sebastiano's activity

interesting how the poster of the original thread has not replied thanked or shown the slightest interest since it started (you're right badger!) However happy to hear,of course, that all the others are finding their needs satisfied in one way or another.I have to say however that buying from an "eco -green" business in the UK ( considering the huge amount of organic food stuffs available in Italy and especially in the Marche) then getting them shipped across europe is about as green as my gas guzzling pick up truck.Idon't care personally, i just thought it a bit strange as "green" people usualy have an issue with 0 kilometers etc.....  

Yessss,esatto.

My answer does not apply to me,as i consider myself perfectly integrated and speak/write/read Italian etc.But,from my experience i see that;many ex-pats miss  pubs,marmite,their own language/humour seeing relatives...actually the list is very long.Interestingly it seems to be not quite the same for germans,dutch and americans maybe because they do not have rose tinted glasses or maybe they do their homework first or maybe they choose more populous areas where there can be more interaction,or maybe because they feel more citizens of the world.The things i see, that many (brits) buy homes in the most quiet rural areas imaginable where the chance of building relations is right from the start handicapped,can you imagine in the remotest parts of Scotland or Wales you're going to meet for the most part a few local farmers and their families..not a lot of other people about let alone services as you're used to.If one lived in say Verona or Turin to name only a couple of places you'd find a modern updated quite cosmopolitan society nowadays, far from the stereotypes of Italy you may know of.So if your intention is to bury yourself in the countryside you get what you see otherwise try living here for a year or two ,get the feel of the place that way,get a part time job (they still exist)or simply spend extended periods until you feel comfortable with your choice because if you have these doubts now they risk only getting stronger in time ..and there is no Plan B. or C.it costs a lot to move house,moving back can prove even more costly.one of the problems i see is the problem of "aimlessness" ie. people who were once presumably busy move over and do..nothing.Work can be a motorway into society,it doesn't have to be a good job,it could be waiting in a local restaurant at lunch times,or in a bar,or doing hair washing for the hairdresser but you would meet people and build friendships and learn quickly the language,become a blood donor they're all very friendly at the local blood bank and they do little excursions too,favour a butcher over a supermarket you'll be forced to talk,eat italian,think italian,buy a daily newspaper and try to read it,listen to radio3 they have great programmes with people who talk well.Italy is much more of a classless society than the UK nobody would look down on you because you work in the bar or the local shop,if you have the time and don't need the money there's loads of volontary work looking after people of all kinds even immigrants and the like from Africa/asia where language could be useful.Intoduce yourself in the local municipality get to know them they can be useful when you need permission to put up a shed (it seems)don't wait for neighbours or local people to leave bags of veg on your doorstep be proactive bring them a present -bake a cake something simple big presents are embarassing in italy for those who receive.All of that would give you a completely different perspective on life here you wouldn't feel like another expat shut in a house ........................................  

Just to give you an idea Anne of how things go in the "park".Some time ago i received a mail from a group of experienced (and elderly!) walkers who were planning to stay here and visit all the peaks in the sibillini and use the refuges.They required to know; if the single refuges were open during their dates,which if any provided food,any costs involved.Fair enough but they had been unable to glean this info from the official web site and had asked me to find out for them.(At that time I was unable to find an e-mail for the park "which worked" i believe they now have one.) so i sent a fax.Over 1 month later i received a computer written letter from the president (of the park) who in a complex verbose way explained they were unable to tell me!!!!due to the fact that this information could only be given to me by each single comune to which each refuge belonged!!!??( assuming you know which comune covers where!).You don't want to be on a peak of a mountain in a storm and find a cardboard sign saying refuge closed till 15th april or something,just as you don't want to take a load of food only to find a restaurant up there (like refugio città di Amandola)..maybe it's better organized in Abruzzo?

it emerges that the police questioned the guests..who explained that they had dealt directly (thru internet) with the owners and that they had paid them directly on UK bank accounts (not that they had actually looked at those accounts) but that nothing had transited on italian banks was evident.The main issues were,as said, the laws regarding the numbers and identities of the guests staying,the fact that this info had not been comunicated to the municipal and police authorities as required,that they period(S) of activity or when the pemesis was open had not been comunicated to the municipal authorities ( because there are limitations on the number of days per annum that a house can be "rented out") the penal consequences they did not specify.whilst the fiscal consequences (which are a bit of a grey area) are being followed up.

featured in the newspaper Il resto del Carlino on the 1st september 2012.reads :The carabinieri of Tolentino have started a series of controls on the legality of numerous country houses and holiday homes which are rented out prevalently to foreign guests for brief periods.The first checks carried out in the area of Sarnano and Gualdo concerned four holiday villas property of british citizens.The carabinieri found in these country villas all fully restored with swimming pools and every comfort  entire families of british touristswho had booked their holidays contacting directly the respective owners to whom they had paid sums of up to Euro 2.000. per week by bank transfer directly to the owners British bank accounts.The police checks brought to light  administrative and PENAL irregularities imputable to the owners.In fact none of whom was complying with the obligations of article 32. of the Regional law n°.9/2006 and article 109 of the public security law which oblige the owners to comunicate to the municipalty and the police  the period of activity and the lists of guests etc.Each owner has received a fine and has been denounced to the judicial authorities for further actions.As far as the fiscal aspects are concerned further investigation is under way.the article in italian can be found at www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/macerata/cronaca/2012/09/01/766076-controlli-country-house  

come on Ram you've been around for ages! so whats a labarinth for you... if you've got your pink address sticker on yer foreign licence (EU) it makes it equivalent to an italian one and to all effects is an italian one.My old mother has it and when it expires we go ...not the the dreaded motorizzazione but to the friendly local driving school where an army medic ( very domesticated) gets you to do the eye test..you know the one with the disappearing letters..once you're unable to continue which is after the first line he says...we don't look at flies but lorries..and ticks you as A1. ...JOB DONE..euro 75 the sticker later arrives from the Ministero delle infrastrutture(?).... actually mine is an old fashioned italian one in linen issued by the prefettura di milano..the ones where everybodylooks like lucio battisti in the photo...

Many years ago,and i mean many..i was stopped by the carabinieri near Milano where i lived,they asked for my licence then they asked me where i lived and i told them.They told me to get it changed immediately for an italian one as i had already been years in italy with an old british licence.I didn't bother.A month later the same carabinieri,in the same place (sods law) stopped me still with the old british one.To avoid the terrible penalties they were promising i had to change my licence into an italian one (now there's just an adhesive strip with your address to put on the british plastic card) then i had to take it to the caserma to prove i'd done it.However if you think about it it's not all so strange otherwise we'd all drive around with licences from the Grand Cayman avoiding points etc.In the case of something very serious event an unvalid or ambiguous licence might prove very risky from an insurance perspective..

whilst it's not impossible for your friends to buy a car as has been said.They will have to consider the fact that they will be up to all the entailing legal consequences like for example changing their driving licence into an italian one after six months,all road fines and points on their licence,revisione of the car (mot) and,of course Italian insurance which is expensive to say the least.

this is not intended as critical.But could you be more specific as to what you require because some things (probably more than you think) could be available in the greater area where you are...which is?