We've realised that it may be another 3 years before this one has a home with us so perhaps it's time to pass it on. It's an AEG Favorit 40850. No longer in production but spare parts are available if necessary. Bought in 2005. Silver / grey colour. Well maintained and was in good working order when it left the UK this time last year but not been used since. €60,00 buyer collects from Sulmona. I have two pics but can't see how to upload them - sorry.

Our house is ready, but there is still no water connection, despite myriad requests and a variety of excuses from the water board- software problems, short staffed, August, wrong kind of water etc. We were due out next week, but have had to cancel. We would have been prepared to go out and stay somewhere else, but unfortunately I have a lung infection (pneumonia? in August?) so can't go anyway. This is a link to our web album showing the before and after. Hope you can tell the difference!

I wonder if anyone knows about grants for rennovating property? I have been told that there are grants available for property whereby the restoration cost is matched up to a max of 200,000 euros provided the property is available to let for the following 10 years. I understand this is not part of the agriturismo scheme, although I do not know what scheme it is! I would be interested and grateful if anyone has any idea (or knows where I might get more reliable info) and particularly to know whether the legal property owner has to be an Italian resident.

We have a house which is in a terrace of medieval origin. There was a house next door which fell down about thirty years ago and now a developer seeks to build a house on the empty plot. The geometra in charge of the work is notoriously slapdash and has had many injunctions against him. We know directly of poor building work he has supervised and we are concerned about damage that may be done to our property in the process of the construction work. The builders will need to scaffold off our property in order to build. Is there anything like the UK Party Wall Act in Italy?

I've just booked flights for 23rd December for whole family including seni-reluctant grown-up children. Two scenarios present themselves to me. One - being one of those people on the telly I've always laughed at spending Christmas sleeping on the floor of Stansted airport.
Two - getting there and having a great time.

If Two - I'd love any suggestions for how to make it a memorable Christmas - food, drink, wine, skiing and events generally. I particularly want to enthuse my 20-somethings for future trips

If One - feel free to laugh

We have a rather ugly 1960's style street lamp attached to the corner of our house which tends to attract all sorts of undesirable bugs in the evening which have a habit of flying in through any open windows nearby!

We should have thought about it when the house was being rebuilt but is there any way we can get the commune to relocate this? In England there would normally be a written agreement with the council determinbable on say 6 month's noticve but I certainly haven't seen anything along those lines!

I am holidaying in Italy next few weeks and hoping to purchase some end of season dining and garden furniture bargains. Has anyone recommendations in the Marcerate / Fermo area of Marche? Good quality - aluminium or teak.