If you have a European Union passport then you automatically have the right to live and work in any Member State, including Italy. Also, to gain citizenship, most countries alllow you to trace back several generations through the bloodline to a grandmother or grandfather or even a great-grandmother or great-grandfather. . . Therefore, if you have Italian ancestors, or ancestors of a European Union country, you can trace back to gain citizenship of Italy, or another country, and have the right to live and work in Italy. Consult the Italian Embassy in your area.