Geographic information

Located in Southern Europe, the Italian Republic, includes mainland and the major islands of Sicily and Sardinia covering a land area of 301,230 square km. Italy’s capital city is Rome. Italy shares its northern border with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. The biggest island of the Mediterranean and of Italy is Sicily whose capital is Palermo. Sardinia the second biggest island is situated 320 km northwest of Sicily and its capital is Sassari. Within the frontiers of Italy the sovereign Republic of San Marino, with an area of 61.2 square km, and the state of Vatican City, which covers 44 hectares are located.

Italy is mostly mountainous country with narrow plains on the coast. The mountain ranges are the Alps (with the highest peak in the country Mont Blanc 4,807 m), the Dolomites and the Apennines that run towards South of the country. At the foot of the Alps, there is the Po River, the only large river in Italy that provides water for the plains that surround it and forms the agricultural and industrial heartland of the country. Other smaller rivers are Arno and Tiber. Italy has the only active volcanoes in Europe: Vesuvius (Naples), Mount Etna (Sicily) and Stromboli (Aeolian Islands).

Climate

In general, Italy has four seasons. On the coast the climate is mainly mild with cool, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. Inland and the mountains are colder with cold winters, warm summers, and considerable rain, falling mostly in spring and autumn, with heavy snow in the mountains. The coldest period is from December to January, the hottest from July to August. Winter temperatures range from below zero in the north to 18°C in Sicily, while during summer temperatures are often similar north to south from 24°C to 30°C. The east coast of the Italian peninsula is not as wet as the west coast, but is usually colder in the winter. Annual rainfall varies from about 50 cm per year, on the southeast coast and in Sicily and Sardinia, to over 200 cm in the Alps.

Language

The Italian language is a Romance language that originated from Latin spoken by the Ancient Romans. Italian is very close to other Romance languages: 89 percent of its vocabulary is shared with French, 88 percent with Catalan, 82 percent with Spanish and Portuguese, and 77 percent with Romanian. If you speak one of these languages it will be easier for you to understand and learn Italian.

The standard Italian language is based on the writings of Tuscan writers in the 12^th century. However, only in the 19^th century it became the standard language of a newly unified Italy (with 2.5 percent of the population that could speak the language at that moment).  Nowadays, Italian holds the status of the official language and is spoken by the majority of people. Almost every Italian region has its own regional dialect (Sicilian, Roman, Venetian, Neapolitan etc.). It is estimated that about half of Italy’s population first gets familiar with the dialect and is then exposed to the standard Italian in elementary school. However, standard Italian stays the only written language.

Italian is the fourth most studied language in the world. The Italian alphabet has 21 letter. Letters j, k, w, x and y don’t exist in standard Italian, except for in loan words (e.g. ‘jeans’). Italians are often said to be singing when speaking. That is because almost all words in Italian end with a vowel.

Where is Italian spoken outside of Italy?

Italian is spoken also as an official language in Switzerland, Istria (region of Croatia), San Marino, Vatican, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Romania. Twelve minority languages are spoken in Italy: German, French, Greek, Albanian, Ladin, Slovene, Sardinian, Friulian, Occitan, Provençal and Croatian.

Italian political system

Italy is a democratic parliamentary republic (from 1946), with a multi-party system. The president (currently Sergio Mattarella) is the head of state, though this is a largely ceremonial role.  Prime Minister has the most important role in the country and he presides the Council of the Ministers. The president is not elected by the people, but by secret voting by parliament and regional representatives and serves seven-year terms. Parliamen is reelected every five-years. After World War II, the centrist Party of Christian Democracy and the left-wing Italian Communist Party dominated Italian politics. Today there is a shift towards centrist and right wing orientation with the Democratic Party, Five Star Movement (centrist),  Lega Nord (right wing) and Forza Italia (center-right) being the main parties. Italy is divided into 20 regions. Five of these: Sardinia, Sicily, Trentino-Alto Adige, Aosta Valley and Friuli-Venezia Giulia have special status and a greater degree of independence. The regions are divided into provinces and provinces into communes.

Please, for more information refer to a chapter Political system and society.

People

Italy has a mixed ethnical heritage due to influences and domination of different groups in the past.

Italy is the sixth most populated country in Europe with a population of approximately 60 million. The largest ethnic group are the Native Italians. Population density is very uneven. In the Po Valley, the density is high with almost half of the country’s population. Other densely inhabited areas include the metropolitan areas of big cities like Rome, Milan and Naples. 71.8 % of the population is urban (42,587,390 people in 2018) and the average age in Italy is 46.3 years.

The notion of ethnic minority groups in Italy is connected to the language they speak. So people speaking minority languages like German, French, Greek, Albanian, Ladin, Slovene, Sardu, Friulian, Occitan, Provençal and Croatian are considered minorities. The Rom and Sinti are considered separately.

The presence of different ethnicities in Italy continues to the present day as Italy has transformed into an immigration country from the 1970 onwards. Until then Italy was a country of strong emigration with about 13 million people who emigrated from 1880 to 1976.  This makes Italy a country of short immigration history. It is estimated that there are over 5 million foreign residents in Italy today, which accounts for 7.5% of the total population. Their distribution over the Italian regions is unequal with 2.9 million residing in the North region, 1.3 millions in the Centre and 800 000 in the South and the Islands. Largest groups of migrants living in Italy come from Romania, Albania, North Africa, China, and Ukraine. The most numerous foreign communities in Sicily come from Romania, Tunisia, Morocco and Sri Lanka.

Italy’s geographical position in the heart of the Mediterranean (but also close to conflict areas like the Balkans or Maghreb) has contributed in becoming a country of immigration. The first immigrants to Italy came for work purposes from North Africa, Asia and Latin America. Migrants are arriving in Italy via land and via seaports on the Adriatic coast, in Sicily and in Sardinia claiming refugee status. From the 1980s onwards and further on with the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe immigrants arrived from the ex-Yugoslavia region, Poland, Romania and Albania. Nowadays, African immigration has taken the lead in the number of arrivals making more than 60 percent of all migrants arrived. According to data provided by UNHCR (https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/mediterranean/location/5205) in 2017 around 119.247 migrants, most of them from Nigeria, Pakistan, Gambia and Senegal, arrived in Italy.

 Further information & links

General information about Italy:  https://www.britannica.com/place/Italy/Education#ref27024

https://www.encyclopedia.com/places/spain-portugal-italy-greece-and-balkans/italian-political-geography/italy#POPULATION

Immigration to Italy how it has changed over the last half century: https://openmigration.org/en/analyses/immigration-to-italy-how-it-has-changed-over-the-last-half-century/

Italian political system: https://www.thelocal.it/20170518/italys-political-system-key-things-to-know

Italian political system

Italy is a democratic parliamentary republic (from 1946), with a multi-party system. There are three branches of power in Italy: executive, legislative, and juridical.

• The president (currently Sergio Mattarella) is the head of state, though this is a largely ceremonial role. The president is not elected by the people, but by secret voting by parliament and regional representatives and serves seven-year terms. The president’s duties are to name the Prime minister (though this usually happens after a general election), to call for elections, to call referendums, and to officially put laws into effect (though they are created and passed by others).
• Prime Minister has the most important role in the country and he presides the Council of the Ministers. The Council holds the executive power in Italy. The ministers are responsible for executing laws and other political decisions.
• The legislative power belongs to Parliament; whose main job is to make laws. Italy’s parliament is made up of two houses which both have equal power: The Chamber of Deputies (or Lower House) and the Senate (Upper House). Italian citizens reelect parliament every five-years on the elections.
• The judiciary power belongs to judges, who are responsible for implementing the laws passed by Parliament

Some rules of the voting system:

• Italians have the right to elect and to get elected (if they are candidates of a party).
• Political parties participate on the elections, not individuals. Individuals vote.
• Italians get to vote for each of the houses of Parliament.
• You can vote on the elections only when you get the Italian citizenship. If you are a refugee, after 5 years of residence in Italy you can ask for the citizenship. For migrants this period is 10 years.
• All Italian citizens aged over 18 can vote for members of the Chamber of Deputies. When it comes to Senate elections, however, the voting age rises to 25.

The Italian constitution is the highest general act which establishes the basic ground rules of society. The current Constitution dates back to 1948. The articles are divided into three categories: fundamental principles, rights and duties of the citizens, and organization of the Republic. Thus, everyone living in Italy has guaranteed the same human rights and fundamental freedoms, regardless of nationality, race, sex, language, religion, political or other belief, material status, birth, education, social status, disability or any other personal circumstance.

Political parties in Italy

Italy has a plenty of political parties. After World War II, the centrist Party of Christian Democracy and the left-wing Italian Communist Party dominated Italian politics. Around 1992 a series of scandals (investigation about political corruption) rocked Italy’s major political parties. This major changes of the parties marked the end of the period known as the ‘First Republic’ and the period from then until now is known as the Second Republic. On today’s political scene in Italy there is a shift towards the centrist and right wing orientation with the Democratic Party, Five Star Movement (centrist),  Northern League (right wing) and Forza Italia (center-right) being the main parties.

Italy is divided into 20 regions. Five of these: Sardinia, Sicily, Trentino-Alto Adige, Aosta Valley and Friuli-Venezia Giulia have special status and a greater degree of independence. The regions are divided into provinces and provinces into communes.

Further links & info:

http://www.integrazionemigranti.gov.it/en/legal-framework/fundamental-rights/Pages/Italy.aspx

https://www.thelocal.it/20170518/italys-political-system-key-things-to-know

Holidays

In Italy the constitution and other laws and policies protect religious freedom (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion). There is no state religion in Italy. Each and every faith is welcome. Some have been practiced along with Catholicism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church) since the earliest times, like Judaism. Others have become important in much more recent years, as a result of immigration, like Orthodoxy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_Orthodoxy), Islam (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam) and Budhism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism). However, due to its sovereign status and historical political authority, the Roman Catholic Church has some privileges not given to other religious groups.

Geographically, the heart of the Catholic Church is within Italian soil with the Vatican city.

The dominant religion in Italy is Christianity (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity).  74.4% of Italy’s residents are Christians, 22.6% of the population does not belong to any religion – either since birth or because they have resigned from a religion,  3.0% adhere to other religions.^[1]  The most numerous subgroup of Christians are Catholics that make around 71,1% of the population. Among religious minorities,  Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy (1,6 million (2,60%)) is the largest, followed by,  Islam (1,4 million (2,34%)) and almost entirely Sunnits) Protestantism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Judaism. They have their places of worship in Italy.

Holidays in Italy follow the Christian religion (Catholic) or historic incidences. There are no Muslim holidays.   Wearing a headscarf because of religious reasons is allowed, but there are laws that penalize those who attempt to hide their identity by wearing a face-concealing attire (burqa and niqab).

Religious and political affairs are separated in Italy. The Italian law is superior to any religious regulations.

As everywhere in Italy there is a percentage of people who are willing to share and be connected with people of different religions. There are associations working towards a peaceful coexistence and interreligious dialogue between citizens.  If you are a victim of discrimination, please refer to anti-discrimination offices open in many municipalities or to:

ASGI juridical help

UNAR

Forum antirazzista Palermo

https://www.lifeinitaly.com/culture/religion

https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/208540.pdf

https://riforma.it/it/articolo/2016/02/01/litalia-e-le-religioni-nel-2016

http://www.mondita.it/2017/02/religioni-italia-2016/

http://eurispes.eu/content/rapporto-italia-2016-la-sindrome-del-palio

^[1]http://www.acli.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Cattolici-e-politica-analisi-Ipsos-novembre-2017.pdf

 Individual and collective rights of residents

As resident on the Italian territory you are guaranteed fundamental rights (UN Declaration of Human rights) and specific rights defined by the Italian Constitution (Article 2) (For further information, check: http://www.prefettura.it/FILES/AllegatiPag/1187/Costituzione_ENG.pdf). You also have specific responsibilities.

Article 2 expresses the Italian State’s acknowledgement of inviolable human rights. Legal foreign residents’ rights in Italy are based on the principle of equity. They include political participation, civil, family, and social rights such as:

• access to work;
• right to family reunification;
• right to social assistance;
• right to health care;
• right to request a travel document equivalent to a passport (if your embassy in Italy is not willing to issue the passport);
• right to public education;
• Education in Italy is compulsory from 6 to 16 years of age, but for unaccompanied foreign minors, beyond age proscribed the obligation is the third year of the middle school. This is obligatory also for those who have studied in their country of origin and cannot do a conversion of their diploma. However, for them there is the possibility of doing 3 years in one year.
• right to move freely within the territory of the European Union (excluding Denmark and Great Britain) without any visa, for a period not exceeding 3 months;
• right to apply for Italian citizenship after 5 years of residency in Italy;
• right to marriage;
• right to participate in the allocation of public housing;
• right to issue a driving license;
• right to be protected against discrimination;
• right to freely participate in public life.

Rights of the asylum seeker

In Italy asylum seekers have the right to an asylum procedure and to primary care including adequate housing, food, health care and pocket money. You are also allowed to work (http://www.asylumineurope.org/reports/country/italy/reception-conditions/employment-education/access-labour-market) once 60 days from the application request have passed. You are protected against discrimination (https://www.esteri.it/mae/en/politica_estera/temi_globali/diritti_umani/litalia_e_i_diritti_umani.html) Asylum seekers have the duty to contribute to the asylum procedure. However, you don’t have the right to family reunification before you get the answer from the Immigration office about your application.

Right to the Italian citizenship

As a holder of international protection in Italy, you have the right to acquire the Italian citizenship (https://www.cittadinanzattiva.it/approfondimenti/giustizia/11085-cittadinanza-italiana-come-si-ottiene.html) on the conditions defined by the relevant law.

• Refuges can apply for the citizenship after 5 years of regular residence in Italy
• Subsidiary and Humanitarian protection holders can apply for the citizenship after 10 years of regular residence in Italy
• Possess sufficient personal income (€ 263,31) or family income (€ 11.362,05  increased for € 516.00 for each additional family member)

The application for Italian citizenship is done exclusively ON LINE, by registering on the portal of the Ministry of the Interior at the following link: https://cittadinanza.dlci.interno.it

The residence permit renewal

Residence permit is automatically delivered when you get the answer on you application for international protection.

When you receive your residence permit, you will sign the integration agreement (http://www.stranieriinitalia.it/l-esperto-risponde/accordo-di-integrazione-e-permesso-a-punti/accordo-di-integrazione-e-permesso-a-punti/laccordo-di-integrazione-in-16-lingue.html) that obliges you to certain commitments (such as language and civic education) that represent conditions for permit renewal when it expires.

Conditions set by the Integration agreement for the residence permit renewal:

• acquire an adequate level of knowledge (http://www.integrazionemigranti.gov.it/en/services/language/Pages/default.aspx) of the Italian language (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_language) equivalent to at least A2 level of Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (you will pass a test);
• acquire sufficient knowledge of the fundamental principles of the Constitution and of functioning of public institutions in Italy;
• acquire sufficient knowledge of civil and social life in Italy (health, school, social services, work, tax obligations);
• guarantee the fulfillment of the education obligation for minor children;
• adhere to and respect the principles of the Charter of values of citizenship and integration (https://www.istruzionepadova.it/studenti/EdCivica/MI_Carta-Dei-Valori_EN.pdf) .

Some proofs that you respected the Agreement will be asked from you:

• Accumulation of 30 credits
• Credits are acquired by attending Italian language courses, civic culture courses and activities such as: education and vocational training, having chosen your primary care physician, signing of a lease or purchase of a house, voluntary work.
• Credits are lost if the person violates a law and gets convicted
• Participation to the Session on civic training (16 credits)
• Language test

For further information about the integration agreement:

Integration Agreement in 16 languages: http://www.stranieriinitalia.it/l-esperto-risponde/accordo-di-integrazione-e-permesso-a-punti/accordo-di-integrazione-e-permesso-a-punti/laccordo-di-integrazione-in-16-lingue.html https://www.cittametropolitana.bo.it/immigrazione/Engine/RAServeFile.php/f/Accordointegrazione_vademecum_2015.pdf

Duties to fulfill living in Italy (http://www.insardegnamigranti.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=136&Itemid=43&lang=en)

As an equal member of the Italian society, you will have certain duties (http://www.pratomigranti.it/en/documenti/permesso-soggiorno/accordo-integrazione/pagina54.html) to fulfill like: learning the Italian, respecting the laws proscribed by the Italian Constitution and sharing the norms and fundamental values of the Republic (e.g. gender equality, the rights of the others, the duties of solidarity…). You should also actively participate and work together with the local population in building a better and cohesive society. This can be realized through socially useful work such as volunteering (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volunteering) or community activities. As you will be hosted in Italy, it is important to show your will to integrate in the new society and to contribute to its development. This will be at the same time a precious opportunity for cultural and social exchange and personal growth of both you and the locals.

Italian state duties

The Italian State has the corresponding duties to provide you with the equality (https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/content/principle-equal-treatment-0_en) and equal dignity, the freedom of religion, access to education and training, adequate housing and a sanitary system.

Italy commits to support the process of integration of the foreign citizen through various initiatives in agreement with the Regions and Local Authorities. These can be realized through the collaboration with the Adults education centers, third sector organizations, employers ‘organizations and workers’ organizations. The civic and informative training session on life of the foreign citizen in Italy is also guaranteed.

Further information & links

La Constituzione, Diritti Fondamentali: http://medea.provincia.venezia.it/pm4/costit/ricostituz.htm

http://www.camera.it/cartellecomuni/leg14/RapportoAttivitaCommissioni/testi/01/01_cap09_sch06.htm

https://books.google.it/books?id=_e647h4dJJgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=i+diritti+dei+rifugiati+in+italia&hl=it&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjurq-U6sXXAhUIaFAKHRcMDWUQ6AEILDAB#v=onepage&q=i%20diritti%20dei%20rifugiati%20in%20italia&f=false

Caneva, E (2014).The integration of migrants in Italy: an overview of policy instruments and actors. INTERACT research report.  http://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/32019/INTERACT-RR-2014_05.pdf

Access to the labour market: http://www.asylumineurope.org/reports/country/italy/reception-conditions/employment-education/access-labour-market

Rights and responsibilities of asylum seekers: https://refugeerightstoolkit.org/advocate/legal-services/case-management/rsd-procedures/rights-and-responsibilities-of-asylum-seekers/

http://viedifuga.org/la-titolarita-dei-diritti-sociali-dei-richiedenti-e-titolari-di-protezione-internazionale/

Knowledge of the Italian language and integration agreement: http://www.integrazionemigranti.gov.it/en/services/language/Pages/default.aspx

PIANO NAZIONALE D’INTEGRAZIONE DEI TITOLARI DI PROTEZIONE INTERNAZIONALE: http://www.interno.gov.it/sites/default/files/piano-nazionale-integrazione.pdf

Diritti e doveri dei cittadini: http://www.sapere.it/sapere/strumenti/studiafacile/diritto/Diritto-costituzionale/La-Costituzione-italiana/Diritti-e-doveri-dei-cittadini.html

Articolo 2 Testo unico sull’immigrazione, Diritti e doveri dello straniero:  https://www.brocardi.it/testo-unico-immigrazione/titolo-i/art2.html

Il piano del governo: profughi integrati con diritti e doveri https://www.avvenire.it/attualita/pagine/diritti-in-cambio-di-doveri-ecco-il-piano-integrazione

Italian citizenship: https://www.cittadinanzattiva.it/approfondimenti/giustizia/11085-cittadinanza-italiana-come-si-ottiene.html

http://www.integrazionemigranti.gov.it/en/legal-framework/domestic-law/Pages/Eu-long-term-residence-permit.aspx

Discrimination can be based on race, color, ancestry or national or ethnic origin, beliefs and religious practices, age, sex, ability. It can compromise human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social fields and cultural and in every other sector of public life.

It is not necessary that the person has some of these characteristics or belongs to some group. Sometimes it is enough that the person is perceived as such or connected to a person or group of persons with certain characteristics.

Individuals or organisations are discriminating against you if they treat you differently from everyone else because of something about you that they do not respect. Discrimination can be a horrible and hurtful experience and, in many instances, it is against the law as a form of violence on an individual and/or a group.

Some examples of discrimination:

• someone saying hurtful, offensive things or attacking you repeatedly
• being made fun of (making jokes about you)
• being excluded or left out
• having a group of people gang up on you
• being made to do hurtful or inappropriate things
• being threatened
• finding yourself having to defend who you are and what you believe against stereotypes and untrue claims.

It’s against the law to be discriminated against in these areas of public life:

• workplace, access to labour market, employment
• education, science and sports
• accommodation
• social welfare, pension system, social and health insurance
• health
• government services – access to justice and administration
• accessing goods, services and facilities
• public information and media
• membership in trade unions, NGOs, political parties and other organizations
• participation in culture and arts.

There are various laws against discrimination of all types:

• International: (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Convention of Rome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Convention_on_Human_Rights , International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/ProfessionalInterest/cerd.pdf
• European: Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_of_Fundamental_Rights_of_the_European_Union
• Italian legislation: Italian Constitution (https://www2.immigrazione.regione.toscana.it/?q=antidiscriminazione) Article 3, Article 10, Article 21, Article 43, Article 44, Law 205/93

UNAR or National Anti-Racial Discrimination Office is the official mechanism of the Italian state for promoting equal treatment and repressing race and ethnicity discrimination. It was established in 2003 and has a hotline number (800 90 10 10) where you can report discriminatory behavior.

If you are victims of discrimination, please refer to anti-discrimination offices open in many municipalities or to :

ASGI juridical help https://www.asgi.it/servizio-antidiscriminazione/

UNAR (National Anti-Racial Discrimination Office) http://www.unar.it/

Forum antirazzista Palermo: https://www.facebook.com/groups/112901105393866/

ARCI: https://www.arcipalermo.it/index.php/i-circoli/3-arci-porco-rosso

CLEDU Palermo: https://www.facebook.com/CLEDU-1663643247204597/

Avvocato di strada: http://www.avvocatodistrada.it/

If you need to file a complaint for discrimination:

• ask for information to the associations protecting the rights of immigrants present in your city if you have any doubt about the opportunity to file a complaint.
• Provide some proofs, testimonies.

Further links & info:

http://www.venetoimmigrazione.it/antidiscriminazione-normativa

How the community is organized (formally and informally); Societal norms of living in the community: what is expected; living with others in the community and neighbourhood; individualistic and collectivistic outlook

In the Italian society it is expected to respect other, their rights and their privacy. You will be expected to respect the public places (parks, squares, streets, public transport). There are some societal rules to follow such as not to disturb public order by yelling, playing loud music, making noise, leaving garbage and similar. It is not allowed to smoke in the restaurants and some cafes (unless there is a sign that it is allowed), neither it is allowed in hospitals, schools and other public facilities. It is also generally prohibited to drink alcohol in public places (streets). You should pay attention to your voice (intonation), as yelling even if not in anger can make people feel offended or uncomfortable.

Communities in Italy are officially divided into city quarters or local/village communities, which carry out administrative matters at the lowest level. They are engaged in meeting public needs of the community. Through local communities, the inhabitants of a certain area can influence decisions in their community. Communities are arranged in such a way that each community provides main public services like kindergarten, school, health center or doctor, grocery store, ATM, public transport and cultural and leisure activities.

People in the community are also connected through different associations, clubs and interest groups who organize different events on local level.

Societal norms of living in the neighbourhood: in houses or in multi-flat buildings; relations with the neighbours; preservation of the common goods, preservation of the environment, waste separation

Living in the big city and in the town in Italy is different. If you live in a big city, you won’t be that close to your neighbours. This might also depend from your quarter, if it is more popular and how long you have been living there. In smaller towns and villages, usually people are more connected. If you live in a big apartment block there will be more rules to follow because you will be in a close contact with your neighbours. Whereas, if you live in a house of yours you are more independent but should still stay in good relations with your neighbours.

• Greet

It is usual to greet your neighbours when you meet them no matter where you live in the city or in a smaller town.

• Get to know each other

When you arrive in a new environment, it is good education to present yourself. This gesture will be appreciated by the neighbours who will be better predisposed towards you. It is usual to call/ to be called for a coffee or a lunch with your neighbours in order to get to know them better (both in the city and in a town). It is not offensive if they refuse – especially in the big apartment blocks.

• Ask a little help

In addition, it is usual to ask your neighbours or that they ask you for a small favour – if they need some help with moving or want to borrow some sugar, milk etc.

It is nice to be friendly and to get integrated in the new neighbourhood, but above all you should respect others, their rights and their privacy.

• Noise

Try not to disturb your neighbours with: yelling, using noisy appliances, playing loud TV and radio. You should avoid to produce loud noises at any time but, specifically, at the following times of rest: 22.00 – 9.00; 14.00pm – 16.00pm. You as parents are required to monitor your children so that they do no harm or disturb the neighbours with games or shouting, especially during the hours dedicated to rest.

• Common areas

The laundry – sometimes it is forbidden to hang out the laundry on the balconies overlooking the street. In that case the laundry can be hung in the inside of the building, but it must not drip.

Don’t throw water from your balcony and be careful when you water your flowers (do it in the evening and don’t exaggerate with the water)

Check before leaving things like bicycles, baby strollers, objects, etc in the stairs, common terraces, gardens…

Do not throw your garbage from the window and try not to leave it in the corridor for a long time before you throw it away.

• Ask for permission and put a notice if:

You will throw a party that will produce a lot of noise.

It is a good practice to warn your neighbours and apologize in advance for the inconvenience and noise if you are doing renovations in your apartment even small adjustments.

Ask a permission if you want to park your car in the inner courtyard of the building or you want to keep baby strollers or carts in the entrance hall of the building

However, if you or someone is disturbed by other neighbour’s behaviour, you can politely talk to them and if your calls are not heard, it is advisable to contact the condominium administrator.

• Gardens and courtyards

If you live in a house and have a garden if you don’t use it for planting, make sure that you cut your grass regularly.

If you live in a building, often there are courtyards. Courtyard is a meeting point for everyone in the area and is often a play area for children. Everyone has to be careful about plants and shrubs and other common facilities and use the litter bins provided in the courtyard.

• Garbage and recycling

In general, recycling is mandatory in Italy. However, this might differ from area to area. Mandatory separation is more established in the North, than in the South Italy. Usually there is a garbage tax that is paid (spese condominiali).

You can find litter bins for certain types of garbage and recycle it. This includes paper and cardboard bins, bins for glass and bins for plastic and tetra pack, and a separate bin for the rest of the waste. It is preferable to recycle because it is good for the environment and community. Even if you decide not to recycle, you still need to be careful about throwing your garbage in the belonging bin. Bulky waste items can be collected by the local garbage contractor upon arrangement with the municipality. This may be provided free of charge.

Guidelines for recycling can be found on the website of the municipality’s garbage contractor. Here is a guide to street recycling for the city of Rome (http://www.amaroma.it/images/multilingue/10x21_6ante_(A3)_EN_lowres.pdf).

Further links & reading

https://www.pianetadonna.it/casa/casalinga-perfetta/casa-condominio-come-comportarsi-da-buoni-vicini.html

file:///C:/Users/Ana/Downloads/regole-convivenza-condominio-pratomigranti.pdf

http://blog.leonardoimmobiliare.info/affitto-casa/7-regole-di-buon-vicinato-convivere-bene-condominio/

https://smartexpat.com/italy/how-to-guides/home/services/waste-recycling

• Relations before marriage

In Italian society, it is usual to meet the person and get in a relationship before the marriage. You usually do not get married immediately. Everyone has the right to choose the person to date or to keep seeing. Nobody has the right to impose it to you.

• Marriage and family

Once you get married, you will make a family. Traditionally, family in Italy constitutes of man, woman and their children. Many couples live together and have children before they get married, some also choose not to marry at all. If they live together as a couple for a long time they have the majority of rights as married couples. Two women or two men can form a civil union, which means their relationship is legally recognized and in rights equal to the marriage of men and women. However, same sex couples can adopt children only if it is a child of their partner.

Wedding can be civil and religious. For a wedding to be valid, it must be performed by a registered and approved celebrant. This can be a state appointed registrar or a priest and other religious officials with the right to solemnise marriages. A civil marriage is a ceremony that is unconnected to any religion. If the wedding is a religious ceremony performed by a celebrant who does not have the right to solemnise marriages (e.g. imam), the marriage is not official in the eyes of the law. It is possible to have only religious and only civil marriage because they are both official.

In Italy, you can only be married to one person at a time. To marry, both woman and man have to be older than 18. Exceptionally, person not younger than 16 can marry with the prior permission of a Court for minors. Marriage between blood relatives is not possible.
Italian law also forbids forced marriage. This means that no one can force anyone else to marry. Everyone has the right to decide whom he or she want to marry. You always have the right to say no to getting married.

• Equality of spouses

A man and a woman have equal rights and responsibilities. A woman and a man are both allowed to work if they want to and choose what kind of work they do. They decide where they want to live together, if they want to have children or not and how many children they would like to have. They have to equally take care of their children and household. All family members have to be respected, should help each other and support each other.

• Being a parent in a new country

Coming to a new country, especially for those who are forced to move, can be difficult both for parents and children. Parents might be faced with cultural norms, customs and legal obligations regarding parenting that are different from what they are used to and the ways they were brought up as children.

Sometimes, children find it easier to integrate into the new community than their parents. Children naturally learn the language quicker especially if they go to school and spend time with their peers. This can lead to changing roles in the family and placing too many responsibilities on the child. It is important for parents to stay supportive to the development of the child and realization of their potentials. This include allowing the child to pursue its own interests.

• Rights of a child

In Italy, the main document in the area of children’s rights is Convention on the Rights of the Child (http://www.unhcr.org/protection/children/50f941fe9/united-nations-convention-rights-child-crc.html).

Every person under 18 years of age is considered a child. Every child is equal and has equal rights – it does not matter if the child has a mother and/or a father or not, or if parents of the child are married or not. Children you adopt are equal to your biological children. Male children and female children are equal and should be treated equally.

You should NEVER leave your child under the age of 7 without a care of a person that is at least 16 years old. This includes leaving your child alone at your house.

Children also have other rights:

• to get and share information;
• to go to school;
• to relax and play and to join cultural,
• artistic and other recreational activities;
• to think and believe what they want and to practise their religion, as long as they are not stopping other people from enjoying their rights;
• a right to privacy;
• to meet together and to join groups and organisations according to their interests and appropriate to their age.
• Children have the right to good quality health care and to get help from the government if they are poor or in need.
• Children who have any kind of disability have the right to special care and support.
• Children have the right to be protected from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse.
• They have the right to live with their parent(s), unless living with the parents is dangerous for the child.
• Children whose parents do not live together have the right to stay in contact with both parents, unless this might hurt the child.

If you are a person with international protection and you are separated from your family (from your parents and brothers/sisters (child) or your children (adult), you have the right to family reunification – your family members have the right to come and live with you.

• Prohibition of violence against children & possible consequences

Children have the right to be protected from being hurt and mistreated, physically or mentally. It is forbidden for parents to hurt or mistreat the child in any way. Any form of discipline involving violence is forbidden by the law. Beating, hurting or mistreating child in other way can be punished by financial fine or with imprisonment.

If parents do not meet children’s existential, emotional and social needs, they will be warned about their parental mistakes by the Centre for Social Work. If they decide that parents need help with upbringing of their child, they will provide professional assistance. In that case, a professional might come to your house according to the agreement and give you advice and support.

If the child’s life or health are seriously in danger, the social services might temporarily place him/her outside the family. The child will then be provided with care in special and safe accommodation or foster family until the risk or the problem is resolved. If children are severely or continuously mistreated and/or neglected, the court can decide to restrict parental rights or take away parental rights completely.

The Center for Social Work is in charge of protection of rights of the child.

Adolescents and children in need can call 1.96.96 to express their concerns. This is a toll-free and 24 hours a day service established and managed by the association S.O.S. Telefono Azzuro.. (http://english.azzurro.it/)

• Divorce; custody over children

A man or a woman can ask for a divorce if they do not want, for whatever reasons, to stay married any longer. Divorce can happen if one or both persons want to end the marriage. The divorce is done in the Municipality if the consensus has been reached between the spouses or in the Court. You do not have to be accompanied by a lawyer.

For spouses who encounter issues or who want to get divorced and have underage children together can get free counselling in Center for Social Work or Family Planning centers (http://www.salute.gov.it/portale/temi/p2_6.jsp?id=1933&area=saluteBambino&menu=assistenza ). The spouses should try to agree on Plan for Joint Parental Care before going to the judge. The judge will draw up the separation plan. This Plan defines where children will live after divorce, time they will spend with each of the parents, how important decision in the interest of the child will be made, alimony and other issues parents consider important.

Usually after the divorce, a man and a woman do not live together anymore. However, even if they do not live together, both parents have to continue taking care of the children they have together. Each parent has the right and obligation to spend time and create emotional relationships with their children.

Child custody means that the legal guardians, usually the parents, have legal responsibility for the child. If a child does not have parents or parents lose their parental rights, the state appoints another adult person as legal guardian. Parents or other persons who are legal guardians have the right and obligation to care after the child, make decision and act in the best interest of the child. The law states that children must have legal guardians until they are 18 years old. If your child continues studying after the age of 18, you have to support him until he or she finishes school. If parents are divorced, this is usually the obligation of both parents.

The best option is that parents that divorce agree on custody over children. If they cannot agree, the court will decide on the custody and which parent the child will live with. A parent who does not live with the child any longer, will have to financially provide for the child. If parents cannot agree about financing the livelihood of the child or where the child will live, it will be defined by the court during divorce.

• Where to get help and support regarding family and parenting issues

It is quite common and preferable to seek help of professionals if you have doubts and difficulties regarding family and parenting issues. Help and support can be provided by social workers, psychologists, school counsellors and other professions. If your child goes to kindergarten or school, the easiest way is to talk privately with counsellors or teachers there. They will refer you to other services if needed.  You can also contact the social worker in the Centre for Social Work and in the Family Planning Centre who will inform and refer you to appropriate service. There are many other providers of help and support, such as counselling services in non-profit organizations, where you can schedule and appointment and get help and support free of charge and without referral.

Family Planning centres (http://www.salute.gov.it/portale/temi/p2_6.jsp?id=1933&area=saluteBambino&menu=assistenza)

Centres for Family in different regions

Family Observatory: http://www.osservatoriofamiglia.it/

Union of Family planning Associations Pescara: http://www.ucipempescara.org/

Organisation that offer help to children: http://www.unicef.it/default.aspx.htm?PH=3

https://www.intersos.org/en/

https://www.savethechildren.it/

http://www.azzurro.it/