The city of Lucca has always been my favourite. Not only because it is only 25 minutes away from our home and I go there at least two or three times a week, but also because you do not feel like a "tourist" there.
Gala Placidia's activity
Questions Asked
In this icy cold weather, hot drinks and comfort foods are a must. Preparing and consuming them are good ways to spend time when we cannot venture outdoors.
Wed, 02/08/2012 - 06:10
The cold weather is affecting most of Italy and creating difficulties concerning energy supplies. Russia, the most important supplier, has been reducing the provision of gas up to 30% due to increasing demand in their area.
Tue, 02/07/2012 - 02:22
The San Francisco Chronicle publishes today this most interesting article:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/
Sun, 02/05/2012 - 12:45
Whenever we are in Italy, we love to visit antique and vintage markets and fairs, looking for that special piece that we would love to have. Sometimes, we find it...
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 02:47
One of my favourite activities in Italy is to visit those markets that sell antique and vintage items.
Tue, 01/31/2012 - 06:38
Some members may have noticed that I have been fairly quiet for the past month and a half. The reason for this was that we have been visiting our daughters who live in San Francisco (CA).
Fri, 01/20/2012 - 02:59
The new Italian government has been announced and it is obvious that we will have a fight between technocrats and politicians.
Wed, 11/16/2011 - 14:24
A lot has been written about the dangers of overheating Teflon coated cookware. Toxic fumes can be extremely dangerous for our health. Personally, I have never liked that type of cookware and I do not buy it anymore.
Sat, 10/29/2011 - 06:24
In another thread, we were discussing Tuscan herbs and "funghi porcini". Tuscany is a paradise for herb lovers and many varieties, such as rosemary, sage and "nipitella" grow wild.
Thu, 10/27/2011 - 11:23
Comments posted
I would tend to think that you have been looking at holiday rentals, which are the ones you get widely advertised on line. You may have a search using the words "affitto a lungo termine" which would describe the type of rental you are looking for. A local agent could also help.
Perhaps you should investigate the reasons why those existing businesses are up for sale and do not look very prosperous or attractive. I would say that you need to look into the number of tourists visiting the area and what type of accommodation they favour. No matter how great your new business may look and be, if there are no potential customers... Italy has a huge offer ranging from hotels to B&B and holiday apartments. Many people dream about opening that little boutique hotel and work very hard for that dream; however, without a lot of planning, knowledge and sufficient funds to survive the always difficult beginnings, the dream may become a nightmare. Not trying to put you off, just telling you to be careful.
Have you thought about the possibility of buying an existing business? It may be a safer bet, particularly if you are new to the business and the country.As for the other questions, it may be difficult to get precise answers. It would be like gazing into a crystal ball, as the answers will depend on a multitude of factors.in any case, I wish you all the best.
Happy to help!
The best advice I can give you is to urgently start learning Italian to ensure a smooth transition. And I do not mean a 1 hour lesson once a week. You need immersion in language and culture, particularly to help your 11/12 year old who will be starting Lower Secondary in a foreign language. She needs specialized coaching as it is not easy to handle language but also subjects such as Maths or Scuence in Italian without the necessary vocabulary. I will not be too worried about your 7/8 year old. She will pick up the new language without that much effort. There are some excellent schools in Italy and a solid education system. Perhaps a bit too traditional for some people, but a solid one.See how the girls progress during the school year and if you notice that they are a bit behind because of language problems, talk to the teachers and principals and do not be afraid if the girls need to repeat the year. One year is nothing and it is far much more important for them to Be on solid ground. Otherwise, they will be stumbling in the future.Best wishes.
Congratulations to both Sonia and Adrienne! This comes from a retired teacher of modern languages who used to conduct pilot courses for young children in unlikely places. You are bringing up children who are better educated, even in their native tongue, have wider horizons and culture and who will be citizens of the world. Children's brains are like sponges and they learn naturally what takes years and much more efforts to the adults. I only wish that many parents will copy your example. Well done!
You need a local person. Ask around. Check who takes care of holiday rentals in the area. See the local real estate agents, many of them also have a rental section. Ask the real estate agent who sold you the property. Check who does cleaning and maintenance. Languages will be a problem...Those are the steps usually taken.Also verify the paperwork and financial obligations, meaning taxes, registration, etc.Good luck!
Try to contact them through this link http://www.agitalia.info/contattaci/
WOLF2010, "AGITALIA" seems to be able to help you, as they deal with old savings passbooks, bank accounts and government titles and bonds which apparently have no current value, but that can be recovered with the help of the lawyers and bank experts that the Association has. AGITALIA has offices in Rome and Milan which are stated in their web page http://www.agitalia.info all those addresses appearing on the original bonds will nowadays be obsolete.My advice would be to find an interpreter/ translator or someone with total fluency in both English and Italian who could assist you with this.mas you rightly said, it was a pity that your father did not teach you Italian, because some of these electronic translations are pretty hopeless in the case of specific topics.it will be difficult to ascertain the current value of those bonds, but if you do not try to find out, you will never know.Good luck!