As we were planning this trip, Greg and I were excited at the prospect of returning to Italy – we’d had such a great time when we’d lived here for those couple of years pre-COVID. And though the itinerary included a number of familiar places, we also understood that times change, life moves on, and we shouldn’t expect things to be the same as when we’d left four years earlier.

But happily, it turned out that Italy hasn’t changed much after all, and we seem to have eased back into life here pretty well. In those things that are different, though, we’ve found both pros and cons.

On the upside, being able to spend so much time with friends has been, far and away, the best thing about this trip. Plus, we both seem to be going okay with the language – learning on the job is a big part of the fun of living here.

On the downside, the biggest post-pandemic difference is an increase in the cost of living. Food is more expensive here now – about on a par with Australia, we’d say – and fuel is much more expensive at around A$3 per litre!

The value of the Australian dollar is almost the same as when we left Italy in 2019, but today we’re spending more for less. All of which means Greg has to keep working for a bit longer yet! 🙂

The price of cigarettes is probably part of the reason there are fewer smokers here these days – that plus the introduction of laws that prohibit smoking in public buildings, on public transport, in restaurants etc. In fact, the laws here around smoking are definitely catching up to those in Australia. As far as cost goes, a pack of 20 cigarettes is around A$9 in Italy, compared with around $40 in Australia – a fact which Italians can scarcely believe. But while there are generally fewer smokers here, it’s still possible to be vaped on while dining outdoors.

COVID is probably responsible for the fact that it’s now possible to pay by card in a whole range of locations where previously only cash was accepted. Even at a market stall in the small town of Le Grazie, we were able to swipe the card. A couple of euros? Pay by card? No problem! It’s astonishing to us. Of course, many places still prefer to receive cash, but they’re well set up for those who want to pay by card.

You can even use your card to buy a ticket on the bus here now. In theory. Word on the street is the machines are unreliable, and you definitely don’t want to be caught on a bus or train without a properly validated ticket.

There are a range of different cuisines available, too. Five years ago, you’d have to walk a long way to find an Asian restaurant, but today there are a number of Japanese restaurants in Bologna alone. Other options include Thai, Turkish, Greek, Indian, French and even Georgian. That’s not to say we can vouch for the authenticity of the food; wandering past the Thai restaurant the other day, we did think the dishes had a distinctly Italian ‘look’.

Recently we saw a bottle of wine with a screw cap! Admittedly it was on a low shelf in the supermarket, but it was Italian wine, and definitely a screw cap.

Finally, it’s probably no surprise that scooters seem to be making an appearance here. We saw a few in Milan and they’re here in Bologna, too, but in nowhere near the numbers that they are in Brisbane – yet.

For all that, on this trip we’ve found life in Italy to be pretty much as it’s always been for us – sometimes challenging, often frustrating and always fun. We wouldn’t change a thing.