Hi all,
My partner and I are 25yrs old and currently live in Perth,Western Australia.
We are going to Italy on a working holiday visa for 1 year in 2011.
We plan to have Italy as our base and travel when we can from there, we have chosen Italy One: because when I went there in 2005 I absolutely fell in love with the place!! and Two: we are unable to have UK as our base as I have already been there on a 2yr working Visa.
So now the questions 
I have not organised any long term accommodation,
do you think it is best for us to wait until we get to Rome to look for long term accom?
What is the general cost for long term accommodation in Rome? I am definitely not looking for anything flash, for example when i lived in Brighton, UK, i lived above a noisy pub with another person in a tiny room with two single beds and a share bathroom (for 2 years) oh and a sink, so even if we have to live like that again, I am happy as long as we are in Italy 
I know that finding work is going to be very hard, that is why we are saving as much as we can, and our Visa will only allow us to work 6 months out of the year, is there much pub work in Rome for english speaking individuals? and where does one look for work?? notice boards? we will be quite happy with whatever work we could get.
Also, when I went to the Italian Consulate in perth, the Visa application they gave me was an application for a "Schengen Visa" the lady didnt really talk much and wasnt helpful.
For the aussies living in Italy, what process did you have to go through to apply for your Visa? and was it an Italian working Visa? we havent applied for the Visa yet, because they said once it is issued you have 3months to enter the country, so we are waiting until February as we arrive in May,
If you are able to help me with my questions I would be so grateful
Sara
Questions on living in Rome - please help me : )
Ciao Sara!
I'm American, not Aussie, so unfortunately I can't answer your specific questions about arriving in Rome on an Australian passport.
If you can, I would suggest waiting until you get to Rome to figure out housing, there are way too many scams out there. Better to go see the place in person and figure out your contract. Italians are BIG on contracts, so make sure you find out about your lease up front. I know a girl who had to give 6 months notice to move!! There are plenty of areas in Rome that are cheaper than average, as there are lots of universities and students here. You can surely find a double room for a good price. If you have a yahoo email account, join the VCN group.
English speakers can find jobs fairly easily here. There are lots of English speaking pubs and it's easy to get a gig as a tour guide or ticket seller (and make a decent amount).
Remember that even if you are coming with a visa, you'll need a permesso di soggiorno. You can get the kit at the post office but you have to do all the paperwork within 8 days of arriving.
In bocca al lupo!
-Natalie
Ciao Sara
I'm italian living in Rome. One thing that you have to wacth carefully is the distance from your house in Rome and the place you are going to work. Traffic is very busy on rushing hours and public trasportation can be very unconfortable. In Rome choose a place nearnby the subway line can be very useful. If possible try to find a job at a walking distance from the sub way station.
Ask me for more specific question in case you need. Good kuck and welcomed in Rome.
accommodation is very expensive in Rome, and the pubs are full of youngsters from anglosaxon countries...it is going to be an uphill process. start looking for acco. before you come and try to look for a job a soon as you get there.
good luck
by the way, acco. tends to be very small compared to non-european countries...
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