Born in Argentina, American citizen,

Are you thinking to obtain dual citizenship? We actually have a feature on our site about one woman's story if you want to check it out here. It can be a daunting task but I know a few friends who have actually succeeded, even if it took them a year to do so. I think once you get that sorted, you would need a savvy accountant who can help you navigate the mess that is opening a business in Italy ;-). Not impossible but certainly not without hurdles :). I wish you the best of luck!

Of course! Just email my commercialista (accountant) Dott. Tommaso Francalanci saying your a friend of Georgette and ask him for the name of his laywer specializing in international law (he speaks english) - I trust this guy 100% and he has never steered me wrong tommaso.francalanci@sbfconsulting.eu. Keep us posted here! 

Hi ,  you can even write to Dottor Massimo Ceroni - accountant  <f.ceroni@studio-palmeri.it>by >  http://studio-palmeri.it/en/struttura_funzionale.php?arg=Funon my name > Ugo Vagniluca  (www.lifeinitaly.it) The firm  have a full staff > Accountant, Lawyer, Notay ... Ugo 

Thanks Ugo, will do

Italian citizenship?The first issue you will need to deal with is how you will be allowed to stay in Italy. Do you have citizenship here via your great-grandparents? If not, you will need a visa and that requires a whole different set of issues for a US citizen before you can even think about starting a business,

Hi, I would advise you to contact your nearest Italian Consulate and enquire about the possibility of obtaining Italian citizenship through "jure sanguinis" (Italian ancestry). It is a complicated process because there are many different laws covering citizenship, but it would be a good idea for them to give you a preliminary assessment. For this, you will need to compile a basic family tree including dates of birth, marriage and death of your lineage and also whether any of them, including yourself, acquired a different citizenship than the birth one. Those dates are most important. If you are told that you could qualify, then, you will have to get all birth, marriage and death cerificates, duly "apostilled" and translated. There are agencies that do that kind of work, but these documents can bequite expensive because of all that needs to be done. A lot of paperwork! It takes quite a long time for the authorities to process these applications. In case you have a problem and you do not qualify automatically, you can still get back the Italian citizenship through residence with a shorter waiting period than ordinary mortals... but you need a residence visa to do that. For this reason, start talking to the nearest Italian Consulate, unless you are prepared to read and interpret all the relevant Italian laws!!! In any case, I wish you the best! Lucca is a wonderful place!

Thank you to all who responded, tutto apprezzo   

For Elective Residence only , and some Italian burocracy laws ....http://www.lifeinitaly.it/Inglese/residence_in_Italy.htmUgo   

Perhaps the Entrepreneur Visa may be more suitable in your case, as you intend to open your own business. It has been said that the Italian government is working on improving the conditions of this visa. The Italian Consulate will be able to assist you. Here is some basic info: https://www.migreat.com/en/what-requirements-are-there-for-italian-entrepreneur-visa-a209

Hi Gala Placidia , In fact, some here were saying how easy it is to be resident in Italy for work.. ...

Perhaps they were EU citizens talking about their own experience. In this case, It is the case of a non-EU citizen and the process is totally different. The problem seems to stem from the fact that Italymag was a British magazine which has changed hands and quite a number of new non-EU members have joined over the past year. And I do not think that Italy is an easy place to get a job, even if you are a EU citizen. Unemployment rates are still very high. But this case is totally different: A non-EU citizen, of Italian ancestry, seeking to open his own business in Italy.

Ugo. It is difficult to understand the meaning of your post and your intentions with your tirade. In any case, it is not helping the originator of this thread. In any case, if your real intention is to cause controversy and turn it into a personal confrontation, I prefer to "ignore".  

I understand that you, Gala, wants to have the last word, perhaps by virtue of an alleged in-depth knowledge of the Italian legislation. However, for business I deal for  NOT Italian people who buy homes in Italy, asking for funds to buy them and then ask the residence.They sometimes wonder also about the possibilities of open tasks and maybe turn their  Elective Residence in Residence for work, therefore this matter is for me the subject of continuous updating, knowledge of regulations, contacts with government offices and industry professionals. More , i am married to a person who is not an Italian citizen and have children with dual citizenship. There 's been a time in my life when I was told that there was no possibility of "hold my partner in Italian" if I did not contract marriage with she. Consequentely  my advice to apply for a residence Elective, if there had been no immediate opportunity to get one to work, it was purely PRACTICAL and dictated by experience. Now you can continue to ignore, from your knowledge of the subject .Ugo 

OK Kids, you've all been very helpful.  I'll take it from here

So best wishes for 70 years, I've only 63, on the other hand, this person once before, spoke very highly of me, even though he does not remember now"

It sounds excellent and it is

Submitted by Gala Placidia on Mon, 2012-02-06 08:09- See more at: https://www.italymagazine.com/comment/32481#comment-32481"