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How To Retire Without Money
By Bob Belmont
CHAPTER 11 ITALY
Page 4 of 11
As far as
criminal tendencies are concerned, it is true that Naples to a
large extent deserves the reputation she has gained. There is
probably more crime there than in the average European city.
On the other hand, in the northern cities you are less apt to
have your pockets picked, to be attacked on the streets, or to
be cheated in your business dealings than you are in an
average American city. I'd much sooner walk the streets of
Venice, at two o'clock in the morning, than I would those of
Brooklyn or Chicago.
The fabulous
heights reached by the Italian people in art, science,
political science and philosophy could not have been achieved
by other than a bright, cultured, aggressive folk and not by a
bunch of bettlebrowed fruit peddlers such as are so often
portrayed in our cartoons of typical Italians.
If you do choose Italy in which to sojourn, whether
permanently or temporarily, you'll probably like the Italians,
their food and drink, their outlook—their way of life. I
certainly do.
§
MONEY. Not
too many years ago Italian money wag one of the weakest in
Europe but today it is quite hard and you gain little by
changing your dollars at the exchange houses. In fact, at this
writing the official rate is 624.84 lire to the dollar while
on the free market in New York or Switzerland you can get 630
to the dollar. Not enough difference to make any difference.
Italian
money, like French, can offer its hazards. The larger the bill
the larger the size until when you get to the 10,000 lire
notes ($16) you've got a piece of money that seems half the
size of a baby blanket, and you have to fold it several times
to get it into your wallet.
WORK
PERMISSION. You are not allowed to work in Italy if by so
doing you displace an Italian. If the job is something an
Italian can't handle, then a work permit will be issued.
Italian rates of pay, however, are miserably low by American
standards and there are few jobs at which you could make
enough to get by.
You are
allowed to work for American firms, or individuals, without
such a permit. And you are allowed to operate any little deal
you may dream up which will bring foreign currency, such as
dollars, into Italy.
Jobs are scarce, prices are high, but we'll have various case
histories at the end of this chapter on people who have beaten
this tough Italian rap.
§
PRICES. We've
mentioned elsewhere in this book that you can live cheaply
just about anywhere // you know the ropes, even in Paris or
New York. This was proven to me in an amusing way in Rome.
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CHAPTER 11 ITALY
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