IF you are from Spain and you are working either in a Fortune 500 company or in the Foreign Ministry and you are told to be assigned in Italy, then don’t panic. Take it as a promotion and enjoy that piece of news. After all, it is assumed that you are a Roman Catholic because most Spaniards are and being assigned in Italy and taking your family there is a privilege of a lifetime. Italy is the seat of Roman Catholicism and it’s nice to be literally close to the Pope. Well not actually but it is. I mean, Italy doesn’t contain the Pope because he is in the Vatican City, an entire sovereign state. Its host city is Rome, the capital of Italy. And let’s not forget that Rome has been there before the birth of Christ so it must be a very formidable country. After all, you may want to visit the Colloseum while being assigned in Italy and witness time go back to the past by looking at this architectural masterpiece.

But it may be better if you see the movie Jumper first because it is the only Hollywood movie allowed to be filmed in the Colloseum. Another thing to watch out for before immersing yourself to the Italian lifestyle is to learn Italian. There are lots of Italian language schools in Rome and they earn a lot indeed because there are many tourists here. They offer anything from two-week crash courses to six-month ones. The six-month courses are actually divided into three stages – basic, intermediate and advanced. So that will be a total of three semesters at all. After graduating from the advanced course, you can already pass yourself off as a native.

Italian language schools are very accommodating indeed. During your first day of school, you will be asked to jot down even one sentence in Italian and read it in front of the class. You may sound awkward at first but don’t be conscious because your classmates are all adult foreigners like yourself. You may even befriend them and who knows they can be business partners in the long run. Another scheme they do here in Italian language schools is to let you be immersed with an entire Italian family. Of course, you must shoulder all the expenses while you are living with them. The advantage here is that they can complement whatever you learn in school because they will help tutor you in the current lessons of the day. They will even tour you around in crowded places so you can eavesdrop on authentic conversations among Italians and so you can try to understand these conversations. You can also dine with your host family so you can taste authentic Italian food, not just the tiramisu or the lasagna that you often eat back home in Spain which is not authentic Italian food but the foreign variant only.

So better start packing up now if you’re told to be assigned here in Spain. And expect to speak Italian at home. There are other places to explore in Italy after all and not just Rome. There’s Tuscan, Milan, Nice….even Palermo across the Mediterranean.

In fact, did you know italy is home to some of the most glamorous celebrities too? Donatella Versace frequents her native city regularly, a European cultural break from the States; similarly, at Lake Garda, you could see star of the casino (poker online) flick “Ocean’s 11″, George Clooney! You really are in good company!

The best way to travel between all these wonderful destinations, the most effective and stress-free, would be by train. Europe trains are a highly reliable service and so are ideal for young language students who have little experience travelling alone. They also allow flexibility which is perfect for those who get the travel bug once abroad - in this case, you could tailor your journey to not only see more of Italy but more of the whole continent too!