Hi all. New here. I am an English expat married to an Italian living in Senigallia, provincia of Ancona. I have lived here since 2005. Some time this year My parents will be moving over here. My mum is in her 70,s and young at heart, from North London. I would love it if she could make some English friends over here, maybe a book club or knitting circle

thanks

Will she be shocked when she learns that most people in italy are Italian ?

Nice to see you are back again Scot47🙃 Not avery helpful comment mind.

oh I’m sorry, is that you trying to be funny???? Maybe you have been outside of the UK for too long. You seem to have lost your sarcasm.
please if you cant be helpful. Keep your comments to yourself.

Actually, Scot has made a fair point. Amazing how many "young at heart" / adventurous actually suffer a culture shock after a while among the locals, permanently, in a foreign country.

If he wants to say that. Then he should have rephrased it.

I've found that the British expat community in Italy isn't very active in the social sense of Brits hanging out together. Something that is more popular in the Expat community in Spain. Here they tend to integrate into the Italian communities without the need for that British connection. Good luck with your search.

Take the advice and decide if it applies, being there since 2005 and married to an Italian I'm sure you have a great idea of how the land lies, but you are asking questions. We have friends in Abruzzo (no use to you of course) and in such a small area and they have found lots of (older) contacts in the very few years they have been there, give it time...

Thanks for your response.

MY EXPERIENCE IN 5 CONTINENTS IS THDST BRITS OFTN CANNO0T HANDLE LIVING WITH FOREIGNERS !

Not to worry. My father is Portuguese and she has lived in Portugal for the past 24 years

There is no doubt that settling in at 60 plus years of age will take more initiative and work if she is hoping to mix with italians. I found that the Abbruzo area was pretty open and friendly toward english speaking immigrants myself, also in Puglia and Calabria.

The most positive thing is that she has already got a family to support and love her as she enters into the area and gets to know the community and what could be better than that?

How about trying the comune to see if they know of anyone else around nearby? Quite surprised to see there were only 13 resident GB Stranieri in your area up to 2016, thought there would be more than that.
Not wanting to worry you, but I would make a quick check around the place and see if there is anything that might pose more of a danger for an older person than yourself.

Then BREXIT wasn't a surprise for you.
On the original point, what I have found different in social relationships here, as a resident (and previously experiencing "hospitality" only in the ambit of the acquired extended family), is that friendliness in greeting among neighbours is rarely followed up by any attempt to develop a friendship; as an example, it is not a local custom to invite forestieri into your home. Realising that, you can work around it.
I wish your mother well; nothing like new experience.

The OP would be better off in Umbria. The small hill town of Todi for example has 60 British residents and Umbertide 80 not to mention Americans.