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What You Need to Know When You’re Moving to Bologna

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  • Brandon Le Clerk

    What I really love about InterNations? Making new business contacts and friends in real life. This is a unique plattform.

Relocating to Bologna

About the City

Located in the north of Italy, Bologna is the largest and capital city of the Emilia-Romagna region. Its population of over one million people makes it the seventh most populous city in Italy, and one of the largest in the northern part of the country. It has historically been an important center of industry, as well as a major transport hub, and in 2011 was ranked the number one city in Italy in terms of quality of life. Of its population, around 90% are native Italians, with the largest groups of foreigners coming from other European countries, including Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania. There are also large Filipino and Bangladeshi communities in the city. The official language is Italian, but English is commonly spoken, especially amongst the younger generations, as it is now a compulsory subject in schools from an early age.

The Climate in Bologna

Expatriates moving to Bologna will need to adjust to a humid sub-tropical climate, which is characterized by hot, humid summers, and cold, damp winters. Due to Bologna’s inland location, the sea has very little influence on the climate, and therefore it differs dramatically from coastal areas. In the summer months, temperatures can reach as high as 30.4°C (86.7°F), whilst in the winter it has been known to drop down to −0.5°C (31.1°F). Bologna is also known for its smog, which is caused by its moderate winds, humid climate, and heavy traffic. High winds are also common, due to the city’s close proximity to Apennine Mountains and the Po Plain.

Visas for Italy

Whether or not you will need a visa to move to Bologna depends on your nationality. Italy is a member of the European Union, and therefore expatriates from EU/EEA nations and Switzerland will not need a visa to enter Italy or to move to Bologna for 90 days. After 90 days, they must register with the local authority in order to receive their residence card, which will allow them to live in Bologna indefinitely. Non-EU/EEA citizens, however, may need a visa to enter, and will need to apply for a permit to stay for longer than the 90 days permitted by a visa. In Italy, residence permits for foreigners from non-EU nations are packaged into work permits, so in order to move to Bologna, you must apply for a work permit, which will allow you to live and work in Italy for a specified period of time.

Mar 20, 2024, 5:45 PM
2 attendees
Are you interested in the street art in Bologna ? The author of Arte Avvolgibile will tell us how this art has developed in our beautiful city. Vi aspetto ! Ciao Laura
Mar 22, 2024, 6:00 PM
3 attendees
Join us before Easter in the beatiful Rimini's historic city center at Caffetteria Spazi for Aperitivo. We will be happy to start a conversation in english or in Italian:-) Please feel free to bring
Hi everyone, here we are with the first meeting of Le Marche group! This wants to be a sort of welcome dinner to know each other and to talk about the future activities of this new local group. Sounds
Mar 24, 2024, 11:00 AM
5 attendees
This month's proposal for Hike is a Parco dei Gessi and Buca delle Candele path in the nearby of Rastignano. Total lenght of 14km and 500mt of altitude gap, so to be classifiable as "lower/intermediat

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