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Hello kthaye2.

A new thread has been created from your message on the Tuscany Forum for better interaction.

Thanks.

Karen

When you say sell real estate you mean become a real estate agent?  You'll need residency or citizenship if you haven't already got it.  Then you need to do a course which requires you to do an exam and presentation in front of the class,  all in Italian of course.  For memory I think it was 10 hour course but I looked into this around 2 years ago so might have changed.

If Livorno is a resort town you might find seasonal employment during the summer as you know english but it would still be hard if you don't know Italian. I find there are mainly Germans here during the summer though, (was stuck in traffic for hours around a month ago and every car on the highway had the "D" for Deutschland). Italy has around 12% unemployment at the moment and it seems very difficult to find stable full time work and difficult to find temporary work.

Hello kthaye2.
Livorno is considered a good size because it is a port town.  However, I personally think it is rather ugly, except for the lungomare and the night lights.  I don't find much to do here, either, but it is quite centralized, with a good train system, making it easy to travel.  Yes, there is a population of Americans here, married to Italians, with jobs, but they are citizens.  While Italy doesn't require a license to sell real estate per se, foreigners must have a work visa in order to work; meaning residency or citizenship. I hope this helps.  Feel free to write again.

There is no work in Italy...not even washing up or cleaning. The people who work here for the summer season are employed for years by the same employer, hence no new job openings. My boyfriend has been unemployed for nearly 4 years, and he'd do anything....he even sorted through trash once, on a recycling project.

Livorno must be the ugliest place I've ever seen and the the people are rude, gruff and in my experience racist. My sisters were shocked when they came to visit me on holiday a couple of years ago.I'm only here for work reasons but will soon be moving to Pisa.

As an American you wouldn't be able to get a visa to live here because you are non-European. The Italian government won't give visas easily, even when you're married to a national. My Canadian colleague, married to a Livornese, has to go through a gruelling visa renewal every year - I think it's shocking.

Hope I haven't put the dampers on your plans.

Hi country bumkin,

Sorry to hear about all that, but there might be some good reasons to being there?

Regards,

David.

Being where exactly? You mean Livorno? Forget it! I had a colleague last year who had to be here to be with her husband. When she wasn't at work she couldn't leave the house....it was too depressing for her. Luckily they moved back to New York.

I'd suggest somewhere else in Tuscany..try Angloinfo Tuscany website for ideas.

Good luck in your quest.