At the start of the year, Italy announced the creation of a visa for teleworkers lasting one year for people outside the European Union. This measure aims, among other things, to boost the national economy. It gives nomadic workers the opportunity to explore a rich cultural and historical heritage while contributing to progressive social transformation.
Venice has always been synonymous with reverie and romance. What if your next zoom call had Piazza San Marco in the background? Indeed, this tourist city now wants to attract digital nomads. To achieve this new objective, the Venywhere platform was recently posted online. The aim of this initiative is to present Venice as a modern destination, adapted to the new reality of teleworking.
So, what is it actually about? What are the particularities of this new interface? Is this meant for everyone? We'll answer you in what follows!
Venywhere: doing everything possible to attract international teleworkers
Venywhere was launched in December 2021. The name of the platform was selected by combining “Venice” and the English term “anywhere” meaning everywhere. It is the result of a collaboration between “Ca’ Foscari” University of Venice And the non-profit organization Fondazione di Venezia. This association aims to preserve the cultural heritage of the city. This site has the particularity of offering various services to young teleworkers who plan to carry out their missions from the city of the Doges.
The aim of this program is above all to boost the city's population. During the 1950s, the city had approximately 174,000 inhabitants. This number has dropped significantly to reach 50,000. According to Venywhere founder Massimo Warglien, the pandemic has given multi-talented individuals the opportunity tocombine pleasure and work wanting to explore new territories.
Providing digital nomads with all the facilities to settle in Venice will contribute to refresh economic and urban activity. This initiative could therefore breathe new life into the city's many residences and commercial properties which have remained unoccupied. Thus, the project aims to highlight structures already well anchored in the Venetian fabric but who are not mobilized up to their potential. According to the city's mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, Venice is the very first city in the world to carry out this unusual experiment.
What does the platform promise?
Interestingly, the creators of Venywhere were inspired by the Tulsa Remote program. While the latter attracted teleworkers from around the world with a bonus of $10,000, the Venywhere initiative does not put significant sums at stake.
Instead, it allows make traveling to Italy as easy as possible people wishing to participate in this adventure. From this perspective, the amenities offered by the platform allow you to settle into your new home securely and without inconvenience. You should know that finding rental contracts for short periods ranging from 3 to 6 months is not an easy task. It is in this context that Venywhere intervenes. Indeed, Venywhere includes a service that allows you to find your new home. Appointed agents are responsible for visiting accommodations corresponding to the digital nomad criteria.
We will also mention that through this portal you can open a bank account, buy a local SIM card but also manage visa terms as well as organizing your taxes. Through your Venywhere account, the public transport system will no longer have any secrets from you.
Venywhere also allows you to organize yourself to find a Italian language course according to your availability and reserve your slots in the workspace of your choice. Likewise, you will have valuable advice regarding health insurance procedures and recommendations for activities interesting in the city of Venice.
In short, this versatile service does everything possible to help you become a true citizen of Venice.
It should be mentioned that Venywhere has implemented a extended network of wifi terminals to allow you to connect at any time and build a strong and active community. In an initial phase of project activation, a beta test is underway to evaluate the platform's services.
A project on a global scale
Venywhere does not only target lonely digital nomads. It is also aimed at large multinational companies who want to offer their best people a dream opportunity to work from one of the most wonderful cities on the planet. With this in mind, the team behind this ambitious project collaborated with international technology company Cisco. This structure which specializes in the IT field has therefore mobilized 16 employees in Venice to form a test group to try out the different facets of the Venywhere experience. This adventure, which can be described as a living laboratory, will have the merit of encouraging more companies and international agencies to follow this innovative and modernist approach.