I’ve been living here for several years now and still can’t get used to how everything is arranged here. People can really close their business for five hours in the afternoon. Sometimes you look at what’s happening and think — how does this country even function? Has anyone, over time, stopped being surprised or is it forever?
Detailed breakdown of the topic: Moving to Italy 2026: a step-by-step plan
Yeah, no way. Either they tell you to come with a document that doesn’t exist and never will, or some other nonsense, or they have a siesta from 2 to 6 in the afternoon.
I spent three days getting my SIM card restored.
At some point I just relaxed and stopped expecting it to feel like home here. Everything is done unhurriedly, people smile, offer coffee, and promise that everything will be — or maybe won’t be — but they’re in a good mood. Once you accept that as a given, life becomes a lot easier.
Three days on a SIM card is pretty intense )) And natalka88, I’m kind of trying to relax too, but every time you go somewhere and it’s closed — it gets to me again.
You just have to retrain your head — it’s not about efficiency, it’s about a different rhythm. At first I also used to get pissed when everything was closed at lunch, but then I realized I was calmly taking a break myself. You get used to it, just not right away — at least a year to a year and a half.
What kind of off-topic are you guys starting here?) Just kidding. For now it’s allowed, we’re just filling the section) 
I actually had the opposite effect — I’m a pretty nervous person, and their laid-back approach somehow calmed me over time. In Russia I was constantly on edge, but after six months I noticed I’d stopped flinching at every little thing. So “chiuso” at lunch is a minor thing, but at least nobody yells at you in line)
oh, familiar topic) at first I saved the opening hours of every shop and post office in my phone so I wouldn’t end up at “chiuso” (closed). now I automatically know when to go where, but it definitely took a couple of years to get used to. the good thing is nobody here is rude or rushing you — after our government offices it’s a real breath of fresh air.
Funny how everyone goes through the same stages — first you get annoyed, then you accept it, and eventually you end up closing your laptop at lunch and going out for coffee. If I were you, I’d just get into the habit of checking Google Maps before you head out — it usually has the current opening hours and saves you a lot of hassle. And bureaucracy — yeah, patience, and nothing but patience.
listen, when I first got chiuso (chiuso) at the pharmacy with a 38°C fever — that was when I actually thought it was over, I wouldn’t survive here) but now I go for a walk at lunch and I’m loving it, and I honestly can’t even imagine how I used to live without that pause. you get used to it, it just clicks at some point and that’s it
It’s interesting that when you visit Italy as a tourist for a couple of days or a little longer, you usually don’t notice things like that.
Well, it makes sense — a tourist doesn’t go to the visa office and try to open a bank account where they’re told “come back tomorrow” three times in a row. And as for getting used to it — it’s not a given that everyone adapts; some people just get tired of freaking out and mistake that for adaptation)