with women's health care because I got asked if my husband approved. I've had doctors refuse to talk to me and will only relay results to the Embassy Medical Unit. This leaves the Embassy Medical Unit in a quandary, because they didn't relay any useful information to them and there is a round robin of phone calls to get the results of the medical appointment.
I would take all medical diagnosis with a complete grain of salt. The medical care is better in Milan. If you have a dentist or doctor that also practices in Milan, they are the better option. We are personally waiting to return to CONUS to get more intensive medical care done.
3. What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
Pollen is terrible. Everyone suffers in the spring. Air quality is generally bad, but I've seen worse in East Asian countries.
4. What do people who suffer from environmental or food allergies need to know?
I've had to use my Epi-pen more times than I can count here. I've been to gelatarias and asked if something had nuts, been told it's nut free and immediately identified the gelato did indeed have nuts in it. We have a tendency to cook a lot of food at home for this reason.
5. Are there any particular mental health issues that tend to crop up at post, such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (winter blues)?
A lot of people are not happy to live here, but state it's better than other posts. Too many turn to alcohol stating they are enjoying the Italian wine, but it's clear on alcoholism, not wine appreciation.
6. What is the overall climate: is it extremely hot or cold, wet or dry, at any time of year, for example?
Summer is Dante's inferno here. Rest of the year is decent.
Schools & Children:
1. What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
AOSR and Marymount are the main two.
I would put it as this: if your child wants sports, go to AOSR. If your child wants to excel academically, go to Marymount.
2. What accommodations do schools make for special-needs kids?
Marymount makes plenty, I cannot comment about AOSR.
Expat Life:
1. Is this a good city for single people? For couples? For families? Why or why not?
My kids have made friends with classmates and they use Uber extensively to go out and visit or hang with their friends in the city. The other families in our neighbourhood we do not want to associate with.
2. What have been the highlights of your time in this country? Best trips or experiences?
Our best experiences have definitely been the vacations we've planned outside of Rome and Italy, with the single exception of our trip to the Christmas markets in the Dolomites. Overall, I've found traveling outside the country to be more enjoyable than staying within it.
3. Is this a "shopping post"? Are there interesting handicrafts, artwork, antiques, or other items that people typically buy there?
Plenty of shopping, but you are better going to Milan.
4. What are the particular advantages of living in this city?
It's not WMA.
Words of Wisdom:
1. What do you wish you had known about this particular city/country before moving there?
If you don't have the language you will struggle hard.
2. Knowing what you know now, would you still move to this city?
For the schools, definitely. The workplace frustrations were a price worth paying for the education my children received at Marymount. I would put up with living here and staying longer if my kids could continue their education at Marymount.
