For non-EU nationals living in Italy or thinking of moving to the country, there’s good news about getting citizenship.

Campaigners have been pushing for a change in the law to make it easier for foreigners to gain citizenship by residency.

Currently, non-EU nationals need to live in Italy for at least 10 years before they are eligible for citizenship by residency.

Opposition politicians and non-profit organisations like Oxfam Italia have been fighting to reduce this to five years.

On Tuesday, they announced they had gathered enough signatures to qualify for a national referendum.

Changes to citizenship laws would affect 2.5 million foreigners

“We did it! In very few days 500,000 citizens signed for the #CitizenshipReferendum,” opposition lawmaker Riccardo Magi posted on social media.

This means a national referendum to reduce the required residency time from 10 years to five can now be requested.

Halving the time non-EU nationals have to live in Italy before being eligible for citizenship would bring Italy in line with other European countries including Germany, France, Portugal, the Netherlands and the UK.

Since 1999, several challenges to the law have been made but none have been successful.

Magi said that campaigners and those who signed the petition are pushing for “something simple, almost banal: those who choose Italy to live, study, love and grow, those who imagine their future in our country, are Italian”.

“And it is only the first step towards a more just law that recognises each one of their daughters, each one of their sons, as Italian,” he added.

Even if they are born in Italy, children of non-EU nationals who are not Italian citizens cannot apply for citizenship until they turn 18.

However, when parents become Italian citizens, minors are automatically awarded citizenship.

The request for a referendum must be now approved by two of Italy’s highest courts with a 50 per cent voter turnout for the result to be valid.

If changes to the law are passed, around 2.5 million foreigners would become eligible for Italian citizenship, campaigners said.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party is not in favour of easing the current rules.

The right-wing party is seen to have a strict anti-immigration stance. Talking to the media on Tuesday, Meloni said she considered 10 years of residency “a reasonable period for citizenship” and saw “no need to change” the law.

How can foreigners obtain Italian citizenship by residency?

Once the required period of residency has passed, or two years after marriage to an Italian citizen, non-EU nationals can make an online application for citizenship via the Italian Ministry of the Interior.

Applicants need multiple documents, including translations, for the process.

These include an original copy of your birth certificate translated and authenticated, criminal records from the countries where you currently hold citizenship, proof of residency in Italy and a certificate of B1 language proficiency.

The application costs €250.

Airline luggage allowances seem to shrink further every year, forcing passengers to choose between travelling with a tiny backpack or forking out astronomical baggage fees.

Budget savvy travellers are meeting this challenge head on with innovative ways to avoid additional charges – skipping queues and becoming more nimble in the process.

If you’re considering living out of hand luggage on your next trip, don’t pack before reading these tips for travelling with one small bag – compiled from Reddit’s Travel community.

Plan a capsule wardrobe for your travels

Careful planning is the key to packing light, according to many seasoned travellers.

“I started having ‘uniforms’,” explains one Reddit user. “If you look at my photos from hiking trips the last two years, it would look like one long trip – I have no shame in my game.”

If you’re likely to experience different climates on your travels, versatile, layerable clothing is your friend.

“I have a VERY well thought out wardrobe with pieces that layer for climate control and for varied looks… The same wardrobe can take me from over 100F [38C] all the way down to freezing,” says another Reddit user.

The same applies to diverse dress codes.

“I manage to travel this light by curating multi-use items, designing a capsule wardrobe where all items mix and match and can take me from the office to the beach on a single trip,” says another member of Reddit’s Travel community.

“I also do not expect everything to be perfect. I have scaled the rigging of an old sail boat in dress pants, I have worn a plain t-shirt and ‘yoga pants’ to a Michelin star restaurant dressed up with statement jewellery,” they caveat.

And sometimes, it’s just a matter of sacrifice.

“I’m team carry on only… I used to travel with way too much,” says one Reddit user. “I’ve become ok with just going without. I’ve never once looked back at a vacation and thought ‘man I wish I had brought that shirt with me’.”

Use your bag volume effectively

As important as careful selection of clothing is the way you pack it.

We’ve all heard of rolling items to ensure they take up less space, but some travellers take it one step further.

“I use compression packing cubes, tuck socks and underwear into shoes or gaps created by shoes, use workout clothes and undershirts to fill larger gaps and the bottom where things don’t fit flush, and generally pack only what I’ll actually wear in a trip,” says one Reddit user.

Wearing your bulkiest items on the flight can help save space in your bag – as does making use of deep jacket pockets for carrying bulkier items like toiletries.

Another sneaky trick is to pick up a duty-free bag at the airport to store extra items. Most airlines will allow one duty-free bag on top of your set luggage allowance, but some may check that it is sealed with duty-free goods inside – so it is a risk.

Do laundry on your travels

Laundry might be the last thing you want to think about when you’re trying to take a break, but many travellers say it’s the key to packing light.

“Do laundry at least once a week. Wear the same thing over because who will know but you,” advises one Reddit user.

“We travel weeks at a time internationally with carry-ons only and every week we do laundry… to completely refresh our clothes supply,” adds another.

It’s not always necessary to stay in accommodation that has its own washing machine, either.

“Sink washing is fast, easy, and convenient in most situations,” says one Reddit user.

For some travellers, heading to the local laundrette can even become part of the fun.

“I have really enjoyed doing a load of laundry during the middle of our trip,” says one Reddit user. “The [laundrette] is usually in an old part of town, where a bar is next door, and I hang out for a bit with the locals. As crazy as it sounds, I really enjoy those couple of hours.”

What’s the best way to pack shoes?

As one of the bulkiest – yet most essential – travel items, shoes are a conundrum when travelling light.

The answer, according to packing experts, is again versatility.

“I have a nice looking pair of very comfortable/supportive canvas Cole Haan’s that serve multiple purposes as I can wear them out all day walking around cities but with a nice pant can also go to restaurants, shows, etc,” says one Reddit user.

“I most often travel with one pair of sneakers that are comfortable to walk in all day and can serve in the gym and/or on light hikes as well as a pair of sandals for lounging, in the shower, or for warm locations,” adds another.

Wearing your bulkiest pair of shoes – whether they’re hiking boots or trainers – on the flight is a must. More compact footwear can then find space in your bag – flip flops, sneakers or ballet flats can fit in a side pocket, for example.

Why pack light?

Apart from the cost-saving benefits of travelling with hand luggage only, there are plenty of reasons to cut down on your next trip.

“Carrying on saves me hours each time I travel (don’t ever have to stand in a check-in line an hour plus before my flight, and particularly with Global Entry I practically walk straight out of the airport after arriving home),” says one Reddit user.

“Travelling with a tiny bag and very few things has actually put the fun and freedom back into travel for me,” adds another.

“Imagine checking out of your hotel at 10am, tossing a small backpack on, and being able to wear it all day without thinking about it, until you check into your next hotel, or catch that train, or go to the airport.

“No stashing luggage, no going back to pick up your bag anywhere, no fighting for stowage space on a train or plane, no losing sight of your bag. Heck, I can even get on a train or bus and take a seat without even removing my bag!”

Despite it landing them in some “less than ideal situations” due to lacking the appropriate clothing, one Reddit user says they wouldn’t change tack.

“I will continue to choose packing light because of the freedom of stepping off the plane and walking out the airport doors and being able to go anywhere without having to drop my stuff off at the accommodation, and being able to easily navigate all forms of transportation,” they say.

“Being able to unpack or re-pack in under five minutes meaning more time out having fun is too valuable for me to give up for another pair of shoes or a few extra pieces of clothing or more toiletries.”

By Angela Symons with APTN

The cost of Germany’s Deutschland-Ticket – a cheap transport pass – is set to rise by about 18 per cent next year, a senior official said on Monday.

The popular ticket, introduced last year, allows people to use all local and regional trains, buses and subway systems across the country for a set monthly fee.

Transport ministers from Germany’s 16 states agreed that the price of the Germany Ticket, which has cost €49 per month since it became available in May 2023, should rise to €58 at the beginning of 2025.

“With this price, we will manage to keep the ticket attractive and put the financing on a more solid footing,” Oliver Krischer, the transport minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state, told German news agency dpa.

He said the decision shows that German regional authorities “want to stick to the successful model of the Germany Ticket and further develop it”.

Officials say ultra-low pricing isn’t financially viable

The Germany Ticket was intended to encourage people to ditch their cars in favour of more environmentally friendly forms of transportation.

It followed a successful experimental ticket offering unlimited travel for €9 per month that was offered for three months in the summer of 2022, as part of a government program to help combat high inflation and fuel prices.

Officials said that ultra-low price wasn’t financially viable. But it and the Germany Ticket had the added merit of simplifying for ticket holders a fractured public transit system in which individual regions offered myriad different fare options that baffled many travellers.

Around 13 million people in the country of some 83 million people use the Deutschland-Ticket.

Bavaria’s transport minister, Christian Bernreiter, said a price rise was “unavoidable” because sales were short of expectations, raising the prospect of a large financing shortfall next year.