Insuring La Dolce Vita

Addio Ventures Abroad...

2008-08-20T08:23:00.001-04:00

Hi Loyal Experience readers,

This is my last ventures abroad blog. Don’t cry, oh flock of the faithful, there may be others- one day, but for now I’ll take you on a brief panoramic view of what my living abroad experience is and has been like.

I am currently trying to move home, back to New York, largely for professional reasons. Fundamentally, I have found that even being the head Italian office (read- only REAL Italian office of my company), the possibility for upward mobility isn’t nearly as broad as a career in New York could afford me- or anybody. Recent national trends, across all industries, suggest that a good part of Italian college graduates are seeking work overseas, primarily in England because of higher salaries and future potential.

Despite the fact that I am trying to leave, I view these past 2 years as an absolutely valuable experience- and since the scope of this entire website is “experience”, I will explain.

1- We, whether you realize it or not in your day to day activity, all work and live in an international marketplace (just think about how you magically can get peaches even when they are out of season in the US). Especially for those of us in Financial Services, we need to realize that the movements in the American market are felt all over the world, either because foreign countries invest in US securities or because, as in my situation, most large US companies will have overseas offices. Our actions, especially in the US, will have consequences for the entire world, and so having a greater understanding of not just lets say, NYSE, but also FTSE, and the Borsa Italiana is very helpful and allows you to demonstrate a wider understanding of the world.

2- US companies love, love, love to see their young “talent” willing to take risks by leaving the comfort of home. It shows dedication to the company as well as an overall willingness to expand your horizons. Plus it helps the regional offices learn something about business too- for example, I approach some risks differently than my Italian colleagues- meaning I learn from them, and hopefully they can take something away from my experiences.

3- Who doesn’t want to see the world- especially when there is so much to see! In my spare time, I’ve spent the past 2 years exploring every inch of Italy. Then there are people like my brother, who took advantage of the terrible job conditions in New York right now, and decided to backpack throughout India, Nepal and South East Asia. He may not have closed a big deal this year- but what other 23 year olds can talk about the adventures he has had in the past 3 months? Not many I’d bet, and frankly, I’m prouder (and more jealous) of him than he’ll ever know for taking this leap.

4- Living abroad provides the opportunity to learn not just about other places, but more about yourself than you may realize. Living in a new country, especially one where English is not spoken, provides you with a daily way to surprise yourself about what you can accomplish, or overcome, or just simply, learn.

So readers of this blog (or Mom)- the world holds limitless possibilities. Take that “calculated” risk and try a few years overseas!

Ferragosto- my heart's devotion- MAY IT FALL INTO THE OCEAN

2008-08-11T06:27:00.001-04:00

I hate August. For those of you repulsed by that statement because August is a nice hot summer-y month, let me explain.

1- I hate August because my birthday is officially over (a completely selfish reason I’ll give you that- but I’m allowing it).
2- Ferragosto. I hate working during Ferragosto.

For those of you who don’t know, Ferragosto is the August holiday. It is a bank holiday that is technically ONE day. However, the majority of Italy has interpreted Ferragosto as being an entire month long and so most of the city is now closed down as the Italians flock to their beachside meccas (Sardegna, Barcelona and Sicily are the big ones). My department at work has magically been reduced from 15 to 3 all of a sudden too- meaning, outside of catching up on old paperwork (which I have in abundance)- I am bored out of my skull.

This is all aggravated by a few facts:
1- I have nothing to eat in my house. Yesterday I had a plum for breakfast, with coffee- followed by a plum with water for lunch and a plum with bread for dinner. Why? BECAUSE ALL THE SUPERMARKETS ARE CLOSED!!!! I’m pretty sure that if I don’t find something open, I’m going to starve to death before heading down to my family in Basilicata on Wednesday night. I clearly could have done some pre-emptive shopping, but I turn a little banana sandwiches in the supermarket sometimes and forget what I need. So usually after an hour of circulating I’ll go home with like, an orange and Coca-cola light.

2- My roommates are all gone for vacation, as are my close friends (I was supposed to go with them to- well, Barcelona, but got stuck at work). This means outside the fact that I had no one to talk to this weekend and became mildly schizophrenic while watching some Olympic basketball (GO USA by the way)- I got absolutely no sleep last night because I was convinced that some mad-man was going to break into the apartment.

3- I am taking a weekend trip to go to BEAUTIFUL Basilicata, in a town called Grassano, where my Grandfather’s family is located. Grassano, as I have mentioned, is my favorite place on earth. If I could move there tomorrow and open an Insurance company, I would. The magical part about Grassano, isn’t even the town itself which has a strange mysticism that seeps into your soul- making you feel like you always have to, and want to return- but the wonderful people who live there. But I digress- I ‘m aggravated because Milan being so stupidly far north- I have to take a bus about 14 hours to get there. When I did this at Easter I wound up sitting next to the ONLY morbidly obese Italian lady ever- who ate potato chips at 3 am.

Ah well- for those of you wanting to make a trip to Italy in August- DON’T! The Italians aren’t going to be there! (and for those counting, the title is a reference to West Side Story- free travel advice to anyone who gets the reference)

Training in Paris- Part 2

2008-08-04T04:54:00.001-04:00

So, as promised, here is the second part of my blog series about Paris and Training and Training in Paris.

The Training part was fantastic. For those of you who’ve forgotten what I’m actually doing here as I write about pasta, I work in the Financial Lines division of a major multinational insurance company. This means that we write Directors and Officers Insurance, Employers Practices Liability Insurance, Professional Liability and Crime/Fidelity Insurance, which are all coverages that indemnify for financial losses brought on by errors where a higher level of care is expected (like, legal malpractice, failure to supervise for D&O, discrimination for EPLI, etc.)

It was two weeks of solid information, but unlike a lot of basic training courses, this was an in depth and up to date training- because as you can imagine with Subprime, D&O insurance has become much riskier- and therefore more sought after (its what we refer to as Adverse Selection- the notion that those most likely to have claims are those most likely to purchase insurance).

But I won’t bore you any more with the details of Financial Lines Insurance. The most wonderful part of the training for me, is that there were representatives from almost all of our major European offices. I was one of two underwriters sent from Milan, but there was also a nice girl from Athens, about a dozen from the various UK offices, Madrid, Zurich, Hamburg and Frankfurt (so a Hamburger and a Frankfurter- hehehehehe), and even Johannesburg, South Africa.

This was so much more than the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of our underwriting lines- it was also the opportunity to learn about other cultures and what the market is like in other countries- which is one of the reasons I left NY for Milan in the first place. Additionally, we got some good “face time” with some of the major heads of the EU offices.

So the advice I pass on to you- NEVER say no to training!

Paris and Work- Part 1

2008-08-03T11:05:00.004-04:00

Hey all! Sorry I didn't blog last week but I was in Paris for work as I think I may have mentioned about 900 times. Anyway, this blog will be a two part piece. The first (this one as per the title) will be about Paris- (ah beautiful Paris!) and the second about working IN Paris.
Okay, here we go.

My company, not shirking away from hefty price tags put us right on the Champs Elyesse. It was beautiful and right in the center of Paris (fyi- it is pretty awesome to have the Arc du Triomphe down the block. I had been to Paris before and so decided to skip the trip up the Eiffel Tower and the Lovre ((although I did walk to see it and walked through the Lovre Gardens)).

After a day of exhausting training, it was usually a good time to break into groups and explore various neighborhoods for dinner. Eating in the Brasseries were best as it offered real French fare at decent prices. I had a plethora of lovely dishes over 2 weeks, including Foie Gras, Duck, Snails and Crepes! I also found a fantastic Sorbet place with my friend Helene (a Parisian) near Hotel De Ville.

Go to the Musee D'Orsay too! The fifth floor has paintings from every influential artist I've ever heard of- from Van Gogh to Monet to Whistler! It was a whirlwind tour of European greats and from the fifth floor there is a fantastic view of Sacre Cuore.

The St Pauls neighborhood is great too- especially with Place des Vosges. But nothing, NOTHING beat a weekend trip to Versailles. We just don't have this kind of history in the states! Not even a bit! Residences as far as the eye can see- then Marie Antoniette's personal farm (where they used to polish the eggs for her in the morning- so she could collect them- but not get dirty). Then the fountains! OHHHH the fountains and the gardens! It seemed that you could spend a whole day just wandering around there- or a whole lifetime. The perfect representation of what royalty should be- or the abuses of power that result in heads rolling...
Paris is beautiful! GO SEE IT!

ahhh Pareeeee

2008-07-22T11:42:00.003-04:00

Paris is fantastic experience readers...for those of you paying attention, I`m in France for work.

Very interesting experience thus far, and I`ve had the opportunity to talk with collegues from all over Europe about market conditions and how they are handling the current soft market, as we say in Insurance (meaning, lots of competition and well, discounts on rate.)

It has also opened my mind to the innovative side of insurance (what!!! innovation in Insurance! Surely you jest!!) I do not however, there are lots of new and exciting things going on in this industry! (Sorry about the exclamation points and grammar and spelling...this keyboard is funky)!

Allors, I am off to eat delicious food (and then maybe McDonalds...everything is light and fresh and NOT FILLING!)

Lunch time for Lydia

2008-07-16T05:48:00.002-04:00

As we are slowly slowly approaching lunch here, I’ve decided that this weeks blog- will be a regional break down of eating in Italy- because, eating is 90% of the reason to move here of course.

1- Rome- Pasta based in eggs, good cheese & pancetta. Typical sauces include Carbonara (egg and cheese and pancetta – oh my!), Amatriciana (made with Guanciale- essentially- another type of bacon). They are also big on veal, which I enjoy immensely. For the more adventurous eaters- they are big on intestines in Rome as well. They are surprisingly delicious. Last night I was at a happy hour with my roommate who is from Viterbo- I was eating something and saying “hmmm, this is interesting.” Agnese turns to me and says “oh yes, I like nerves too.” Nerves??? Hmmmm.

2- Firenze- aka- Flo- When in Flo, it is appropriate to eat Pasta Fagioli (the word is FAGIOLI- I don’t care where your family came from- if you’re Italian-American and you say something that looks like Fajool- please correct this), and well, any beans for that matter- Funghi Porcini- Porcini Mushrooms which are delicious fried or incorporated into pasta. Additionally, there is the fantastic Florentine steak which, per regulation has to be able to “stand” on every side- which should give you an idea to how thick it is.

3- Naples- Closer to traditional Italian-American food, because the majority of Italian Americans are of southern origin. Worth of trying are Arancini (what we’d think of as rice balls) & Mozzarella di Bufala (made with Buffalo milk), although not right now because Naples is having some trouble with garbage at the moment.

4- Venice- A surprisingly interesting food area. Baccalà is big (salted cod) as well as Polenta, which is like mush that can be baked or caked, or other verbs as well.

5- Milan- Unfortunately the Milanese kitchen is a little, well, boring. Cotoletta is big- which is essentially just a cutlet (of veal). And of course- there is Risotto with saffron, which after getting really sick once on a train, I can’t really eat, although I do enjoy it. A typical Milanese dish that you don’t find all over the place is cassoeula, which I happen to love- however its also extremely heavy, because it is made with various pork parts (like tail, ribs, feet, ears) and green cabbage which is important as vegetables go.

That’s my brief summary on eating here- and unfortunately I still have 45 minutes until lunch….darn. Name some other cities- I’ll brainstorm dinner plans for you all!

I love the smell of Europe in the morning

2008-07-07T06:21:00.001-04:00

Good morning experience readers.

Its just another manic Monday here at my desk and despite the fact that I have about 15 policy renewals to work on, I’m still mentally asleep. Not my fault though, it was an exhausting weekend.

This weekend, Milan had its sales. Essentially the entire city was up to 50% off, which brought millions of people into the city center in search of deals, despite the 100 (thousand) degree heat. I think my favorite deal was the department store giving out mini cans of Coke (coca light) at the entrance to pretty much every department. Diet Coke, being my personal kryptonite, was reason enough to run around this place for a good hour…like a fat kid at Costco. (but ohhhh do I love samples).

Anyway, I got some cool news the other day, which I’m uber- excited about. My company decided to send me on a 2 week training conference to Paris at the end of July. I obviously have to be in the office from 9 to 5 but 5 to midnight means time to enjoy myself too! I went to Paris for 3 days 4 years ago, so I’m really hoping to see some cool areas. Plus one of my old roommates from Rome lives there- so extra points for going around Paris with an actual French person.

Maybe I’ll eat some freedom fries and liberty toast. Just for fun.

Another summers day, has come and gone away- in Paris and Rome (and Milano)

2008-07-01T03:34:00.003-04:00

Hello friendly readers! The post vacation tiredness has finally worn off in one of the worst experiences with jet lag that I have ever experienced in my life. I was going to work and trying to run my life normally- which is generally the best way to get over a long haul flight (try to keep to the local hours as much as possible)- but I was still falling asleep as soon as I got home from work around 8.

Anyway, two days into the return to the office, I got an excellent email. This email, which I repeat, was excellent, was an invite to attend my company’s 2 week Financial Lines University in Paris! It’s a great opportunity, because outside the obvious “awesome factor” being in Paris, you get to mingle with colleagues from all over the world as well as some pretty important heads in the European offices. I did something similar in New York about 3 years ago, which was interesting but overshadowed by the hour of commuting I had to do at the end of the day- and so while my colleagues were going out and getting to know each other- I was riding the Long Island Rail Road with 50 somethings.

In other news, there are some people studying abroad in Rome next semester I hear! Rome is what started my insanity for Italy so here are a few quasi-native suggestions:
DO take the number 8 tram up to the Gianicolense and have a pizza at C’era Una Volta- its fantastic.
DON’T EVER think it’s a good idea to eat in a restaurant IN the following Piazzas: Navona, Del Popolo, di Spagna. You can go a block away and eat beautiful beautiful food- but eating in the piazza means you’ll pay too much and it will NOT be good.
DO experiment with Roman dishes in Trastevere (which is the Roman’s Rome)- Carbonara, Amatriciana, Cacio e Pepe. For seconds- anything with veal- can’t go wrong!
DON’T look the Giordano Bruno statue in Campo dei Fiori in the eyes if still in school- local legend has it you will never graduate if you do!
DO go to the Drunken Ship- its an American institution
DON’T only go to the Drunken Ship- you’re in Rome- meet some Italians!
DO catch the sunset at Piazza Garibaldi- or the sunrise if you’re just getting home.
DO spend all night out when the Notte Bianca comes to town- and DON’T get frustrated by the crowds.
DO try to go for dinner in Ariccia and drink Romanello (spelling may be off)... and look for the singer who asks for a glass of wine instead of money...but first learn the words to the folk song La Società di Magnaccioni...

Alright folks- time to underwrite…

Any other Roman suggestions???

Top Ten Reasons to Move Abroad

2008-06-25T09:30:00.003-04:00

10) Discount European Airlines means every weekend can be a vacation.
9) You’ll make friends solely based on the fact that you’re American.
8) Great opportunity to learn a plethora of accents.
7) Every time you come back stateside, its an excuse to have a weeks worth of parties.
6) Happy Hours here actually involve mile long buffets.
5) European experience looks FANTASTIC on the ol’ resume (especially if you’re in finance or international relations).
4) You can learn (or improve) a foreign language (even though almost everyone speaks SOME English).
3) It’s a great opportunity to learn about lots of different cultures- think “The Spanish Apartment,” a great French film for those who haven’t heard of it.
2) New York will always be there- Venice- is sinking.
1) YOU GUYS DECIDE!!! Polling starts now (and if anyone says because the Euro is strong- I'll show you the difference between my biweekly pay stub in NY and my Monthly here...its depressing).

Touring in your home town

2008-06-18T12:22:00.002-04:00

I always knew that New York was a fantastic city- and so is Washington DC, which explains why I chose to live there so long. Anyway, in my time at home over the summer, I have had the chance to tour around some Italian friends of mine. Going around the old familiar places, but with people who have never seen them before, everything takes on new meaning. The Statue of Liberty, which for my family represented coming to the new world- to them is the symbol of everything that America can offer.
It isn't just cheeseburger (because OH YES, I took them for GOOD burgers), but a new culinary experience- and a picture riding the bull on broadway means you master the American financial market (or whats left)!
Anyway, what I mean to say, is that if the financial mess has left you without summer plans- try rediscovering your nearest city! You may be surprised how much you've overlooked or taken for granted.

Karma, not just Flavor Flav's kid

2008-06-11T11:11:00.000-04:00

Disclaimer: This particular blog entry has absolutely NOTHING to do with me living in Italy. Well, sort of.

I am home. Home, for those of you who missed my ode to chicken wings below, is Long Island, New York. In the past 3 days since I’ve arrived after an excruciatingly painful flight on Air France (where they would ask me in English if I wanted coffee and I’d respond in Italian….ooops), I’ve been pretty good about getting out and doing some typically American activities. I think that this is how we can all learn to “study abroad” in our own country; by the way, we collectively need to embrace our American culture.

By this I mean, tailgating. One of the summer highlights of living on Long Island is the Belmont Stakes, this year being particularly interesting because after the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, Big Brown was up for a Triple Crown win. But Belmont, they say is a champion killer, and for those of you who missed it, Big Brown lost.

Ultimately however, I know absolutely nothing about horse racing and I was really there for parking lot parties and shish kebab that my brother made. Then, eventually, for the big race we pushed our way into the track and because of the finagling of my brother (who, FYI, is a rockstar between the tailgating feast and what Im about to relate), we wound up standing on the rail about 3 yards from the finish line.

Anyway, on a fluke, my brother decided to put ten to win on a long shot- who as we know now, won on a 38:1 odd.

My moral of the story: Karma is a beast. (oh, and good things happen in America!)

Theres no place like home...for a good cheeseburger

2008-05-28T08:33:00.001-04:00

I find it rather amusing that the new semester of blogging should start now, because despite the fact that I write the Ventures ABROAD blog, I’m about to briefly repatriate.

Maybe some of you have gone through these struggles while studying abroad, but Holy Fruitfly do I want a cheeseburger. Not just any cheeseburger though- I want a cheeseburger from this pub in my town called Blackthorn. And while I’m there, I would really appreciate a plate of wings- as, Blackthorn has, in my very qualified and professional opinion, the best wings on Long Island. Plus, for those on the South Shore of Nassau county, they make a corned beef and cabbage egg roll- that although sounds very unappetizing from afar, I can assure you is the greatest thing to happen to food since the slicing of bread (really, thumbs up to whoever decided to come up with that one).

See, this is my problem! The date grows ever nearer and I find myself thinking about certain things I know I can never find here. Like a good cheeseburger…maybe even one from the Tombs in Georgetown (which, fyi, brings me back to an old college tradition I had with my roommates where on Thursdays we’d go to the Tombs for burgers and beers. Just three GW students infiltrating Georgetown territory. This would be replaced post Graduation with Thorny Thursdays, where Thursday I’d dine with my friend Sam at the Blackthorn in our town, but enough about food).

As another part of my preparation for my impending trip, I felt it necessary to check Air France’s website for the inflight entertainment- which lets me know if I’m going to be I-pod dependent for the entire trip or just little bits of it. I was very happy to see The Other Boleyn Girl as part of the selection (I’m a HUGE Phillipa Gregory fan), as Milan, oddly enough for a major European city, has very few original language movie theaters and that wasn’t something I was willing to see dubbed.

I also think it’s a good opportunity to brush up on my French- for the flight. Of course, my French is limited to what I’ve learned from Eddie Izzard, essentially very useful phrases like “the Monkey is on the branch. The cat is on the chair”, so unless the plane has a tree, a monkey and a cat in addition to the normal seating, I’m probably going to come of certifiably insane- which of course, I’m okay with.

Anyway, here we go on a new season of blogging. Send me some questions and we’ll start a nice round table discussion of Insurance, Europe, Italy, AC Roma- whatever you’d like!

1° Maggio, work, play and party

2008-05-05T06:23:00.001-04:00

This past weekend, Italy celebrated the first of May, which is Italian labor day- and as with most long weekends, Milan emptied out as if mandatory.

I went to Rome, because, as in previous posts, I can’t get enough of that city. Despite having lived there for a collective 2 years, which should arguably be enough to satisfy my dream- I find myself on that same after work Eurostar from Milano Centrale to Roma Termini every few weeks (which reminds me, I should sign up for the Trenitalia frequent “flyer” miles …I keep forgetting). I couldn’t not go down- as my friends in Rome reminded me Wednesday night on Messenger prompting me to buy a ticket for first thing Thursday morning.

Anyway, I got to Rome just in time for the last million hours of the May 1st free concert at San Paolo which was fun although a bit crowded with an estimated 700,000 people crammed into a piazza. However, the event also had a big political aspect to it, every once and a while having speakers come in and talk about the right Italians have to a secure job and on-site mobbing (what in Insurance can be covered with an Employment Practices Liability policy, it should be said that the company I work for is the only one to offer said coverage in the Italian market right now).

Now, what bothers me about this event, is that, like most mass gatherings of college age students here, there was a strong communist presence involving lots of flag waving. This bothers me on a few levels (and I will explain why leaving my personal politics out of it, although my personal opinions are clearly right), which I will break down as follows:

Communists in general: I don’t think I’ve ever seen one communist who was, lets just say, 45 and worked in a bank. Why is it that people who are generally “against the man” are usually people who have never actually tried to work WITH the man? I’m sure its lovely to be a communist when you’re 28, still the Italian equivalent of a college sophomore and have never paid taxes. Sure you want everyone to be on equal footing- but these are the people who once they get into the real world- start complaining about how high their taxes are because we have to financially support a universal health system that incorporates even the Roma Gypsies who live in tents outside of Tiburtina station (fyi- there are about 80 camps in Rome alone).

Communists, I can assume, are not well versed in history: I have spoken to many people, who I would consider smart and well educated, here in Italy and they all agree on one overwhelming point. Italy, and Europe at large, owes an ENORMOUS debt of thanks to the United States of America (I write out for emphasis) for the Marshall Plan. For those of you scratching your heads, the Marshall plan was an economic recovery program in Post-World War II Europe that essentially helped everyone recoup beyond pre war levels while simultaneously preventing the spread of communism. (Who said that History major would never come in handy??) Essentially this is how Europe enjoys freedom today. Additionally, I can assume that none of these Italian communists have ever noticed that the sustainability of a communist government is dependent on repression of freedoms they claim to be seeking and that communist governments tend to fall after things like bloody revolutions (Think Monty Python: “Come and see the violence inherit in the system- Help, Help I’m being oppressed!).

Recent Election Results: Based on the recent election results, in which Berlusconi (a great ally to the US) won quite easily, it is fair to say a good part of those flag waving communists actually voted for the Right.

So, in summary, 19 year old Italian communists bother me.

Thank you.

Being abroad- even when it hurts

2008-04-29T04:13:00.001-04:00

Now, here is a subject that I haven’t brought up yet- and as we’re nearing the end of the first part of our emotional journey together, perhaps its time.

Homesickness.

Homesickness is a natural reaction to living abroad. I don’t think that on all of this great big beautiful earth there is a person who loves Italy as much as I do, or was so motivated to come here. But sometimes its hard.

I was recently with my Mother in Switzerland, where we have a cousin who lives near Lugano. My cousin Elyse is someone who, even if she doesn’t know, I always remember admiring as a youngster. Elyse was that brave American who picked up and moved across the ocean at a time when people well, didn’t. Anyway, when I was young, I remember looking at Elyse like Ellis Island Immigrants would look at a banana for the first time. Oddly exotic but something that I knew I wanted to try. I looked up to her, and thought, if she could make the move- maybe I can too one day.
Anyway, we were in a beautiful piazza enjoying a caffè freddo and my Mom asked Elyse if “America just seemed like a distant childhood memory”. Good question- and the kind of question that my Mom was asking in part to gauge my reaction.

“Yes”, Elyse answered, strangely enough yes.

This brings me to my point (long winded as always but here is my point). When I moved across the ocean, I had every intention of staying here forever. I love the life I have created around work, friends, my apartment, my neighbourhood and my city- but fundamentally, I am an American. Do I want the first 23 years I spent in the US to be a footnote to my life- or, do I want this experience to be a chapter of my personal history?

Then there are the stupid things- I’ve had a craving for a Chiptole burrito with corn salsa and steak for about 3 months now, with no way to cure myself. I even tried to have said burrito integrated into my blogging contract here to no avail. I really miss Bravo reality TV- Top Chef and Project Runway, and while these are minor things that arguably mean nothing in the long run, sometimes the accumulation of small things can make you really miss the normalcy of life on Long Island.

Torino- cause hey, why not??

2008-04-24T13:29:00.001-04:00

What a week and I apologize profusely to the MILLIONS of people who clearly wait for me to blog with breath that is baited (or better, Sorry Mom…). I was off in Torino on a last minute insurance trip- but since you probably don’t want to hear about Professional Liability for Accountants (and I, frankly, DO NOT want to write about it…) I will talk about Torino the city.

Torino is a beautiful city- and to my chagrin when I got there on Tuesday, not in my Rick Steve’s book. I, in my spare time, walked around and really got a feel for the city that was once the capital of Italy. The cafés there can easily rival Vienna and I had a KILLER pistachio pastry in a place along Via Roma, which is the main drag. Since the museums also close pretty late I also got to see the Palazzo Madama and the Royal Palace.

It was the business end of Milan but friendly. For example, being a practicing (when I’m not too tired or lazy) Catholic- I had really wanted to see the copy of the Shroud of Torino, which is arguably the most important relic in Catholicism (The teachings of Cathol- if you get this reference, you win my undying affection. Another point is that the actual shroud is only shown on occasion due to its condition and the obvious need and desire to preserve it). Either way, I randomly stumbled into the correct church and as luck would have it mentioned to the right little old lady that I had wanted to see it but because it was late did not want to disturb anyone. She proceeded to take me on a mini historical tour of the church, culminating in a viewing of the copy of the shroud with full historical and religious explanation.

Anyway, it was an awesome city in the original sense of the word (meaning it gives you awe), with a regal feel befitting the seat of the Savoy dynasty. Go see it! And in the meantime check the youtube highlights!

Putting the first 3 letters in Assicurazione (Insurance in Italian)

2008-04-15T05:30:00.001-04:00

Working in an International company in New York, I very often forgot just how international we were. Our policies would rarely clash with other policies written elsewhere in the world- and- even when we would extend coverage to be granted on a “world-wide” basis, this coverage was only REALLY valid for suits brought in the US anyway (this is standard market wording for any company based on US Insurance regulations). Then there is the fact that US insurance regulations are very strict and vary from state to state, making the US Insurance system rather beastly and difficult for even people who work in Insurance outside the fifty states to understand.

Here, the perspective is entirely different, also because, a company based in Italy may very well have subsidiaries in Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg. Today, for example, I spent a good deal of time, talking to a colleague in Belgium, because Company X in Luxembourg who is owned fully by Company Y in Italy had a policy with us in Belgium through another broker- but Company Y decided to buy a Master policy in Italy this year- so effectively we have 2 policies out covering the same company. Nich gut. So, we call our colleagues in Belgium to say- Ummm- you need to cancel this policy NOW! Only, the broker for Company X wants their commission, even though there is no policy.

What drama! Only made more interesting by the fact that we were working between French, Flemish, English and Italian.

Quote Quote Quote Softball

2008-04-08T06:14:00.001-04:00

Santo cielo what a week ragazzi! I had another crazy week at work that I’ll summarize as follows:

Monday: Check email and be boggled at the fact that I received a few sent on a Sunday (the pope is crying somewhere), quote, quote, quote, Lunch, quote, quote, quote, call to Paris (our European Headquarter) for approval to…quote, quote.

Tuesday: Run all over Milan trying to find at ATM that wasn’t out of service, almost miss my train to Padova, broker visit, broker visit, Lunch, broker visit, broker visit, Train to Milan- nap.

Wednesday: Cry when I see 87 unread messages (none of them being fun ones), of which about 75% had those completely annoying red exclamation points with the word “URGENTE” in the subject line, quote, quote, quote, lunch, quote, quote, call it a day because I was clearly about to die.

Thursday: see Monday

Friday: after an emotionally exhausting week of, ummm, quoting, I decided to take a nice easy morning (we only work til 12:30 on Fridays. Got to love these National contracts!), so I read msnbc.com for a while, checked my email and called it a day early, so I could go to softball practice. It almost felt like high school with a salary!

Anyway, this weekend we had a Springtime Tournament hosted by my team BSC Milano, and I must say, I rocked some socks. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve lost a good bit of weight on my diet of Mozzarella di Bufala, espresso and gelato or maybe its just because I’m American and genetics came through for me- but I have been pitching really well.

That being said, I have never seen a circus like the tournament this past weekend. While I’ve seen some legitimately good players (many coming from Cuba and the Dominican Republic), most of the teams are fairly new to the game. I have NEVER, EVER seen so many people ready to throw down and rumble though! It was like West Side Story meets a League of Their Own.

This for me all culminated in the 2nd of 3 games I pitched, where one of their players bunted in a way that was technically incorrect (incorrect, pronounced: stu-pid) and turned into the ball. Now, he turned into the pitch, which hit the bat before bouncing up and striking the player.

The sound of the pitch striking the bat was like the shot heard round the world, but his coach insisted he had been hit by the pitch (difference being, I threw a strike whereas the coach wanted him to take a base). When the umpire called a strike, the coach flipped out, claiming I hit him on purpose. First, it is incredibly insulting to suggest that I’m that nasty, dirty (and mind reading- I clearly should have foretold that he would turn into the pitch after I had released it) player. Second, I was taken back when not three seconds after a gang war broke out on the field because of what he said, he says “You do that again, and I’m coming out on the field”. WHAT!!! In the course of three seconds it went from being a fun game to World War III. Of course, a guy like this wouldn’t settle for anything but “putting me in my place” and so came up to bat in the next inning with an aggression in his eyes that I don’t think I’ve ever seen in another human being. I soundly sent him back to the dug out in four pitches, fairly humiliated to be taken down so swiftly, and by an American Girl nonetheless. Then to round out his day of unsportsmanlike conduct, he refused to attend the (as my Mom calls it) “handshake of peace” at the end of the game. What a winner.

So loyal readers of experience.com…come down to Milan this weekend- I need emotional support at Sunday’s game!

Brokers visits...in Venice!

2008-04-02T08:31:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I find myself having a moment of “man is your job awesome.” Despite the fact that we have stress coming out of our ears (think smoke when a cartoon character eats something spicy), yesterday I had a legitimately fantastic day doing broker calls in the Padova area. In the course of one day, I visited brokers in Treviso, Mestre (a stones throw from Venice), and Padova before heading back to Milan.
We talked about insurance, re-enforcing what I have noticed in the past year working in the Italian Insurance market. That is to say that the business itself doesn’t change. Brokers want better premiums, higher commissions, better coverage terms and quicker policy issuance. What did change?
I had a delicious lunch of pasta and then tuna, a lovely glass of Prosecco, 5 different coffee breaks and the fact that the car we travelled in was a quarter of the size of my old Ford Explorer in New York.

2008-03-25T06:58:00.001-04:00

The previous post was a response to the following question:
What advice would you offer for those who want to eventually work abroad, specifically in Italy ?- Evan, Bloomington, IL

Hi Evan,
The real lengthy reply is below, but for those who don’t want to read the doctoral thesis/”War and Peace”/Complete history of Italy abridged below, here is some advice I would offer:

1- Know how you can stay in Italy and not have to hide from immigration. It is not quite as simple as walking up to your nearest consulate (for you Evan, that’s Chicago) and declaring that you want to live in Italy (MAGARI!)

2- Do some market research into the sector that you want to work in. Like in the states, a lot of the interview process involves selling yourself- but a company will definitely want to know why they should hire you over an Italian (heres a hint: I speak Native English goes over VERY well).

3- Do some research on the area of Italy you would like to move to: Milan is the capital of finance and fashion, Rome provides great opportunities for government work, banking and tourism, Florence is a good city to teach English or (again) tourism, and Puglia is beautiful if you want to be a farmer.

4- Learn Italian- maybe this doesn’t need to be said, but I was in Rome two weeks ago and I ran into this girl from Minnesota who spoke such terrible Italian, I was tempted to punch her. I give credit to people who try, but her Italian was so terrible and she was so cocky about how great it was, that about 90% of the piazza was on board with the whole “me kicking her thing.”

5- Be Persistent. The old saying “where theres a will, theres a way” really holds true during a lot of the administrative work that goes into moving across an ocean. Stay focused, and don’t be afraid to call the consulate every five minutes if you have to. I was on hold with the Consulate in NY for most of 2006…

I love the questions though! Keep them coming!

Working your way across "the pond"

2008-03-25T06:10:00.003-04:00

Working in Italy has definitely been a wonderful experience for me over the past year, but as I spent this past weekend in Basilicata talking to my cousins I came to realize how fortunate I have been to have found a secure position with a secure contract. There are many challenges facing young people here, and even those most qualified often find themselves bouncing from job to job seeking a better contract or accepting internships well into their 30s.

Here are a few points that I have found invaluable as to the working environment in Italy.

1- Ability to work:

The first hurdle as an American is actually being allowed to work in Italy. Americans with valid passports can stay in Italy for up to 90 days, but as tourists. I have heard of people who wish to stay longer and cross into Switzerland every 3 months to keep their eligibility valid, but this is neither legal nor a valid way to stay. Alternatively, you can try to find a company to sponsor you for a visa/permesso di soggiorno (permission to stay). This is a costly and time consuming process. I recently spoke with a friend who works in HR for a multinational company based in Italy, who confirmed that working between the US and Italian government makes it difficult (not impossible but difficult) to hire Americans because of national quotas, and so is usually something companies reserve for highly qualified workers or management.

I was able to move here because I hold dual citizenship, and therefore have an Italian passport as well as an American one. This is a complicated process, but put simply, I did research into my family background and found that at the time of my grandmother’s birth, her father was still an Italian citizen (my Grandmother was born in NY but raised in Rome). Because my Grandmother never realized she was born legally Italian, she never denounced her “birthright” and so it was passed to my mother and then to me. After collecting birth, death, marriage and naturalization certificates from every family member directly connecting me to Italy and waiting 2 years, I received my passport from the Italian Consulate General in New York. This process is called “Riconoscimento della Cittadinanza” (Re-recognizing of Citizenship) and although it takes quite a while, is the best way to go for those eligible, as legally I am Italian in all effects (meaning, I can work here, vote, buy property, am entitled to health care, and can collect a pension).

2- Finding the right job for you

As an American, or either way, a native English speaker, most “ex-pats” that I have met here work either as tour guides or as English teachers. To become a licensed tour guide in Italy, which most native English speakers are not, requires passing a lengthy state administered examination. I would also point out that most people who speak English have certification in Teaching English as a Second Language. When I first moved to Rome, seeing as I have a degree in Italian Literature and history, I began looking at jobs as a Tour Guide. The problem with this is that the work is fairly seasonable (meaning GREAT in the summer- slow in the winter), but you make more money than you do teaching English (and I think its more interesting- but thats just my opinion).

I came over here with the intent of continuing on the career path I started in New York however, meaning Insurance. To this end, it helps to do some market research, which I started to do before coming over. Know who the biggest players are, and try to get an idea on where you may fit in.

The first thing I noticed is that the Insurers are all in Milan, whereas the Brokers are scattered all over Italy. When I started working in Rome, it was for an American brokerage company, which I targeted specifically (the big 3 world wide- Marsh, Willis and Aon), because in an American company being a native English speaker would present a particular advantage both to the company looking to acquire, and to me as a selling point. After working in Rome for 6 months, I switched back to Underwriting, but staying with an American company, where again, being a native English speaker had advantages.

3- Contracts

In Italy, the type of contract that you hold at work has a big effect on almost every aspect of life. It is not uncommon to see people with a Laurea (Italian degree, American degrees can be validated through local autorities) doing Internships. Internships have a fixed time period (6 months usually) and if they are paid, it is usually a rather small amount (400-600 a month).

Then there are the 2 most common contracts which are: “Contratto a tempo determinato” and “contratto a tempo indeterminato.” You want to shoot for the latter.

A Contratto a tempo determinato, or determined time, is a fixed period contract, usually 6 months to a year, after which the company can either hire you again or let you go with no obligations to you. Most companies prefer to hire under these contracts because they are elastic, and less costly (in terms of taxes they pay on their workers).

Then there is the “mother of all contracts” which is the Contratto a tempo indeterminato (Contract of undetermined time- this contract is largely the reason I moved to Milan). This contract is that infamous, “you can never be fired unless you commit some grave mistake or do something illegal” contract. There is a 3 month “prova”, which is a window of leeway where you or the company can still back out- an approval period more or less- after which you are integrally part of the company. With this type of contract you can also get easily approved for bank loans and are entitled to a plethora of benefits. It is a secure contract in an insecure market, but is fairly hard to come by.

What is the one bit of advice I would give? Be patient and persistent.

Cleaning day sognando di Capri

2008-03-17T14:52:00.000-04:00

Ah Sunday, the day of pulizie (cleaning the house), which unfortunately was very necessary this week as the Turkish girl has apparently never learned to use detergents- leaving the house nothing less than GROSS since last Sunday. But now that I’m in my clean kitchen with a lovely bottle of Brunello breathing for lunch, I can write and think clearly.
This was a decisively stressful week as a broker with whom I bound a Directors and Officers Insurance policy in December decided to call up and argue about terms of coverage (but- isn’t it the middle of March? Yes, oh faithful readers of Experience.com, it is the middle of March). Anyway, I had, in the quote letter, binder (confirmation of coverage before policy issuance for those not in insurance) made very clear that companies with negative net worth or in fallimento (financial failure) were excluded from coverage. This is both smart from an Underwriting point of view and fairly standard at the price we closed the deal at. Despite my abundance of disclosure, the broker decided to call up demanding that we take the exclusion out of the policy after 3 months, citing the fact that the same client just bought an 80,000 euro pollution policy with us as well. The whole request was absurd- and I informed him that we will be happy to review everything at the policy renewal in December and that if the 2 companies in question were financially fine now, the exclusion isn’t active anyway. Either way, he pursued the issue for 2 days taking up about half my day with nonsense.
Anyway, I’ve spent the large part of the day so far reflecting, as per usual. I decided this morning to watch a great old movie with Clark Gable and Sofia Loren called “It Started In Naples”, which is about an American man who goes to Naples to settle his brother’s estate, only to find that his brother has an 8 year old son. Of course, he falls in love with the child’s Aunt (Sofia Loren) and the island of Capri (a place that puts my island- Long Island- to shame).
Outside of it being a fabulous movie, it made me think about the few trips I’ve taken there. The first time, I was 17 and going into my senior year of high school. Capri is one of those magical places that creeps into your soul when you’re not paying attention, and makes everyone want to be Italian- figurati (great phrase- the Italian version of New York’s Fuggetaboutit) those of us who are Italian-American. I was ready to drop out of school and become a grape picker!
Anyway, one morning, I woke up early to go running and wound up taking a sunrise walk with my mother to go see the Faraglioni (rock fragments the jet out of the sea, very well known on Capri). It was calm, peaceful, and beautiful combined with the sun that rose over the sea illuminating first the water and then the whole island. Some Italians in the area stopped and asked us for directions- seeing my mother and assuming that she too was Italian. Then surprised to find her decisively un-Italian looking daughter spoke back while she stood there and smiled. Although it was only a few short moments, it is one of my favorite moments in life and one of the most special memories I think I will ever have with my mother.
A few years later I went with my grandmother and Aunts to the island one day. We wound up on the opposite side near the Marina Piccola (Small marina) and found the most amazing place on earth to eat lunch- right on the water. Again- nothing short of a magical experience, especially watching my Grandmother who was raised in Rome, rediscover the beauty of a place she left about 60 years earlier.
Finally, about two weeks after my excursion with Grandma, my best friend Sammy came over to visit and of course, we wound up on Capri. The last night we were on the island, we decided to take it easy and have a coffee in the Piazza. Sam had a rough night the evening before, when, after a delicious meal and a few hours in a terrible club, some hooligans in the hostel we were staying in, decided to bust into our “dorm” in the middle of the night and dump a plastic bag of freezing water on her. This, by the way, is probably not the best way to be woken up at 3 in the morning.
So, back to the Piazza, we sat down and were having a nice little aperitif when I noticed that there was some activity on a stage set up in the middle of the square. We had unknowingly stumbled upon the town’s patron saint celebration- which meant dancing in tradition garb, singing Neapolitan folk tunes and apparently dragging a few American girls on stage to help with the music on instruments that I had never seen before, and never seen since. Not to put too fine a point on it- but again, magical!
So that’s what I’ve been thinking about on cleaning day!

When in Rome...

2008-03-12T14:50:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of Spring Break (I remember spring break- I went back home to work...enjoy Cancun college kids!), I’m going to use this time to enlighten you all on the greatest place on earth and where I spent my weekend.

I went home, home to Rome. What a magnificent city that, in my opinion, fully embodies all that it means to be Italian. Rome is a fantastic city because the ancient world mingles with the modern world in a way that is so natural you can hardly tell one from the other.

I spent Friday night at an Aperativo (Italian happy hour), where you get a nice drink but then eat ridiculously good food for 2 hours. Saturday, I hung out with friends and our night finished up at Piazza Trilussa. Rome, which is a city filled with students and tourists has an “American zone”- called Campo dei Fiori- which during the day is a flower market, but at night when the flowers are gone opens up to an awesome bar scene with 9 or 10 places that all spill out into the Piazza highlighted by a statue of G. Bruno, who was burned for heresy- a heresy we call “Science.”

Italians usually hang out across the river at Piazza Trilussa in Trastevere. Essentially, Piazza Trilussa has a set of wide set stairs where you can sit and talk and sing and do pretty much anything- but in the open air. Saturday night made me appreciate the phrase “Dolce far niente”, or “How sweet to do nothing.”

Going to Rome also made me think about the decisions we make in life though. I was happier in Rome than I had been- maybe ever. And yet, I moved to Milan. It was the balance between my career and fun. Milan, especially if you work in financial services (so- insurance- yeah that’s a financial service), is the capital of work. If you want a serious career, Milan is the place to do so. Adult decisions are tough! But, as I frequently remind myself- at least in Milan I’m only 4 and a half hours from Rome!

The right time to move abroad

2008-03-03T14:58:00.002-05:00

I read an article a few weeks ago in the New York Times about colleges who give high school seniors the option of doing a gap year abroad(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/education/19educ.html). I’m torn about how I feel about though. Here is the rationale behind that:

Bad Idea:

Leaving home the first time (which a lot of people do when they go to college- I certainly was one of them) can be traumatizing. You can make up for that by being in a University setting where you still study and being surrounded by people who are in the same proverbial boat. It helps you bond- and it takes the sting off of the difficulty of being away from home.

Being in a place where they don’t speak the language can make a lot of the normal problems in life worse- because ultimately our ability to communicate is what bonds us to the people who surround our lives. That means that if you are in a European city where most people speak a decent amount of English- wonderful- but if you’re doing service projects in the mountains of Bolivia, well…you better speak Spanish!
What it comes down to, is that I think most people at 18 are too immature to handle rent and amenities, going out responsibly and being able to (to put it simply) “not die.” I have a roommate here who is 18. She’s Turkish and miserable. She doesn’t speak Italian or English and so it is impossible to communicate with her. Frankly, communicating with her is necessary as in the past week, she has left the gas on the stove while we were at work, left the door open all night, shut the water off in the bathroom while playing with knobs and needs to be taken care of the few times we go out socially as an apartment. So, basically, we had to smell with the potential of being blown up and murdered. These are little (or not so little) things that most people know not to do with age- but on the safety of a college campus there is that little bit of room for error.

The US Dollar is also terrible right now (1.50 USD to 1.00 Euro), but this will need some time to bounce back.

Good idea:
Studying abroad is one of the most amazing experiences a person can have. You meet fascinating people from all walks of life and all parts of the world. You learn about other countries and cultures while learning tons about yourself and your own inner potential. And its just plain fun!

On a totally unrelated note, I’ve picked up one of my old habits here- I started playing on one of Milan’s softball teams this week. Its fun! I have always played on a competitive level- but this team is a mix of old and young, experienced and inexperienced. There are also two older men on the team who were playing in rolled up jeans- which made me think of a Brooklyn pick-up game circa 1954. Or maybe The Sandlot! SMALLS! The GREAT BAMBINO! THE SULTAN OF SWAT! THE COLLOSUS OF CLOUT!

That to me, is finding the best of American culture in my city!
This is also a good time to check out the sports blog (link to the right), for a good chuckle and some interesting insight into that world!

U.S.A- a-okay

2008-02-25T15:36:00.003-05:00

In a completely unrelated to anything this blog is supposed to represent post...how do I make this dance "all the rage" in Milan???
That would be, in a word, awesome.

Arrivederci- when saying Later Gator seems inappropriate

2008-02-25T15:25:00.000-05:00

This was a killer week, in my world of insurance and pasta. Busy at work and outside as well, all topped off by the fact that I threw a dinner party for about 15 people in a kitchen that comfortably seats five.

My friends Marco and Carla left this week to start a job in Luxembourg for the Banca Generali, which is the finance and investing end of the huge Italian Insurance conglomerate Generali (for those of you who have been to Rome, you’ve seen Generali’s administrative offices in Piazza Venezia- and if you’ve visited Italy recently, perhaps even their TV advertisements with a lion, the company symbol, protecting a man from the dangers of the Jungle. I think it drives home the idea of personal risk management and protection- so points to them for a memorable ad campaign!)

Anyway, watching them say goodbye to Milan, where they have been for years now (Carla has been here for 3 and Marco 7), brought me way back to January 2007 when I was saying goodbye to so many friends and family myself. Fundamentally, as human beings (or essere umani for them), it is difficult to leave something so certain and familiar for something unknown. My first thought upon seeing the tearful hugs, best wishes for whatever the future may hold, and thoughtful glances that seemed to say “come back home soon”, was to my own friends at college and at home when I left. It was hard to say goodbye to Sam and Simone- to Martha, Sarah and Chris- when they had always been there to make me laugh or chortle. Then it dawned on me that had I never said goodbye, I would have never met any of the wonderful fascinating people I have met over the past year. That is what this age- this stage in life is about. Growth.

Now back to the crazy Italians who are moving to Luxembourg. When faced with a challenge like this one, especially because they are being sent over as part of a team to open an entire office, you have to jump! It isn’t only the tremendous expense a company must undertake to move you there, train you in new areas and teach you French- but the idea that you are being singled out as a rising star. Luxembourg for Carla and Marco isn’t an exile, but rather an opportunity to learn about a new market, and to really make a name for themselves within the company. An opportunity for…Growth.

I have learned such a tremendous amount since being here, all of which I reflected on today when I probably (read: definitely) should have been working. In New York, I had always thought about the money we were making- big premium dollars, big name Insureds (clients) and big policy limits- but we had a fairly limited geographic area in which we worked. In Italy, working in the exact same sector, I have learned not only how to Underwrite other “Financial Lines” products like Directors and Officers Insurance, Employment Practices Liability and Crime- but I have also worked on Architects and Engineer’s Professional Insurance and put together programs on a territory that spans an entire country and so the needs and risks vary greatly.

Even when you take the jump though- you can always be comforted by the fact that wherever you go on this earth (except for maybe small African villages, I have to check on that) there will always be…karaoke.