I'm in the midst of comparing coverage for quotes from the post office and from an Italian insurer. So far, the PO policy appears to offer much more extensive coverage for the same price - around 400 euro for a property of modest value.
My experience with Liquigas (not sure about other companies) is that they will supply and install an underground tank, and fill it, at no charge. They put a meter on the tank and a device to read the consumption remotely (if there's a cell phone signal in the area). They then take the responsibility for topping up the tank at intervals and you are charged only for the gas you consume. By reading the numeric meter, you can keep an eye on your consumption - it reads in cubic meters, which work out at about 4 euro per cu.m. But it sounds to me as though you are at the point at which you might want to think seriously about whether you need a gas tank. The disadvantages are the very high cost for heating use and the increasingly stringent safety regulations regarding the tank. New installations (this probably varies regionally) have to have a high, secure fence enclosing quite a large area around the tank, certain types of planting are not allowed too close to the tank, fire extinguishers have to be available and there are endless visits to check the extinguishers, check the valve etc etc.
Just wanted to post an update on our search for a decent connection - we ended up going for Italia WiFi. We are not within reach of their Wimax service, but their satellite service is available everywhere and that's what we have. So far it's working great - consistent speed of at least 10Mbps, even on the few very misty, overcast days we have had. Our Italian is okay, but not so good when it comes to technology so it's a real bonus to have all the info on the website in English, to have had an English-speaking installer and 24/7 online assistance in English. Another advantage for us is that they set us up with a UK IP address so that means we can access BBC iPlayer so as I write, Radio 4 is playing! Another option that we haven't taken up yet, but may do, is that of having a second LNB added to the satellite dish that will bring in the UK free-to-air TV channels and we'd be able to watch them without it using up our monthly allowance.
My husband did this a few years ago - the local ACI office told him what documents were needed, and made an appointment for a medical check with the doctor who has a weekly session at their office. He failed the eye test and had to get driving glasses and return with the glasses and their prescription, then after a few weeks, the Italian licence arrived in the post. By law, you can drive on your UK licence until its expiry date (rather than having to change it after a year's residence in Italy as before), but if you are living in Italy at expiry time, you are then required to change it to an Italian licence.
I know two people who have had Tooway for several years. Both find it extremely slow. One house is rented to holiday makers and the owners have had problems with the download monthly limit because some guests have used the allocation in a week, leading to complaints from the next renters who find themselves with internet reduced to dial-up speeds. The others have just given up on Tooway when it ceased to work altogether and switched to Italia-Wifi and they are very pleased because they now have 10Mbps instead of about 0.5Mbps. According to the Italia-Wifi site, their satellite service is available throughout Italy. And no, I don't work for them, I'm just interested in the subject because I'm looking into the options for myself.
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I'm in the midst of comparing coverage for quotes from the post office and from an Italian insurer. So far, the PO policy appears to offer much more extensive coverage for the same price - around 400 euro for a property of modest value.
My experience with Liquigas (not sure about other companies) is that they will supply and install an underground tank, and fill it, at no charge. They put a meter on the tank and a device to read the consumption remotely (if there's a cell phone signal in the area). They then take the responsibility for topping up the tank at intervals and you are charged only for the gas you consume. By reading the numeric meter, you can keep an eye on your consumption - it reads in cubic meters, which work out at about 4 euro per cu.m. But it sounds to me as though you are at the point at which you might want to think seriously about whether you need a gas tank. The disadvantages are the very high cost for heating use and the increasingly stringent safety regulations regarding the tank. New installations (this probably varies regionally) have to have a high, secure fence enclosing quite a large area around the tank, certain types of planting are not allowed too close to the tank, fire extinguishers have to be available and there are endless visits to check the extinguishers, check the valve etc etc.
Just wanted to post an update on our search for a decent connection - we ended up going for Italia WiFi. We are not within reach of their Wimax service, but their satellite service is available everywhere and that's what we have. So far it's working great - consistent speed of at least 10Mbps, even on the few very misty, overcast days we have had. Our Italian is okay, but not so good when it comes to technology so it's a real bonus to have all the info on the website in English, to have had an English-speaking installer and 24/7 online assistance in English. Another advantage for us is that they set us up with a UK IP address so that means we can access BBC iPlayer so as I write, Radio 4 is playing! Another option that we haven't taken up yet, but may do, is that of having a second LNB added to the satellite dish that will bring in the UK free-to-air TV channels and we'd be able to watch them without it using up our monthly allowance.
My husband did this a few years ago - the local ACI office told him what documents were needed, and made an appointment for a medical check with the doctor who has a weekly session at their office. He failed the eye test and had to get driving glasses and return with the glasses and their prescription, then after a few weeks, the Italian licence arrived in the post. By law, you can drive on your UK licence until its expiry date (rather than having to change it after a year's residence in Italy as before), but if you are living in Italy at expiry time, you are then required to change it to an Italian licence.
I know two people who have had Tooway for several years. Both find it extremely slow. One house is rented to holiday makers and the owners have had problems with the download monthly limit because some guests have used the allocation in a week, leading to complaints from the next renters who find themselves with internet reduced to dial-up speeds. The others have just given up on Tooway when it ceased to work altogether and switched to Italia-Wifi and they are very pleased because they now have 10Mbps instead of about 0.5Mbps. According to the Italia-Wifi site, their satellite service is available throughout Italy. And no, I don't work for them, I'm just interested in the subject because I'm looking into the options for myself.