How some Americans landed Italy's hard-to-get working visas

11.23.24

In our roundup of travel news this week: the world's best cheese of 2024, why the FAA might be slowing down air traffic during Thanksgiving, plus the apparent boom in wealthy Americans seeking a new life abroad.

By Maureen O'Hare

🇮🇹 Villages and visas

Chelsea Waite got one of Italy's new digital nomad visas. (Chelsea Waite)

The Italian village offering $1 homes to Americans upset by the US election result was one of our top stories on CNN Travel this week.

Like many other places in rural Italy (such as Sambuca in Sicily), the Sardinian village of Ollolai has an ongoing campaign to persuade outsiders to move there to revive the town's fortunes. Focusing on the US election result is its latest strategy.

Despite all the houses going on offer, working visas to Italy are still very limited. Professional musicians Zeneba Bowers and Matt Walker gave up their Tennessee home in 2019 and moved to a village north of Rome after securing super-rare self-employed visas. Here's how they did it.

California woman Chelsea Waite says it was "nothing less than a miracle" when she snagged the new digital nomad visa that launched in April 2024, although there have been few accounts of people getting hold of one. Here's how it fell into place for the self-employed public relations professional.

For well-heeled Americans who set their sights beyond Italy, the options are greater. Interest in citizenship-by-investment "golden visas" has soared since the election, according to consultants who help the wealthy migrate.

🧀 Ham, cheese and bread

Parma ham is one of Italy's tastiest exports, but fans of the cured delicacy should prepare themselves for potential disappointment as a crisis threatens supplies and drives up prices.

Over in the world of dairy, this year's World Cheese Awards saw 4,786 cheeses from 47 countries assembled in the Portuguese city of Viseu to face judges' scrutiny. The winning coagulated curd was a "voluptuous … match of protein and fat," one juror said.

Finally, in the disputed Kashmir region of India, bakers are producing breads that could rival France. The rich bread culture is a legacy of the Silk Road trade route that once passed through the region.

✈️ News from the air

If you're traveling in the United States this week, brace yourself now.

Tuesday, November 26, is predicted to be the busiest day for air traffic during what looks like to be the busiest Thanksgiving period on record, says the Federal Aviation Administration. The US agency might even have to slow air traffic down because of air traffic controller shortages, particularly in the Northeast.

American Airlines continues to roll out new technology to crack down on line cutters at the boarding gate. The innovation, by which a sound alerts gate agents that passengers are trying to board ahead of their assigned group, will be in place at more than 100 airports nationwide before Thanksgiving.

If you had plans to travel with Spirit Airlines over the holiday season, the good news is that the carrier's recently announced bankruptcy isn't expected to affect that. However, there could be longer-term effects for 2025.

💰 Pick of the Day

Brought to you by CNN Underscored

32 luxury travel gifts for your favorite adventurer

If you're looking to splurge on this holiday season for your favorite traveler, we've got plenty of gift ideas for you. From beautiful luggage to high-end loungewear and electronics, we've found the best luxurious items for the travelers who enjoy the finer things in life.

❤️ Love through the decades

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Kim Morgan and Tom Latkovic met while backpacking in Europe and fell in love. A quarter of a century later, CNN joined the couple on a hiking trip, where they explained how a strong marriage will always involve a healthy degree of fighting.

You might not always be able to stop your partner from ticking you off when out hiking, but if it's Lyme disease-carrying parasites that are bothering you instead, there's an easier solution. Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, have this roundup of the best tick repellents, according to experts.

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Nine foolish things smart people waste money on

You're smart about saving money by shopping clearance, eating out less, and picking affordable streaming services. But there are still some tips you might not know that could help you save even more.

👀 In case you missed it

Airbnb battles at the Colosseum have caused outrage in Rome.

The homestay giant is promoting a "gladiator experience" for tourists, but detractors call the stunt insulting.

A backpacker town in Laos has been at the center of six suspected methanol poisonings.

Here's what to know about Vang Vieng.

A smuggler was arrested with 300 tarantulas strapped to his body.

And a different air traveler was duct-taped after trying to open a plane's door mid-flight.

Britain is building the most expensive railway in the world.

Many people now think it's pointless.

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