Moving to Italy — how often do you manage to travel to Russia, and do you miss it?

Visas to Italy
1

I’m planning to move to Italy — there’s still a year and a half before the move, but I’m already overwhelmed with anxiety and sadness; I didn’t expect it to feel so tangibly close. I wanted to ask those who have already moved: do you miss Russia? How often are you able to visit?

Detailed breakdown of the topic: Moving to Italy 2026: a step-by-step plan

2

For the first three months I cried like a beluga because I wanted to go home so badly — that’s not an exaggeration. I left my parents, friends, and all my familiar surroundings in Russia. Then I noticed that the faster you catch the local vibe, the easier it gets — the language really helped me with that: being surrounded by Italian every day, your brain switches over and there’s simply no room left for longing. I go home once a year, sometimes less often, and each time I notice I’m already looking at things a bit from the outside — like a guest. You get used to that too.

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3

Thanks for being so honest, the “howled like a beluga” bit really hit home. Did you brush up on the language before you moved, or did you only immerse yourself in it once you were there?

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4

I studied before the move, I’ve been here six months — and only now is it starting to fall into place.

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5

With two kids at an Italian school, there’s just no time to be bored.

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Our daughter, 16, after three months at school was already speaking like a local.

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I moved with my son — he was 11 and didn’t speak the language at all. Italian schools provide a language mediator during the adaptation period; our school in Savona assigned one right away. Within six months he was already chatting comfortably with his classmates. And I didn’t even have time to feel homesick — meetings, parents’ events, driving him to and from school — you fall into their rhythm and adapt faster than you expect.

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8

A realistic timeline for kids — the first six months are shock and missing their old social circle, the second year they gradually settle in and start speaking, making mistakes but speaking nonetheless. I’ve read that three years is a normal benchmark to reach fluent Italian. Adults, I think, follow the same pattern, just a bit shorter if you actively study the language.

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9

I’m anxious too — especially about my 10-year-old son; I don’t know how he’ll cope without his friends.

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