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I moved to France with my wife somewhat recently, and although I am not confident in direct applicability of my situation to yours, EU regulations may make some areas similar. Note that I am a US citizen only, whereas my wife has dual citizenship.
Bank accounts: It sounds like you already have an Italian account, so that greatly simplifies things. Nevertheless, you may be required to switch to the local branch due to bank company policy or government policy (France has concerns about money laundering and your banker supposedly is liable to some extent). Due to high fees for brick and mortar services, it can also make considerable sense to open up an on-line only account. Transferwise has been impeccable for transferring funds.
Utilities: Probably not a big deal, but you need a bank account with a RIB and possibly even a local bank account for proof of address.
Rent: Without a proven source of income such as a permanent job contract (a temporary, yet multi-year contract is not adequate), many rental agencies will not rent even if one offers to pay all rent up front. I think this is primarily due to it being 'different' rather than any legal reason, even with rental laws strongly favoring the renter. We were also surprised that personal and family guarantees, which were always utilized a decade ago, are now completely disregarded. This appears to be location dependent in France, and perhaps this has not yet changed in Italy at all.
Auto insurance: This appeared to not be available at all from the companies we contacted without a French driver's license (my wife did already have a French driver's license). As an 'occasional driver', I am covered on our policy as long as I do not drive on a daily basis, but I cannot be listed as an insured. There may be some convolution in what we were told for lack of French citizenship vs lack of a French driver's license, as we eventually gave up trying to get good information after discussing with 3 major companies and having one guarantee the 'occasional driver' aspect.
Purchasing an auto: This was simpler than expected and actually less expensive than in the US. A few things to be aware of: diesel is strongly going out of favor in France (and from my understanding, much of the rest of the EU), so resale of a diesel vehicle may become more challenging in the next several years. Vehicles above a certain displacement, newer/older than a certain age, or AWD/4WD may have much higher registration or insurance costs (moreso than in the US).
Taxes: This will be extremely dependent on your sources of income, both in terms of wage vs retirement and also country. Make sure you have your EU tax identification number on hand, as this can also be required for modifying bank accounts and some other government transactions. If you don't already have one as an Italian citizen, you may need to get one prior to dealing with your first year of taxes.
I'd also recommend having a few sets of documents readily available as you settle in: Italian birth certificate (or a recent US copy that can be translated), some standard forms that a family member can sign that guarantee fiscal responsibility and/or that you live at their location of residency, a certificate of marriage depending on how your income and/or health insurance are handled, and capability of showing a history of income extending back several months.
Again, take this with the caveat of being a different country, different residency/citizenship status, possibly an area of a city that is not as used to US immigrants, and likely a different work status. Nonetheless, I hope it offers a couple of items to think upon!
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