Hello to everyone here! I seem to have arrived with a bit of a bang, haven't I. I'm sorry about that but, having read some of the obvious trolling that had been going on I felt compelled to speak out.
I'm not sure if this is in the right place, but it seems to be the only place I can put it. My question is fairly simple (I hope). I have a 7.5 tonne van and am looking to bring it over with me to Italy when I finally move here full-time (next
Landslides are very common in Calabria, where the problem is often componded by the houses being built without any regard at all for the geology of the area. It is not just sea-side houses that are built illegally, remember! Those of you familiar with the south of ITaly (and also the north at the moment!) will be aware that when the rain falls - it FALLS. If the land is not rock and on a steep slope, it is unfortunately quite inevitable that it will become saturated and start to slide. I understand that there have been several hundred land slides over the past few days - most of them being either small or in unpopulated places. It is the house building that is at fault here. One day, perhaps, the illegal buildings in dangerous areas will be removed - as they are doing in Spain at the moment. So, if you are buying, be very careful where you buy - don't just listen to the agent or builder! Beery.
Thank you all for the welcome, I appreciate it enormously. Cilla10, I'n not actually heading for Calbria - well, not in my current plans, that is. I have family in a village called Platì - up in the mountainous part of the region. The views of the mountains are fabulous there, but it is not a tourist area. Driving here? Yes, I do find it much easier than in the UK. You may well feel pressed in or cut-up by another driver here, but it is not done with anger, as it is in the UK. Here, if I cut someone up (inadvertantly) I might be told something or have one or two fingers waved in my direction - but at the next stop in the traffic it will all be comletely forgotten, unlike in the UK where I will be chased and hounded until I can escape the "wounded" party! So, I find it much less aggressive here - but it is much closer to a contact sport here than back in the UK; just try to find the humour in the situation, rather than the anger! I spent some time in America as well, Angie & Robert, which I have to admit I found boring in the extreme, due to the slow driving, sharpened up only by their driving past you on any side. There was something unsettling about being overtaken by a couple of large trucks - one on each side of you - on the motorways there: at 65mph! So, thank you again for your welcome. If you have any questions about tiling or stone work, I will try to help out! :) Beery.
I almost forgot to mention, Valentina, you can see more of the work of Bozzetto here: his most famous work is, of course, Europe & Italy - but you will find "Yes & No" here as well - in the original Flash format. Beery.
Yes, Valentina, I have. In fact I am actually in Italy at the moment - a funeral, I'm afraid. I get over here 4 or 5 times a year, which gives me a bit of a break both from work (huzzah!) and English drivers! It also makes it possible to fritter my time away on the internet, of course - at least it does in the winter with the skies grey. My next trip here will be in March - next month! Again, huzzah! :D
One of the more famous sons of Sicily was the "greek" mathematician, Archimedes. He was born and lived most of his life in Syracuse. Presumably Richard Lynn has never heard of him... Beery.
Hi Monica, As a terrone myself, I would like to suggest Richard Lynn has a little look at the history of southern Italy. Before it was "taken over" by the Piedmontese royal family during the risorgimento, it was a prosperous area - far more so than the north of Italy, in fact. As an area it certainly suffered at the hands of various conquerors - the Spanish came easily to mind in the period immediately prior to the Borbone family rule - but was slowly finding it's feet. There were huge social improvements taking place (after the Spanish years) involving land reforms for the benefit of the people living there. Piedmontese rule resulted in all this stopping. The banks in the south of Italy all experienced losing their assets to the northern government and land reform was halted immediately. The north gave ownership away to those people that had done "favours" - all of them from the north, of course - resulting in the absentee landlords that then held power over the peasants of the land. They had no liking for the "africans" living in the mezzogiorno, much as many northerners have no respect at all for southerners today. Yes, I'm a bit biased, but I know my history and that of my own family. The north has only ever stolen from the south, without any compassion at all. It is this that has created the criminality that is often to be found in the south, which is the largest earner of foreign cash that Italy has - unfortunately. So, certainly southerners are hugely disadvantaged by the actions taken against them by the north over the past 150 years. But, to say that southerners are not as intelligent as northerners is merely exhibiting the ingorance of the writer of the piece - and an obvious love of the ignorant northerners that vote Lega. In my opinion, that is... Beery.
Thank you for that, Valentina. I am not concerned about my driving license, as I hold a full class C license for driving goods vehicles of all weights. My question is only relating to whether I need to get any kind of an operators license (not anything to do with a partita IVA either) for the keeping and parking on my own site of a goods vehicle over 7.5 tonnes (75 quintale) as I have to have in the UK. In the UK, one MUST hold an "O" license if one is to park the vehicle anywhere other than an authorised goods vehicle park - very expensive and not many of them. Perhaps I should stress that this applies only to goods vehicles that have tachographs fitted. Thanks again for the answer, Valentina - I appreciate the effort and the link for anyone wanting driving license (patente) information. Beery.
Sorry to bump this question so quickly, but it might easily be mislaid in the recent "action". Can anyone help, or at least point me in the right direction? Thanks a lot. Beery.
It sounds rather to me as though the connection is more with "The Godfather" film, than with anything else. Interesting to note that the judge didn't belive the solicitor's story either. Now, if he had blamed Berlusconi, it would have been more believable... ;)
I echo that, Mrs D! And, Julie - we are all a nice bunch of people - even the many people that usually hang around the edges of the forum, like myself. I'm sorry that your friend got ensnared in the machinations of another forum on a raid though. They have obviously never heard of a "presenting problem" in their small world. Stick around here, it's always interesting reading and apart from the visiting "crazies", everyone means well. I'm enjoying your Blog, by the way! Good luck.Beery.
Comments posted
Landslides are very common in Calabria, where the problem is often componded by the houses being built without any regard at all for the geology of the area. It is not just sea-side houses that are built illegally, remember! Those of you familiar with the south of ITaly (and also the north at the moment!) will be aware that when the rain falls - it FALLS. If the land is not rock and on a steep slope, it is unfortunately quite inevitable that it will become saturated and start to slide. I understand that there have been several hundred land slides over the past few days - most of them being either small or in unpopulated places. It is the house building that is at fault here. One day, perhaps, the illegal buildings in dangerous areas will be removed - as they are doing in Spain at the moment. So, if you are buying, be very careful where you buy - don't just listen to the agent or builder! Beery.
Thank you all for the welcome, I appreciate it enormously. Cilla10, I'n not actually heading for Calbria - well, not in my current plans, that is. I have family in a village called Platì - up in the mountainous part of the region. The views of the mountains are fabulous there, but it is not a tourist area. Driving here? Yes, I do find it much easier than in the UK. You may well feel pressed in or cut-up by another driver here, but it is not done with anger, as it is in the UK. Here, if I cut someone up (inadvertantly) I might be told something or have one or two fingers waved in my direction - but at the next stop in the traffic it will all be comletely forgotten, unlike in the UK where I will be chased and hounded until I can escape the "wounded" party! So, I find it much less aggressive here - but it is much closer to a contact sport here than back in the UK; just try to find the humour in the situation, rather than the anger! I spent some time in America as well, Angie & Robert, which I have to admit I found boring in the extreme, due to the slow driving, sharpened up only by their driving past you on any side. There was something unsettling about being overtaken by a couple of large trucks - one on each side of you - on the motorways there: at 65mph! So, thank you again for your welcome. If you have any questions about tiling or stone work, I will try to help out! :) Beery.
I almost forgot to mention, Valentina, you can see more of the work of Bozzetto here: his most famous work is, of course, Europe & Italy - but you will find "Yes & No" here as well - in the original Flash format. Beery.
Yes, Valentina, I have. In fact I am actually in Italy at the moment - a funeral, I'm afraid. I get over here 4 or 5 times a year, which gives me a bit of a break both from work (huzzah!) and English drivers! It also makes it possible to fritter my time away on the internet, of course - at least it does in the winter with the skies grey. My next trip here will be in March - next month! Again, huzzah! :D
One of the more famous sons of Sicily was the "greek" mathematician, Archimedes. He was born and lived most of his life in Syracuse. Presumably Richard Lynn has never heard of him... Beery.
Hi Monica, As a terrone myself, I would like to suggest Richard Lynn has a little look at the history of southern Italy. Before it was "taken over" by the Piedmontese royal family during the risorgimento, it was a prosperous area - far more so than the north of Italy, in fact. As an area it certainly suffered at the hands of various conquerors - the Spanish came easily to mind in the period immediately prior to the Borbone family rule - but was slowly finding it's feet. There were huge social improvements taking place (after the Spanish years) involving land reforms for the benefit of the people living there. Piedmontese rule resulted in all this stopping. The banks in the south of Italy all experienced losing their assets to the northern government and land reform was halted immediately. The north gave ownership away to those people that had done "favours" - all of them from the north, of course - resulting in the absentee landlords that then held power over the peasants of the land. They had no liking for the "africans" living in the mezzogiorno, much as many northerners have no respect at all for southerners today. Yes, I'm a bit biased, but I know my history and that of my own family. The north has only ever stolen from the south, without any compassion at all. It is this that has created the criminality that is often to be found in the south, which is the largest earner of foreign cash that Italy has - unfortunately. So, certainly southerners are hugely disadvantaged by the actions taken against them by the north over the past 150 years. But, to say that southerners are not as intelligent as northerners is merely exhibiting the ingorance of the writer of the piece - and an obvious love of the ignorant northerners that vote Lega. In my opinion, that is... Beery.
Thank you for that, Valentina. I am not concerned about my driving license, as I hold a full class C license for driving goods vehicles of all weights. My question is only relating to whether I need to get any kind of an operators license (not anything to do with a partita IVA either) for the keeping and parking on my own site of a goods vehicle over 7.5 tonnes (75 quintale) as I have to have in the UK. In the UK, one MUST hold an "O" license if one is to park the vehicle anywhere other than an authorised goods vehicle park - very expensive and not many of them. Perhaps I should stress that this applies only to goods vehicles that have tachographs fitted. Thanks again for the answer, Valentina - I appreciate the effort and the link for anyone wanting driving license (patente) information. Beery.
Sorry to bump this question so quickly, but it might easily be mislaid in the recent "action". Can anyone help, or at least point me in the right direction? Thanks a lot. Beery.
It sounds rather to me as though the connection is more with "The Godfather" film, than with anything else. Interesting to note that the judge didn't belive the solicitor's story either. Now, if he had blamed Berlusconi, it would have been more believable... ;)
I echo that, Mrs D! And, Julie - we are all a nice bunch of people - even the many people that usually hang around the edges of the forum, like myself. I'm sorry that your friend got ensnared in the machinations of another forum on a raid though. They have obviously never heard of a "presenting problem" in their small world. Stick around here, it's always interesting reading and apart from the visiting "crazies", everyone means well. I'm enjoying your Blog, by the way! Good luck.Beery.