Please welcome Cherrye from My Bella Vita.  She will be answering some of the most common questions about how to become an expat in Italy.  And now without further ado, here's Cherrye......

(Some) of Your Expat in Italy Questions Answered

For many people,living in Italy is a dream. Maybe they’ve visited the bel paese, enjoyed thetrip-of-a-lifetime and always imagined what it would be like to live here … towake up every morning to Florence’s Duomo, Rome’s Coliseum or Venice’s canals.

Maybe they ache toshop at local markets, hop on a train and explore new destinations or perfectone of the most romantic languages in the world.

I get that.

I also, like Katie,get emails pouring in, asking for more details on how to create a life inItaly-and today, we’re going to address three of those questions.

Q. I’ve alwaysdreamed of living in Italy. How can I stay there legally?

A: Gulp. Ok. So the most-often asked question is alsoone of the most difficult to answer and unfortunately, I can’t fill Katie’swebsite with the answers. I can, however, direct you to other sites that canhelp and warn you that Italy is notorious for its bureaucracy. If you areserious about pursuing your dream to live in Italy, then get started early andpractice your patience.

For generalinformation, as well as a fabulously informative forum, visit Expats in Italy (http://expatsinitaly.com/).

 For questions on getting your Italian citizenshipthrough your ancestry, visit Italia America (http://www.italiamerica.org/id71.htm).

Q. I’m moving toItaly and need a job. How hard do you think it will be to find one?

A: It obviouslydepends on which part of Italy you are moving to and I can’t speak to the easeof finding work in larger cities, but it is hard as hell to find a good-payingjob in southern Italy. Scratch that. It is hard as hell to find a job insouthern Italy.

Many southern Italians-withcollege degrees-have a hard time finding suitable work, it won’t be any easierfor an expat. That being said, you can explore the ultimate expatjob-teaching!-or do what many of us do and start your own business. Forinformation on starting a business in Italy, visit Career by Choice (http://www.careerbychoice.com/) .

Q: What is the costof living in southern Italy?

A: The cost of livingin southern Italy is not proportionate to the average salary and many thingsare much more expensive here than they are in the United States. Gas iscurrently around $6.50 per gallon, Walmart-brand mascara (for those of you whoare interested) is around $11.00 and a small jar of Jiffy peanut butter is morethan $6.00. Other things, like wine, cappuccino and pizza are more affordablehere than in the US.

The best thing toremember when considering a move to Italy-or any other country-is to do your homework, ask questions that are applicable to your case and be patient. Afterall, the best things in life are worth the wait.

Cherrye Moore is asouthern Italy travel consultant (http://my-bellavita.com/travel-consulting/)and freelance writer living in Calabria, Italy. She is currently hostingBlogging from the Boots: The Best of 2009 (http://www.affordablecallingcards.net/2010/expats-in-italy-blogging-awards)- the first annual expats in Italy (http://www.affordablecallingcards.net/calling-cards-to-italy)blogging awards. Submit or nominate your favorite expat-written blog poststoday!