Davide from Italy settles down in Almelo

This article is part of a series called “Twente Leeft!” (Twente Lives!). You can read personal stories here about living and working in Twente. Twente is a nice place to be, according to the talents we meet. The beautiful nature, space, the down-to-earth mentality; they all characterise Twente. There are also plenty of career opportunities! Twente has many innovative, international and future-proof companies that are desperate for staff. Want to know what Twente has to offer? You can find Davide Zuffellato's story below.

Davide Zuffellato from Italy did not yet know which country it would be, but it was inevitable that he wanted to live and work abroad. He read that BrixCRM from Almelo was looking for a software engineer, looked at the website and decided to apply. "It was my only application", he says. "The company appealed to me. I was doing the same work in Italy, but I thought the atmosphere at Brix and the culture it exuded on social media would suit me well, so I applied. Brix brought him in for an interview, and Davide found that everything he had discovered online was exactly what he found 'on site'. And so he moved to Almelo in December 2020, in the middle of the covid pandemic. "That was tough", he remembers as if it was yesterday. "I was immediately 'locked up' in my new flat because of the lockdown. Work was done remotely, and meeting colleagues in person was out of the question. Fortunately, the work was similar to what I did in Italy, so that was not an issue.”

He knows all his colleagues well by now and works with them at the office on the Haven Noordzijde in Almelo. It did take some getting used to the Netherlands as an Italian. Not only because of the different food culture and that ‘freaking difficult’ language. He is working on it but suspects it will take some time to master. "Fortunately, everyone in the Netherlands speaks good English, and my colleagues do not mind speaking English with me either, even though I am the only international here”, says Davide. “I love it here in the Netherlands and Twente.”

He likes the region just fine, even though he doesn’t have much to compare it to. He still wants to get to know the rest of the Netherlands better. “I do miss the mountains. Where I come from, Vincenza, there are hills and mountains everywhere. The Netherlands is completely flat”, he laughs. “But I like what I've seen of Twente so far. I cycle a lot, and I have visited just about every place around Almelo in a radius of around 60 kilometres. I like the architecture, and the cycle paths everywhere are amazing. Cycling in Italy is hazardous; there are no cycle paths, and motorists do not pay much attention to you.”

People on the streets, his employer, and his colleagues; all treat him well. "Everyone is open, friendly, and curious about my background. Of course, they make fun of Italians every once in a while, but I don’t mind that. Until people start joking about the mafia: that is not something to joke about", says Davide. "It is a serious problem in my country. But I am never really excluded here, and I feel completely accepted. I made friends, play basketball, and love the Dutch social life. I am not planning to leave the Netherlands any time soon, but I will not make any promises”, he says. "The work-life balance at BrixCRM is good, and I love my work. I deal with the exchange of data and information as a software engineer, and I let systems communicate with each other. We provide technical solutions and implement them for our customers. What I like at Brix is that I am also partly involved in consultancy. I love technology, but I am a very social person at the same time. I can also use that side of me here in Almelo."

People on the streets, his employer, and his colleagues; all treat him well. "Everyone is open, friendly, and curious about my background. Of course, they make fun of Italians every once in a while, but I don’t mind that. Until people start joking about the mafia: that is not something to joke about", says Davide. "It is a serious problem in my country. But I am never really excluded here, and I feel completely accepted. I made friends, play basketball, and love the Dutch social life. I am not planning to leave the Netherlands any time soon, but I will not make any promises”, he says. "The work-life balance at BrixCRM is good, and I love my work. I deal with the exchange of data and information as a software engineer, and I let systems communicate with each other. We provide technical solutions and implement them for our customers. What I like at Brix is that I am also partly involved in consultancy. I love technology, but I am a very social person at the same time. I can also use that side of me here in Almelo."

Twente is the ideal place to live and work, according to the talents we meet. Want to know why? Read personal stories about living and making a career in Twente on twente.com/twente-leeft. Want to look for a job immediately? Then take a look at our extensive job site.