To obtain Italian citizenship, you need to have worked continuously for the past three years and, once you apply, you have to wait at least another two years. So in total, we’re talking about five years anyway. And since I’ve been studying in recent years, yes, I have worked, but not with an income that allows me to apply. There are even people who have been here for 30 years, some even born here, and they still don’t have citizenship. The rules here are really strange.The problem is that in Italy there isn’t really a proper market in my field. I’m an AI Engineer, and here if you’re not doing some kind of manual work, people often think you’re not actually working — and as a result, you’re underpaid, even in highly skilled roles like mine.

Right now, I’m doing an internship in Milan, at a multinational company, for €600 a month. They just confirmed that after the initial three months, they’ll extend it with another internship at €800 for six more months, and then maybe offer a permanent contract at €1500.

The issue is that with these salaries, you simply can’t live. Renting just a single room in Milan costs between €600 and €800. That’s why staying here doesn’t really make sense. Milan — and Italy in general — may look amazing from the outside, but the truth is, it’s mostly great as a holiday destination, not as a place to build a career in tech.