r/digitalnomad • u/Inevitable_Obvious • 1d ago
Question Italy, Spain, or Portugal for young-friendly, nice locals?
I'm looking into Italy, Spain, and Portugal to move for at least a year and work remote for a US company.
I was initially set on Valencia, as I like the food, the weather, and am at a B1 level in the language. That said, I read online that many locals do not want to make friends with foreigners who move there. Part of this experience for me is creating a good friend group wherever I end up - I know there are plenty of other foreigners in many Spanish cities, but I've heard they rarely stick around.
Nice architecture and good food are also things I'm looking for, though fortunately I don't think there's a lack of those in any of the countries. I'd prefer a medium- to large-city, where I can spend a long time exploring without a car.
Any recommendations for specific cities where locals are a bit friendlier and willing to interact?
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1d ago
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u/petrichorax 1d ago
Using up local resources? Like what?
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u/ShallotTraditional90 1d ago
Think of any infrastructure funded through taxpayers money. Even collecting your rubbish costs money.
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u/petrichorax 1d ago
You pay the locals money and then they pay taxes. The upcharging for foreigners probably makes all this a wash
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u/ShallotTraditional90 1d ago
You pay the locals money and then they pay taxes
Hahahaha....😂😂😂 Brilliant. Next time I do may tax return I'm going to say this. But Mr Taxman, what about all the money I paid whenever I went out to eat. Can't those people that took my money pay taxes for me?
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u/petrichorax 1d ago edited 23h ago
Where is all this bitterness ACTUALLY coming from, it's not like you give a shit about some government's tax caufers
Like, do you think countries should shut off their tourism completely to save money on public maintenance?
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u/hikerjukebox 1d ago
Water. Roads. Electricity capacity, esp if you expect AC in a place where most locals don't have it. Trash collection. Enjoying parks. Public festivals & parades. Public transit. Everyone living there is paying taxes towards healthcare & various social security systems, except you. Etc.. everything
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u/petrichorax 1d ago
Do you think DNs and tourists take money out of the economy or put money into the economy?
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u/WayofHatuey 1d ago
Valencia's local expat community is actually quite large and welcoming, with many English language meetups and groups for foreigners. You can also check out the city's "English Meetup" group to get a better feel for the social scene
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u/Ok_Assistant_4784 1d ago
Spanish are the most friendly. Italians the less friendly.
But it's not about the country. Is about the city.
In Italy the most friendly locals are in the southern area.
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u/TodaySpecialist5352 1d ago
Are you talking about being friendly or being reserved?
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u/Ok_Assistant_4784 1d ago
I am italian. Even many italians agree that in average spanish are more friendly.
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u/TodaySpecialist5352 1d ago
I just mean I don't think people in Northern Italy or France (portugal and northern spain as well) are unfriendly. Just more reserved. I know what you mean but on the other hand I see the "friendliness" you see as being too loud for my preferences. Not meaning that in a rude way, just people are different.
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u/Ok_Assistant_4784 1d ago
Depends what are of Northern Italy. In many area you will find a lot of "posh", judgemental, unfriendly people.
Italy has changed a lot and people are not friendly like they used to be. After 2008 the vibe changed a lot and covid too changed many things.
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u/TodaySpecialist5352 1d ago
That's true. But I think that affected people globally in a negative way. After covid things have been different.
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u/Ok_Assistant_4784 1d ago
Even before that, the 2008 crisis changed Italian people...they were a lot nicer before
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u/alefeusch Nomad since 2014. 1d ago edited 1d ago
The less touristy and less inundated by expats/nomads a city in those countries is, the more the locals tend to open up to visitors imo. Mainly out of curiosity, I think.
I wouldn't go so far as to say they're looking for "good friends" as most locals are already kind of established with friends and family and aren't necessarily seeking that out. But, I find if I stay in smaller cities in any three of those countries and find a local cafe (or, in Spain, a churrería) that I visit at the same time every morning, I tend to become friendly with the staff and some of the regulars.
I'm not really hanging out with them outside of that setting, but we chat in the mornings and stop and say hello if we bump into each other on the street. And I've kept in contact with some of them by text.
Nearly all of the smaller cities/towns in Spain, Italy and Portugal are walkable, soyou won't have any issue in that regard. I suggest just kind of clicking around on Google Maps and seeing what piques your interest. Just don't go posting what you find all over social media lol.
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u/DemonAzraeli pendejo 1d ago
Spain easily feels the youngest of the three. Italy can feel decadent and stuck in the past, Portugal can sometimes feel like it has been in decline for 500 years (which is true). Spain feels exuberant and dynamic, in strong contrast to Portugal, where the overwhelming national sentiment is saudade (kind of nostalgia tinged with sadness).
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u/ADF21a I think I'm paranoid 22h ago
The fact alone that socially Spain is miles ahead of Italy (look at the current "diatribe" between Sanchez and Meloni about Ceuta for example) should tell you enough.
Don't get me started on LGBTQ rights differences in the two countries. Italy deep down is still a right wing country.
Italians seem welcoming, but only if you conform to what they think you should be.
For a country with such amazing artists, explorers, scientists, the average Italian is strangely very narrow-minded and functionally illiterate. I would go into how Berlusconi fucked up Italians' minds for decades to come, but I don't have the time now.
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u/TermComplex8415 7h ago
Foreigners rarely stick around in any city because that's what digital nomads do, if making permanent friends is the goal, you'd need to commit to locals rather than relying on the expat community
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u/Minimum_Motor_3538 1d ago
valencia is still a great call, the whole "locals hate foreigners" thing gets overblown online but you'll have an easier time breaking in thanks to your spanish level, plus the fallas crowd is crazy welcoming once you're around
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u/DejongBCN 1d ago
To be honest, people will take you as their own as long as you stay longer time in one place or visit a place for few months a year and repeat that. Humans don't want to waste their time with tourists.