Living In Vicenza, Italy – Here Are My First Impressions

UPDATED MAR 2020. Ciao from the new chapter of life in Italy. Before I get started, I want to say a HUGE thank you for bearing with me while the blog has been slow due to my current Internet drought. Seriously, the Internet desert is no bueno when you’re trying to create posts. I am hoping that we can get that situation fixed soon so that I can get back to regular posts, hopefully, it’s just a little longer. In today’s post, I just wanted to talk about living in Vicenza and share my first impressions.

Living In Vicenza, Italy – Here Are My First Impressions

First things first

If you will be moving to Vicenza, download my Ultimate Vicenza Bucket List that I put together after my 4 years there.

It’s where you’ll get day trips, four day weekend ideas, leave block plans, and events you don’t want to miss and I put it together after adventuring in the area for four years.

Get your copy and make the most of your time there.

Living with the people in Vicenza

When I first arrived here, I googled articles about life in Italy to get as many tips as possible. During this googling, I came across a couple of articles written by disgruntled Americans, who basically spent the whole time talking about how horrible it was to live here, how rude the people were, and what a terrible experience they had.

“Crikey where did I move to?” I thought to myself.

I was genuinely worried that I would experience something similar. On my first trip to explore the local area, I was scared to talk to people.

I should’ve known better.

It’s not unlike Hawaii where many people complained about living there, the locals, the roaches, the island fever and generally only saw the negatives, consequently creating a negative experience for themselves.

The thing is, it’s a different culture.

What is rude in America or Australia may not be rude here and vice versa. The only way to experience the best of it is to be open to learning and experiencing it.

The onus is on us, as guests, to adjust our behavior and expectations to fit into this new culture, not for Italy to change for us.

Mixed review on warm and cold experiences in Vicenza

Anytime America puts a military base in another country, there is going to be a portion of the population that don’t warm to the idea. You just have to expect that.

But it’s not fair to judge the entire population of that area on those few.

I have had a couple of rude encounters so far and have been refused service. It’s certainly been a mixed bag. However, the majority of the people I have met during our travels here have been so wonderful and kind.

One thing that inspires me is that people will attempt to speak English with me, even if they are not confident or don’t speak it fluently. People still make an effort. This inspires me so much and gives me the confidence to speak Italian with people as I am learning, even if I stumble through it at first.

I can only speak from my own experience but I have had mixed but overall good experiences with people in Italy so far.

First impressions of food in Vicenza

This probably won’t be a surprise to anyone but the food is amazing.

I don’t think I could possibly over-exaggerate that. From the bread to the cheese, to the seafood, to the pizza, and of course the range of pasta, it’s all delicious. Don’t even get me started on the coffees and tiramisu otherwise, we will be here all day.

The best part about the food that I have noticed is that it’s actually food, with actual ingredients. It’s not the artificially enhanced food full of chemicals or overly processed, pre-packaged food.

It’s actual food. When you walk through a supermarket, the fruit and vegetables don’t look all exactly the same because they are natural.

Even the milk tastes fuller and richer.

I had heard from a friend about her friend who moved to Italy and was ate pasta and gelato every day, yet she was still quite healthy. When I heard this story I wondered how that would even be possible, or even it was even a true story. In Australia and America, we are so scared of carbs and trained to think that we can only eat salads to be healthy, so this boggled my mind.

Now that I have experienced the food here in Italy, this makes sense. The quality of the food is such that you don’t need to eat quite as much to be satisfied.

Living in Vicenza with Endometriosis

This has made a world of difference for my body because it is so much easier to digest what I eat.

Living with a disease like Endometriosis meant that I was very restricted on what I could eat, or I would be in a world of pain afterward.

I have found that the quality of the food here in Italy is so different that it has opened up a lot of options for me. This has been life-changing. Not just because I can eat delicious food again, but I have felt like a normal person.

I haven’t had to worry about being sick if we had a snack while we are out and about or try to get through days where I’d much rather be in the fetal position.

My husband even said I was like a different woman (in a good way of course), back to how I was when we first met. Maybe I can never leave Italy?

The lifestyle in Vicenza

One aspect of the Italian lifestyle that I have loved so far is the sense of community.

My neighbors introduced themselves as soon as we moved in and offered to help if there was anything we need. When I go to my local supermarket, I see the staff greet some of the patrons by their names.

When there was a local sporting festival recently, the town got on board and decorated their houses in support of the team. In the evenings, it’s not unusual for me to see neighbors having a friendly chat with each other.

There’s a strong sense of community that I love.

The other thing I noticed is the relaxed pace of life. A lot of businesses close during lunch hours so that the staff can go home and enjoy their lunch.

When you go into a restaurant, you are not rushed in and out to open up the table for the next customer. Instead, it’s a very relaxed ‘take your time’ approach.

Everything is not as accessible, open 24/7 to be at your convenience.

Adventures around Vicenza

For most of our adventures so far, we used public transport. Once we get our little adventure car back then we can really get out and explore the nature and adventures here in Italy.

So far we have seen a few lakes which were so grand in their mountainous settings. They were the kind of places that remind you how small you are in the world. The pictures speak for themselves, but please trust me when I say that it is much more incredible in person.

We have also seen a couple of waterfalls, caves, and swam in the most freezing fresh mountain water which took my breath away.

Our animal encounters so far have been two snakes, a group of geese who traveled across a lake and came onto the bank to eat grass next to us, a family of swans, and a number of water birds. Like I said, there is so much more to see and I am just excited to experience it all.

Other guides about living in Vicenza

• Hikes In The Dolomites – 17 Day Trips You Don’t Want To Miss

• Stay In Milan With A Duomo View (Without Spending A Fortune)

• Cinque Terre Itinerary And How To Plan A Weekend Visit

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