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Readers' picks: 19 of your favourite articles about Italy from 2019

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Readers' picks: 19 of your favourite articles about Italy from 2019
These are the articles you'll need if you're living in or moving to Italy. Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP

With the end of the year coming up, The Local's editors look back at some of the articles readers found most useful and interesting in 2019.

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12 of the most useful Italian words you need to know

They're not your usual “most useful” words, but this list turned out to be one of our most widely read articles this year.

Photo: AFP

How expensive is Italy compared to other EU countries? 

If you're planning a move to Italy or if you're just curious about how the country compares to its neighbours, here's all the information you need about which things cost less, or more, in Italy, and how far your money will go.

'How I got an elective residency visa to retire in Italy'

If  you want to retire in Italy, but you come from outside the EU there is a way to get the paperwork, as one of The Local's readers explained in this article.

These are all the Italian towns offering houses for one euro

Unsurprisingly, the articles we got the most email about were often related to the Italian towns and villages famously selling off houses for a euro. While we can't help with the purchase, we did put together a list of all the towns taking part in these schemes.

Houses on Lake Como. Photo: Depositphotos

What's wrong with the Italian property market?

Many people dream of buying property in Italy (whether for one euro or slightly more) and The Local's quick primer on the country's unusual property market was one of our most-read articles this year.

The 25 stats that help explain Italy today 

Where has the highest life expectancy? How many residents are non-Italian? Which region feels safest? We take a look at the latest figures from Italy's national statistics office to show you today's Italy, by the numbers.

Life in Italy: The ten things you'll notice after moving from the US 

It might not be la dolce vita every single day when you actually live in the country, but there's still a lot to like. Here are some of the things one reader told us were most noticable after she made the move from the US.

Photo: Depositphotos

17 ways your eating and drinking habits change when you live in Italy

Lots of readers wrote in to tell us they could relate to this article about how your habits change after you've been in Italy for a while. Have you ditched your old ways and adopted Italian-style dining habits?

Readers' views: Is Italy really one of the worst countries to move to?

When Italy came close to last in a survey of expat life around the world, we asked our readers: is life as a foreigner here really all that bad? Here's what you told us.

The stunning movie scene locations you simply have to visit in Italy

There's no doubt Italy is a beautiful country, but these stunning sights might be familiar, too. This article about places which have formed the backdrop to some of the best films in cinematic history was one of our most popular this year.

Photo: DepositPhotos

Italian word of the day: 'Mica'

Our Italian Word of the Day series is always popular, and the word you wanted to read about most of all this year was the slippery mica. We're not surprised so many people wanted an explanation - it's one of those words that seem almost deliberately designed to trip language learners up.

Ten things Italians do that make foreigners feel awkward

Are there any typically Italian habits that make you cringe, or want to scream? Well you're definitely not alone, as this article on the Italian habits we could live without was one of the most popular this year.

Ripped off: Italy's worst tourist scams and how to avoid them

After a string of reports this summer of unscrupulous restaurants overcharging visitors in Rome, here The Local's readers shared their own horror stories and advice on avoiding Italy's many rip-off merchants.

Meet the 'Ndrangheta: It's time to bust some myths about the Calabrian mafia 

Another popular article exploring Italy's dark side, this one shed some light on one of Italy's famous (but often misunderstood) mafia organisations.

Photo: AFP

No, Venice hasn't just 'banned' cruise ships from its lagoon

Whenever the international media gets its reporting on Italy wrong, The Local is here to correct them. In this case, it was widely reported that the city of Venice was “banning” cruise ships from its fragile lagoon. This would be great news, if true, but here we explained why it wasn't.

'Enough hate': Who are the protesting 'Sardines' packing into Italian

In a year of political drama (is there any other kind of year in Italy?) one of our most popular features explained what the “sardine” movement is all about.

Weekend Wanderlust: How to spend the perfect 24 hours in Bologna

Our most-read travel article this year was about the joys and perils of taking a spontaneous trip to Bologna without doing any research at all. If you're a bit more organised ahead of your own visit, here are some tips on what to see, eat and do.

The original recipe for authentic bolognese sauce

After the mayor of Bologna lost his temper with foreign visitors asking for spaghetti bolognese (a dish which of course doesn't actually exist in Italy) we tracked down and published the only recipe for ragu bolognese that can really claim to be “authentic” - it's been officially approved by the Italian government, after all.

Did you have a favourite story from Italy this year? Is there anything you'd like to see us write about next year? Send us an email and let us know.

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