Kitchens of Italy

Kitchens in Italy are...interesting. Italians like to "take their kitchen" when they move. Which means that typically when you look at an apartment to rent there is nothing there but some water pipes where you would put your sink. I had a hard time wrapping my head around this. I still have a hard time with it. So if you end up in private housing you have to figure out what to do with your kitchen (arrange your contract so the landlord puts a kitchen in or make a big IKEA run...)

If you're in goverment housing like me, it is taken care of. It's not amazing, but you do have a fridge, sink, dishwasher and maybe some counter space. Below is a picture of my set up. The walls are just outside the edges of this picture. The only other thing you don't see in this photo is my fridge which is on the opposite wall. So as far as counter space/storage space what you see is all I've got.

This is definitely something to consider when deciding what to bring over with you...of course everyone's situation is different. But I can tell you that most people here complain about their kitchens.

Home Security in Italy

So far I have found that Italians are serious about their home security. They have these really thick security doors (I have yet to see someone not have one of these...) With a big key (picture an antique key) that when turned about three times puts out multiple bolts. The door knob on the outside is not even functional, you have to have a key to open the door even when it's not locked. So don't forget your keys when you take the trash out!

Then there are the windows. They always have shutters or security blinds. The security blinds are pretty easy to use, you pull that little rope to the side of the window up or down. I do worry a little about little people getting their fingers caught, but so far it hasn't happened. The blinds are awesome because they block out pretty much all the light, making it easy to sleep in or take a nap, not sure how I'm ever going to be able to go back to wimpy American blinds.

Most places also have a fence that you have to have a key to to get in and then a locked door into the apartment building. So when someone comes over I have to "buzz them in". When they rind the buzzer I simply pick up my little phone and look at my little TV to see who it is and decide if I want to let them in or not. Nifty eh? It's like living in a big city.

Even with all this there are still sometimes break ins. "Gypsies" are well known for stealing, but I'll save that for another post. Just be sure you get renters insurance and lock your door.

Housing

Here in Italy there are three types of housing. On-post housing, government leased and private rentals.

On-post is a little ways from post but is surrounded by a fence and you have to show ID to get in, just like post. There are a few (very few) officer houses on Villagio.
Here is a VIDEO of an on-post apartment.

Government leased are places that the government rents and puts people in, the government pays the utilities and deals with the landlord. Typically if there are any government leased places available they will force you to take one, you cannot choose private housing unless all the government stuff is full because they don't want them sitting empty when they are already paying for them. There are different houses available through government lease, some that are meant for enlisted, some upper enlisted and some officer. Enlisted are typically in an apartment building with a shared yard whereas upper enlisted and officers are sometimes in a duplex or something that has it's own yard.

Private housing you rent yourself from a local landlord, housing helps you work out a contract but you are on your own for utilities. If you are in private you get an allowance for utilities but it can be difficult to figure out sometimes as they don't consistently send your utility bills and sometimes add random charges. But it is nice to be able to have more of a choice in where you live when looking for housing. Check out www.ahrn.com to see the listings of private housing. They have listing for all the different bases in Europe so if you want to get an idea of what housing is like where you will be moving, check it out! If you are wondering how much your overseas housing allowance is check here: http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/ohaCalc.cfm

When I talked to housing they told me that they are in the process of approving a plan that will force ALL officers out of Villagio and government lease (not force them out now but not allow them any new contracts...) Officers will have to get a private rental. That way there will be more government housing available for enlisted. This is not in place yet, but is in the works...as far as I understand :)