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Luca: Welcome back to Magic Towns Italy. I'm Luca, and this week Anna sat down with Jaid Newstead. She's a Canadian who landed in Bari in Puglia just two years ago on a youth mobility visa, knew nobody, spoke zero Italian, and somehow she made it. And this is a great conversation about what actually happens when you follow through on that Italy's right for me feeling.
Before we get into this, this week on the website, we published a full guide to getting a residency permit, which is basically the document that Jade spends a good chunk of the episode talking about and stressing out about. That's worth bookmarking if you're planning a move. We've also published a expat population [00:01:00] analysis which tracks where foreigners have been settling down in Italy over the past few years, which parts of Italy are growing, which ones are neglected, and I think you'll find this surprising and, uh, uh, you certainly won't find it anywhere else.
Links in the show notes, and now the interview with Jade
Anna: Tell me a bit about your story. What was your life like in Toronto before you moved to Italy?
Jaid: I'm 35 now. So I moved to Toronto, I spent from 19 until 33 there. So in my 20s it was good for me, 'cause I came from a very small country town. So moving to the big city, you're kind of like a sponge, you're very moldable, you're still, trying to understand who you are. So for that, I really loved my life in Toronto, meeting people, doing the grind, going out every night…
so I loved it, but then when I started nearing my 30s, I started to feel a shift inside that I was like, "I don't know if this is, like, the [00:02:00] lifestyle that I wanna continue to do." So I was like, "Okay, like, I'm not feeling connected, and I don't know how to reconnect", so I tried to pick up hobbies, volleyball, embroidering, painting. I was trying to just find new avenues to, like, reconnect, and it just wasn't happening.
And then I was working a lot, too. I got a job at an ad agency, but the pay was horrible, so I had to continue to work a second job, like another full-time job basically just to make ends meet. So that in itself, I was burnt out a lot and trying to figure out who I am, who I wanna be in this next chapter of my life. It was very hard to juggle.
And then, yeah, I just kinda had a moment where I was like, "You know what? I'm gonna go to Italy," because the advertising job, I was able to work remotely for five weeks, so yeah, I was like, "I'm going to Italy. Like, why not? Let's go."
Anna: On the other side of the world!
Jaid: Andiamo. So [00:03:00] then yeah, I went, and it was interesting because obviously with the time change, I was working, I was six hours ahead, so I had my whole mornings up until 3:00 PM to, like, wake up, go for walks, enjoy, like sightsee, swim in the sea, and I just loved it so much.
I spent about almost two weeks in Puglia, and In that moment, I felt, "Okay, I'm connecting with me. Like, I'm feeling like I'm getting to meet the next chapter of me." So when I got back to Toronto I was like, okay, maybe that was just like, you know, the holiday, Eat Pray Love. So in a month after I landed, I'm like, "Okay, I'm gonna figure out how to move there," and within six months I was here.
Anna: Within six months?
Jaid: So yeah, it was hot and heavy seven months, but I don't know, I felt like it just was the right thing to do for me, and it was.
This [00:04:00] was the first time I actually ever trusted my gut in doing something, and it's so amazing, what really happens when you listen to your body, listen to your mind.
I think that's one of the reasons why I'm still here after two years. Like, I met Giovanni, my boyfriend, like the love of my life, like literally the most amazing person ever. I'm working a really great job in weddings now. I'm meeting people, and I'm feeling good, and I haven't felt that in so long.
Anna: I feel like when you follow your instinct, like you gain such a, like a confidence on your own choices-
Jaid: For sure, and it's so interesting 'cause I always get messages from people, "Oh my gosh, I wish I could do that. I'm so unhappy here". And I'm like, if you fully know and you're so unhappy, like, we have one little tiny life to live. Why not make it the biggest life you can live?
Anna: I feel like there's a point of your life when you just have to do that.
Jaid: Yeah, like I wasn't tied to anything. Like I was single, I had no kids, like, I have no kids. There's a lot of [00:05:00] things that, that made it a little bit easier for me to make the jump.
Anna: And why Bari specifically?
Jaid: When I spent my, like, two weeks in Puglia, which was in Monopoli, I was single, so I was meeting people. But one of them, we just became friends kind of, and when I moved back, we kept in touch. Well, I wanted to move to Monopoli, but he was like " Monopoli's amazing, but it's, like a summer town. Like, outside of that, it's not gonna be busy." He was like, "Go to Bari. Like, it's the capital of Puglia. Very busy, more opportunities to meet people", and I'm like, "Okay." I didn't even look up the city. I had no idea what I was looking at. So really when I landed, I was like, "Okay, well, I'm here." Like- … "What do I do?"
Anna: Let's figure it out.
Jaid: Like, uh, yeah, it was very, very interesting.
Anna: And, like, how did it work? Like, for example, what visa did you choose?
Jaid: I just had turned [00:06:00] 34 and I came over on the youth mobility visa. So for Canadians and Australians, you can apply up until your 35th year of age. So I was like, "Okay, if I don't apply for this now, I'm gonna literally regret it for the rest of my life." So I came here thinking I was gonna be here for one year. And it was honestly a very easy visa to get. I finally applied on a Monday, and the Friday I got my visa, and I was expecting it to take a couple months.
You know, it was very easy. I don't think it cost much. Obviously, like, health insurance, having, like, the appropriate amount of savings, which I did. Like, there's those, like, little things, but the visa in itself was very easy on the Canadian side. Activating it here in Bari was long.
So when I went to the questura, I dressed up in the cutest little outfit to go. I was like, "I'm going to the questura." Yeah. And I get there, and it was [00:07:00] hordes of people waving papers. And I spoke zero Italian. They were really, really nice, but I don't think they heard of this visa, so they had to call the boss way up to be like, "What is this?" So I was like, "Okay, I probably am going home in, like, two…" Do you know what I mean? But yeah, it was definitely very stressful because I wanted to enjoy landing and, and being here and getting to figure it out, but my mind was so focused on this that it was… I cried a lot when I first arrived, 'cause it was, it was truly very stressful. Um, I thought I was gonna be homeless because I couldn't find an apartment.
Because on the Canada side it was so easy. Organized, perfect word. Here, it was like there was papers flying from the walls. I was like, "Why is there no computers being used, one?"
Anna: How did you speak with each other? Like, using Google Translator or just…
Jaid: Thankfully, the lady spoke enough English that we could get by , I think I really lucked out with her really, and [00:08:00] she was so nice too, so like I felt like, "I'm okay, you're my little angel."
And then now I'm on, because that visa obviously expired 'cause I'm on year two, my partner and I, Giovanni, we applied for the 'convivenza di fatto'. So now we're family, so now I'm on a five-year visa, that's renewable, so that's easy.
Anna: I want to hear the full story of how you met.
Jaid: Maybe a week after I arrived I went to a little restaurant near where I was living, literally around the corner, had a little wine, a little taralli… and the manager was like, "Oh, what are you here, vacation?" I'm like, "No, I just moved here." And he was like, "Okay. Like, are you looking for… Are you working? Are you…" Like and I was like, "No, I'm actually gonna be looking for a job."
And then he genuinely was like, "Do you wanna work here?" And I was like, "Okay." Wow. Yeah, because tourism is expanding in Puglia, so having an English speaker is always- Nice. So I was like, "Yeah, [00:09:00] sure." And he was like, "Okay, come in tomorrow with your resume. You can meet the owner." He's like, "You speak a little bit of Italian, right?" I'm like, "Si." So I was on Duolingo for like four hours that night. I'm like, "Okay, I need to know some…"
Anna: Ciao. Come stai?
Jaid: Bene, grazie. Prego. Vino. It's like…
Anna: The most important.
Jaid: The most important. So yeah, then I started working there, and then my partner came in, like a few months later, and he was sitting at a table but he was sitting with a woman and I was like, "Okay, typical Italian man with a girlfriend looking at other women."
I'm like, "No." But he was very cute. And then I found out it was his sister. And then a couple months later he dipped into my DMs and because I saw him at a bar and he said, "Buona sera," and I s- replied in English. So he was like, "No, no, no. Like, "I'm wrong. I don't know you."
So I was like, [00:10:00] "Okay." And then a month later he came, he like messaged me on Instagram and he was like, " I'm so sorry. I know who you are now. I remember you," da da da da. Then we went for a drink, and we've literally been together since. Like genuinely, it's crazy.
Anna: Basically the first months when you moved there.
Jaid: Yeah, well, I was like, "I am not, I'm only here for one year. I'm here to learn about me. I'm not dating any men anymore. Like, no." And then Giovanni..
Anna: Giovanni appeared. It's always, always like this.
Jaid: I know. I know. But it was funny because it was September when we started actually dating, and then my visa was expiring in May. So I was like, "Okay, well, I have to go back to Canada." And like, or we can do this and just see. I don't wanna be with you for this. Like I'm okay to go back.
So we talked a lot about that 'cause I really wanted to make it clear, like I don't wanna date you to stay, 'cause I think a lot of [00:11:00] people do that. So it was a running joke for a while, but now obviously he knows that.
Anna: And going back, how was finding an apartment, for example? Was it difficult to rent as a foreigner?
Jaid: I was trying to find a long-term when I was in Toronto still, and nobody was responding. I maybe got two responses out of, like, 200.
So then thankfully this job, my manager, he was like, "Okay, let's get you a real estate agent", and I was like, "Okay, perfect." So got a real estate agent, and what threw me is 'cause in Canada the renter doesn't pay the real estate agent. They get the commission from whoever owns the apartment. And then, you have to pay three months here, whereas I thought it was two months. So I was like, "Okay, so I, I have to pay three months of rent, and then I have to also pay another month's of rent as payment to the real estate agent." So I was like, "Okay, I'm broke now and I just got here."
No, it was really, really stressful. But having the real estate agent [00:12:00] was really good in terms of mediating, especially obviously I couldn't really speak Italian at all, so that helped. But the whole process was long, and time I felt was ticking because, two, I needed to have, like, a long-term in terms of giving me the residency.
So it was just, like, very, very heavy. But especially here in Southern Italy, I feel like they prefer to meet in person as opposed to checking an email, okay? Like, they're very people-focused.
So leaning on people was a lot. I think that's, yeah, truly one of the reasons why I was able to find a place.
But the banking was interesting. Maybe that could be good for people to understand. I actually didn't open a bank account here because it was so expensive as a foreigner. They gave me a foreigner rate, which was, like, 30 euros a month, and then every time I used my card was one euro, so I ended up using [00:13:00] Wise. I don't even know if I pay. Maybe I do, but I think it's very minimal.
Same with getting a phone number here. I came over on an eSIM, but the eSIM was set to France. I don't know why. I didn't realize the area code was different. And then to get the actual phone number I couldn't talk to anybody on the phone. I couldn't WhatsApp. They have, like, "No, you have to come in in person." But yeah, those little things really took a long time to do, in comparison to how long it would take in Canada.
Anna: Yeah. That was probably one of the main culture shocks that you had coming.
Jaid: For sure, and going into the post office, when the doors, the security doors that you have to go one at a time in, like- Yes … why that? No, and it's always so crazy busy in there.
Like, it was so weird I was like, "What the heck is happening in here? It's like a little party at 9:00 AM." Weird.
Anna: And what Italian habit felt strange at first but now feels [00:14:00] normal?
Jaid: I think a lot of it has to do with food, like, eating dinner at 9:30, 10:00, when I'm used to having it before at, like, 6:30. I would be, like, starving and I'm like, "Okay, I guess I have to wait another three hours to eat." So that one was weird, but now my body's thankfully adjusted. And just too, like the amount of food, the pace of eating as well, like a lunch being five hours long is, like, very normal.
Yeah, a lot of the weird things always had to do with food, and, like, how we ate, what we ate, we're not eating this food on this day because of this holiday or this religion so it's been very interesting, navigating the culture.
And then too, like how slow people walk down here, how narrow the sidewalks are. The stores being closed here from, like, 1:30 to 4:00. Now I can plan my day a little bit better, but I feel like everything [00:15:00] was different.
Anna: And when did you start sharing your life on Instagram?
Jaid: Well, right when I moved, so about, like, two years ago. I was just kinda like, "Okay, well, I'm here alone. I have no friends. I might as well just talk to my camera and post it." And then to keep people back home up to date in a way.
Anna: And, what kind of people do you think would love Bari, and what kind of person might struggle there?
Jaid: I think the type of people that should move to Bari are the ones that want to slow down a little bit in life. We're by the sea. The, the produce is… Do you know what I mean? Everything moves at a very slower pace. So I think for someone that's ready to slow down, and kinda get out of the grind and take time to reconfigure your life, who you are, how you feel, I think it's really good for that type of person.
I've never had a big social circle. I like keeping it small. I have maybe one core friend, so I'm okay with being alone. [00:16:00] I enjoy it. But I think for some people that are used to socializing all the time, it takes a little bit of time to build that, and I think if you're expecting it right away, it, Bari's not the place. Here, especially in the winter, nothing is happening, it's very slow. So yeah, not an introvert, but someone that's okay to be alone, would thrive here.
Anna: Yeah. Maybe there are already, like, group of friends that are made, and maybe it's a bit difficult to…
Jaid: Yeah. Like, it's interesting. Giovanni, most of his friends, they've been friends since they were, like, three years old. Do you know what I mean? People here have a lot of history, so it takes quite a bit to get through, I think.
Anna: To integrate. Maybe it's also because not everyone speaks English. How is your relationship with the language now?
Jaid: It's getting better. I keep having to ask Giovanni. I'm like, "Ti prego… parliamo in Italiano." And then we'll last two minutes, and then he always goes back to English, and I'm like, "I'm the English speaker. I should be the one going back to English." Like, so I'm trying really hard with [00:17:00] him. Um, but when we go out for dinners, I only speak Italian, horribly, but it's getting better slowly. Wine helps so much.
Anna: Of course.
Jaid: I'm fluent after a couple glasses. Then the next day I'm like, "What the hell was I saying?" Nothing made sense. But no, it's getting better.
And my job, I work in weddings, but most of the clients are international English speakers, so I'm speaking English a lot with them. At work they all are Italian 'cause they're all from here, but they still speak English. Now they are typically only speaking to me in Italian, and I'm like, " Okay." Don't know what you, don't know what you want from me, but…
Anna: But are there that many expats in Bari?
Jaid: There's a handful. Not too many. Like, there's a couple people that I know in the area. One, she's been living here for 17 years. She's from Canada. [00:18:00] Another lady as well, she's an officiant, and also, like, a wedding planner. She's from the UK. She's been living here for, I think, 20 years as well or something like that. So I know people that have just have moved here, a couple, and then others I know moved here way, way, way, way back before moving to this area was known. But I think, yeah, not, not too many.
Anna: So how has Italy changed you?
Jaid: In a lot of ways, I think in terms of, like, even my communication style, how I express myself, I find I'm much more calm. Like, it takes a lot for me to get, like, riled up now. I feel lighter in general. I feel, like, connected to myself. And happier obviously.
Anna: Is there something that you miss about Canada or you feel like you're in the right place?
Jaid: I'm in the right place. Like, I, I miss my friends and family, but no, I don't think there's anything I miss. Like, the food scene in [00:19:00] Toronto is incredible. Italian food's amazing, but like, I need a little bit of, of a mix. And there's not many options here in Bari, so
Anna: there must be a sushi restaurant in Bari, I'm sure.
Jaid: It's either sushi, Italian, or kebab.
Anna: Yeah. And what would you tell someone who wants to move, but is scared to start?
Jaid: I think it goes back to, like, trusting your gut and following that. Like, if you're having a hesitation, I think it's so important to reconnect with the thought that you had, like the motivation, the thing that's fueling you.
I think that's what got me to get here, 'cause obviously it wasn't, "Okay, I'm moving," and everything was easy. It was very hard. I remember crying when I had to, like, leave my apartment. I was like, "What am I doing?". Like, there was so much doubt, but then I'm like, "Okay, why did I make this decision?" And I had to go all the way back and kinda get back in that mindset. So I think, [00:20:00] when you feel it really, really deep in your bones and inner self that this is the decision for you, it's really important to, one, understand that, and when you kind of like, flutter away from it, to recenter yourself.
Anna: There must be a reason if you feel that.
Jaid: Yeah. Yeah, for sure.
Anna: Thank you so much. It was such a pleasure to hear your story.
Luca: That was Jade. You can find her on Instagram. If her visa story resonated, our permesso di soggiorno residency permit guide published this week covers the full process step by step. If you've been following the 7% flat tax scheme, the one designed to pull foreign retirees into Southern Italy, we published a piece last week asking whether it's actually working, and we used plenty of data to tell you exactly how it is.
Spoiler, it is complicated. All the links are in the show [00:21:00] notes. See you next week.
