Italy work visa, PdS, and spouse questions?

[gmk]

I have an Italian visa situation I need some help with understanding. I will obtain an Italian work visa, enter Italy, and apply for "permit to stay" (permesso di soggiorno). It is my understanding that I cannot leave Italy until they actually issue the permit to stay, travel with just the postal receipt that proves the application is lodged is banned. This seems strange to me as an American, if they give you a work visa why cant you come and go as you please?

My other Italian visa questions revolve around the what procedure to follow for my Australian wife (currently adjusting US status from student to green card). My company wants her to enter Italy as a tourist. Australians benefit from a tourist visa waiver program, allowing nothing to apply for, just show up with evidence of leaving within 90 days. The plan is get my permit to stay and then adjust wife's status from tourist to something else by applying for her permit to stay. Supposedly this will allow her to stay past 90 days + work if required. This path means I must receive my permit to stay within 90 days in order to apply for wife's permit to stay, otherwise she has to leave Italy/schengen region. Lets assume I get my PdS within 90 days, I can then travel outside of Italy, but wife will not be able to travel with just postal receipt for PdS application. Am I correct in my feeling that this essentially means we are held hostage within Italy for a minimum of ~6 months?

The other visa option I've been able to find is an accompanying family member visa for spouses of work visa holders yet to arrive in Italy. This requires a Nulla Osta (I think is just a police clearance/background check) in order to apply for. This visa I can assume allows her to come to Italy with me, apply for PdS within 8 days and stay... Travel limitations would still apply when we only have the postal receipt for PdS applications. Can she work with this visa/PdS option?

Are there any other option we can investigate for wife's status in Italy?

Thanks for your help & responses
GMK

[bella's mom]

How did you resolve this? I am in Italy with 10 days left on my tourist visa My husband should get his permesso next week and I should be able to start my process. (We are here just for a year, my husband working, I am not.) I thought if I had my receipt I would be able to use that to fly home for Christmas and return in January. Is that incorrect?? While I have you, do you know exactly which documents I will need with my"kit" to take to the post ?
THANK YOU!!