Barcelona is alluring to many young Italian citizens today, making up the largest foreign community in the Catalonian capital. While other Spanish cities welcome retirees, newcomers from Italy to Barcelona are typically between 25-40 years old, often students, recent graduates, skeptical about the political and social scene in Italy and the dwindling prospects of employment there.
A recent report accounted for 22,685 Italian citizens living in Barcelona with numbers increasing at a momentous rate of 15-20%. That is a large chunk of the 50,000 Italians residing in the whole of Catalonia. These figures have risen significantly since 2000, when reports only accounted 15,000 residents within the city. Many are drawn by the amiable setting and the economic dynamism and decidedly stay for some time.
In keeping with the theme of past articles about specific foreign national communities in Barcelona, we explore the resources and networking opportunities available to Italian citizens that will not only help students get settled into their new city, but help them to start feeling the sensation that Barcelona is the best choice for a place to live in, away from home.
Resources for Italian Residents in Barcelona Studying Abroad at GBSB Global Business School
Consulate General of Italy Barcelona
Calle Mallorca 270 - 08037, Barcelona
Email: barcellona.info@esteri.it
Consular Call Center: 807300747 (paid service available only in Spain - the number is not valid from other countries. The maximum cost is € 0.91 per minute from Movistar fixed network and € 1.27 per minute from cellular network Movistar (click to answer € 0.09), taxes included.
Central Station with information on consular services Telephone: 0034-902050141 (fee payable)
Camera Italiano Barcelona, www.cameraitalianabarcelona.com
As a student, you may not be ready to launch your own startup, but this is a good network to have, especially if you could see yourself staying in the city after graduation. The Italian Chamber of Commerce-Barcelona is an influential tool to develop a network of contacts, offering the opportunity to meet potential customers and collaborators. A great commercial resource that supports business opportunities and promotes trade.
The members of the Chamber of Commerce belong to different industries: pharmaceutical, logistics and transportation, fashion, restoration, and law. These are companies with a strong presence in the Italian-Spanish market, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises newly formed or those with the intention of expanding.
Online Communities and Helpful Advice
Italiani a Barcellona, www.italianiabarcellona.com
An Italian expat created webpage aimed at helping fellow Italians new to Barcelona get acclimated to the city covering a variety of topics.
SpaghettiBCN, Barcelona’s Online Italian Community, spaghettibcn.com
Spaghetti Bcn is a collaborative blog written by Italians living in Barcelona. Launched in June 2008, and since the first year of activity, the website has received a great deal of visitors. The site focuses on everything about Barcelona and the community of Italians living here. The content writers are collaborators reporting on news, curiosities, interviews, insights, comments, and complaints. The website is refreshed daily with new content to report.
Churches
Parròquia de Santa Ana, www.parroquiasantaanna.org
On the fourth Sunday of the month, Parròquia de Santa Ana offers Italian mass at 18:00.
ICB, International Church of Barcelona, icbspain.com
English-speaking, non-denominational international church with a variety of community groups to participate in. It is as diverse as GBSB Global Business School and not but a 5-minute walk from the Barcelona campus. Church services on Sunday are at 10, 12 & 18:00.
Social Groups of International Expats
InterNations, www.internations.org
“InterNations helps expats to feel at home abroad, meet people and find information about their new environment.” This is the tagline for the biggest international community of individuals who live and work abroad. InterNations offers global networking opportunities, local events, and expat-relevant information through roughly 3,500 monthly events and activities across the globe. Individuals get to meet other like-minded expats in their specific city, while forums and destination guides provide valuable tips and information about getting established in your new city.
MeetUp, www.meetup.com
Meetup offers a platform for individuals to join together in thousands of cities worldwide to do more of what they want to do in life. MeetUp is orchestrated around one modest idea: when individuals gather together and participate in activities or events that matter to them, they’re at their best. The organization brings people together to do, explore, teach, and learn the things that help participants be active and social.
