Starting a new life abroad can be exciting and unsettling in equal measure. There’s the adventure of a new country and the hope of a fresh start, but also the uncertainty of leaving behind the people, places and routines that once felt familiar. Little by little, though, the unfamiliar starts to become home.
Una Nuova Vita all’Estero brings together some of the Italian words that describe that journey, from leaving and starting again to feeling lost, finding your feet and eventually developing a sense of belonging.
Match each Italian word on the left to its English counterpart on the right.
Download the puzzle below, and if you’d like to see a few of these words used in real Italian sentences, you’ll find some further down the page.
Divertiti! 😊
Learning a word is one thing; seeing it used naturally is another.
Once you've completed the puzzle, take a look at these Italian sentences featuring a few of the words you've just matched, each with an English translation.
Spaesato
I primi giorni a Londra, Francesca si sentiva completamente spaesata.
During her first few days in London, Francesca felt completely disoriented.
Cavarsela
Il mio inglese non era perfetto, ma riuscivo comunque a cavarmela.
My English wasn't perfect, but I still managed to get by.
Ambientarsi
Mi ci è voluto un po' di tempo per ambientarmi nella nuova città.
It took me a little while to settle into the new city.
Appartenenza
Ho conosciuto tante persone, stretto nuove amicizie e ora sento un vero senso di appartenenza a questa comunità.
I've met lots of people, made new friends and now I feel a real sense of belonging to this community.
My favourite word from this puzzle: nostalgia 🏠
In Italian, nostalgia isn't only the feeling we associate with the English word "nostalgia". It can also describe the longing you feel for a person or place when you're away from them. Avere nostalgia di casa, for example, is to feel homesick.
I remember that feeling very well. When I was nine, my sorellina (younger sister) and I spent the school year in a colonia in the mountains. She had asthma, and in those days the mountain air was thought to be good for her. I went along partly to look out for her and keep her company.
We missed home terribly. Every Sunday, we'd look out of the window as visitors arrived, hoping to spot someone coming to see us. Our only regular contact with home was a ten-minute phone call once a week, using the colonia phone.
I certainly learned the meaning of nostalgia that year. These days, my sorellina and I are just a WhatsApp voice note away from each other, which feels like nothing short of a miracle after all those Sundays spent watching the window.
Years later, I would leave home again, although this time it was entirely my own choice. At twenty, I packed my bags and moved to London to start a new life.
If you'd like to read what happened next, you'll find the full story here: Just Come and We'll Find You Something.
And if packing bags and travel vocabulary are your thing, my word match Valigia is tucked inside my Travel to Italy book.
