‘Irish people are open and kind from the very beginning even if they’re a complete stranger’

Irish and Italian people have more in common than people might think, says Gennaro Rotondo. The warmth and caring nature of Irish people reminds him of home, he says, though it “can take longer for Italians to open up sometimes”.

“We’re similar in a way that we are very caring and open towards other people but I think Irish and Italians people do it at different stages. Irish people are open and kind from the very beginning even if you don’t know someone that well or they’re a complete stranger,” he says, while Italians can be “a bit more reserved” at the beginning.

Irish and Italian people also “like to have a lot of fun,” Rotondo says, which is something he appreciates about living here now.

“I feel like there is a balance here between work and responsibilities and just having fun and enjoying life with your friends and family,” he says.

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In just under two years of living in Ireland, Rotondo hasn’t noticed “too many differences” between Irish and Italian cultures - except for the food.

“Food is different, for sure. You don’t eat pasta every day, even though it’s the best,” he says with a laugh.

Rotondo grew up in the Puglia region of southeast Italy, which forms “the heel of the boot” on the map.

“It’s a very nice place, it’s very sunny. I enjoyed growing up there,” Rotondo says. There, in the small town he grew up in, he studied economics and business, graduating at 24.

“I really liked that but I felt like I was missing something a bit more creative. I decided that I wanted to study marketing and I wanted to do it abroad. I started thinking of where to go and Ireland seemed like a good place to go,” he says.

I grew up in a very small town of about 30,000 people... And I just didn’t feel ready to move to a bigger city like Dublin, so Cork felt like a nice balance

Rotondo chose a postgraduate course in marketing at University College Cork and moved there in September 2021. At the time, he had “no idea what to expect” of what his life would be like here.

[ ‘Living in Dublin feels so romantic, but living here is incredibly challenging financially’ ]

“I knew the stereotypes of Ireland - that Irish people are very friendly, open and warm. But I really didn’t come here expecting that to be true and I found that it is actually true. People have been so kind to me since the beginning,” he says.

“I think it also helped that I began my life here in my master’s course with a bunch of other people who didn’t know each other yet either. I didn’t need to try to become part of their group because there was no group yet”.

Most of the people in Rotondo’s course were Irish, which helped him to integrate more quickly, while there were also “a few internationals” from China and India. Rotondo was the only European on the course.

At the beginning, I just lived in student accommodation because when you’re looking from abroad you don’t know if you can trust the ad or the person because you’re not there

He chose Cork as the “best place” for him to move and study because of its population and the chance to study in the English language.

“I grew up in a very small town of about 30,000 people. I’m not sure if that’s small by Irish standards, but it felt small to me. And I just didn’t feel ready to move to a bigger city like Dublin, so Cork felt like a nice balance,” he says.

Rotondo has fond memories of spending time on “the beautiful UCC campus” while studying there, and his other favourite places in the city, Fitzgerald Park and the Lough.

[ ‘We talk a lot and I find the Irish talk a lot. So it’s very easy to get along with people here’ ]

It was “easy” for Rotondo to make friends in Cork because it feels “more like a town” than a city, he says.

“When I first came here, I felt like nobody knew me because I was so new and yet I’d still end up bumping into people when I didn’t expect to on the street or in the supermarket and we could just grab a coffee,” he says.

Studying at UCC meant Rotondo met “a lot of other foreign students” who he intends to “visit all over Europe”.

There are not enough nightclubs in the city for him, though, he says, and the rent is expensive.

“Coming from Italy, where you could get a full apartment for what you would pay for a room in Dublin or Cork, it’s expensive. If you live in bigger cities in Italy where all the jobs are then it can be expensive sometimes, but it will never be as expensive as Dublin or Cork,” he says.

“It is hard to find a place. At the beginning, I just lived in student accommodation because when you’re looking from abroad you don’t know if you can trust the ad or the person because you’re not there”.

Rotondo has changed houses “a few times” since he arrived in Cork in 2021, and at one point he lived with seven people in one house.

“It was manageable because the house was big enough but it wasn’t ideal,” he says. Now, he lives with just one other person, a friend of his, near the city centre.

Ireland has given me a lot and I can see myself being here for a long time. The way I look at it is I’ll stay here as long as I have reasons to, as long as I’m excited about what I’m doing or I’m growing as a person

“I’ve noticed it’s much easier to find somewhere if you know people. Cork is small but it’s also very international, a lot of people come and go. It’s easier when you know someone who’s leaving and then you can ask if you can take their space.”

After graduating from his one-year course in marketing at UCC, Rotondo found a job with the Republic of Work, an innovation hub in Cork, where he works with tech startups.

It’s “typical” of him that he would come all this way to study marketing, only to end up in a different profession, Rotondo says, but the job he’s in now “inspires” him.

“Before I started doing this job I wouldn’t have ever thought I’d be interested in starting my own business. Obviously it won’t be tomorrow, but listening to my mentors and the people I work with, I feel inspired,” he says.

As this is Rotondo’s first time living abroad, he finds himself “just missing being able to spend more time in Italy” with friends and family, but he does not miss “living there”.

“Ireland has given me a lot and I can see myself being here for a long time. The way I look at it is I’ll stay here as long as I have reasons to, as long as I’m excited about what I’m doing or I’m growing as a person,” he says.

“I’ll just go with the flow, see what happens and where the next thing that makes me passionate takes me”.

We would like to hear from people who have moved to Ireland in the past 10 years. To get involved, email newtotheparish@irishtimes.com or tweet @newtotheparish