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Immigrant businesses in Rome or Naples

My husband and I are traveling to Italy next year with a few days in Rome before joining the RSE Best of South Italy in 13 Days Tour, followed by a few days in Naples. I am interested in supporting any restaurant or other business that has been started by or hires refugees and immigrants, especially from the Middle East and Africa. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Posted by
1805 posts

Good for you, but, like the US, almost every Italian restaurant larger than a small family place will have hired fairly recent immigrants for entry level jobs, however the most recent immigrants won't have permission to work (except perhaps for Ukrainians). The best way to help the most recent and therefore most needy is with money. Here's a good article in English with a section on donating: https://www.thelocal.it/20150904/how-to-help-refugees-if-you-live-in-italy/

Posted by
16157 posts

Go to TripAdvisor and look for African or Middle Eastern food. All of them have been started by immigrants, although probably not recent immigrants or refugees (buying a restaurant license in Italy costs money and a recent migrant will likely not have access to credit). As far as hiring immigrants is concerned, nearly all waiters and kitchen staff in major cities will be immigrant, although only a limited portion of immigrants in Italy are from the African continent (about 20%, mostly Moroccan). Most come from Eastern Europe (50%). The only Italians in the staff are either the owners or maybe some family members. Outside cities, in smaller towns, you are less likely to see non Italian staff.

Posted by
3812 posts

which has laws that keep the peddlers off the streets.

Not true.

Posted by
16157 posts

Laws keeping unlicensed peddlers off the streets exist all over Italy, but enforcing them is the issue.