🇮🇹 From Berlin Loneliness to Prague "Family": Why 16 Years in Czechia Still Feels Like a First Date

Have you ever met an Italian who voluntarily traded the sunny streets of Padua for Prague, learned Czech so well that his friends accuse him of "becoming one of them," and now spends his days teaching other expats how to survive the jungle of Czech declension?

Meet Lorenzo, the owner of Language Atelier and our latest podcast guest. Lorenzo has been in Prague for 16 years, and while he still looks and sounds Italian, his soul has adopted that specific Czech sense of "calm and order."

Here’s the juice from our conversation about life, business, and why you should never, ever drink a cappuccino with your pizza.

1. Berlin is Cool, but Prague is "Home" 🏠

Lorenzo started his expat journey in Berlin. The city of freedom, techno, and… intense loneliness. "In Berlin, you feel like a drop in the ocean. To see a friend, you have to travel an hour across the city," he recalls.

Then came Prague. Why? Because while studying in Italy, he chose Czech as his "exotic language." (Yes, you read that right. Someone voluntarily chose Czech because Russian seemed too cold and Croatian too boring).

The Lesson: Prague has the perfect "Goldilocks" size. It’s big enough to never be boring, but small enough that you’ll accidentally run into an old classmate in the metro.

2. "Jít na jedno" – The Greatest Czech Lie (That We All Love) 🍺

As a proper "half-Czech," Lorenzo mastered the fundamental cultural concept: Jít na jedno (Going for one).

"We have a similar expression in Italy, but in Czechia, it’s a lifestyle. It’s never just one," he laughs. And when it comes to the brew itself? Italian Lorenzo is firm: Pilsner Urquell is the global benchmark, and Italian beer is just a pricey disappointment in comparison.

3. Business in Czechia: From One Room to an Expat Empire 📈

Lorenzo didn’t plan on being a business owner; the school found him. He bought it when it was just a website and a few contacts and built it from the ground up. Today, Language Atelier has four classrooms in Týnská (right by Old Town Square) and teaches over 120 students.

His secret sauce? Teaching expats in English. Forget those boring Czech schools where the teacher explains grammar in Czech while you still don't know how to say "beer, please." Lorenzo knows expats need a different approach—flexibility and an understanding that Czech bureaucracy is sometimes scarier than Italian traffic.

4. Why Bother Learning Czech When Everyone Speaks English? 🇨🇿

Prague has changed. You hear English on every corner now. So why suffer through ř, ž, and seven grammatical cases?

• The "Smiling Shopkeeper" Effect: "When you try to speak Czech, people smile. They see the effort, and they immediately become kinder," says Lorenzo.
  
  
• Cracking the Cultural Code: Without the language, you’ll never experience the authentic "Czech weekend" at a chata or a wine trip to Moravia.
  
  
• Safety First: When you understand the language, no one can pull a fast one on you during a flat rental or a real estate deal.

5. The Italian "NO-NO" (A Warning for Czechs) 🍝

If you want to see Lorenzo truly passionate (and slightly horrified), serve him spaghetti with ketchup. Or a cappuccino with pizza. To an Italian, this is as sinful as a Czech drinking warm beer. "The salty pizza and the sweet cappuccino... they just don't match," Lorenzo warns.

Want to Feel at Home in Prague Like Lorenzo?

You might not stay for 16 years or start your own school, but you can feel like a local much faster than you think. Whether you need help with your residency paperwork (so the bureaucracy doesn't swallow you whole like Lorenzo's favorite goulash) or you’re looking for a way to truly drop anchor in Prague, Move to Prague is here to help.

And if you want to master Czech (or Italian, Spanish, or even Chinese!), go see Lorenzo at Language Atelier. Tell him Jan and Daria sent you—you might not get a discount, but you’ll get a great lesson from someone who knows exactly what it’s like to be a "drop in the ocean" and turn it into a home.

[Need to sort out your Czech visa or business permit? Book a consultation with us today—we speak the language of bureaucracy so you don't have to!]

Want to hear the full story of how Lorenzo met his Spanish wife at a (legal!) techno party during the lockdown? Watch the full podcast episode here.

Move To Prague - Amazing Experience. Every Time.