As we are not in Italy all year round it is not economic that we subscribe to the more expensive Sky monthly package so we have the basic and have purchased a Sky Pass to view football matches - from UK and Champions League etc. Our problem is th
We had problems in the summer with our electric current going off in a storm and then the electric pump to pump water away from the drain outside our semi underground garage did not work so our garage got flooded. This was all in our absence so w
Hi everyoneThose in Italy have the hot weather - us at present in England have the Bank holiday! Does anyone know of a site which gives the proposed timetable for broadband coverage in Italy by comune please? When in Italy we are in northern Laz
I like the new format. Well done to all.Can anyone advise please as to whether ICI have been abolished for A2 category prima casa if the person paying is registered as resident at the anagrafe - or is there just a fixed amount deduction. Thank
Thank you all for these helpful suggestions. I will check the broadband speed next time we are in Italy. I used expattelly as this site came up when I googled watching UKTV abroad. They are more expensive in the short run, Euros 9.99 for one month, but similarly priced in the long run, Euros 35.99 for 6 months and 59.99 for 12 months.
Not sure why I cannot write my message on my first post. I see others have the same problem - can anyone advise please? Anyway, what I was going to say related to the current media furore in the UK re footballers' private lives. I thought it might start a discussion. It was interesting to see the Times headline today of Capello saying Basta. I am not really interested in what has been going on but wonder why we don't seem to see such articles in Italian papers about their footballers. Is it because they behave themselves, or such behaviour is accepted or the papers do not write about it, or something else?
Thank you all - Gromit, Gala Placida and Colonel Mustard - for your help. As we won't be there in early March we will have to try late February and keep our fingers crossed. They are only for our own use when we come out in the summer so it will not be a disaster whatever happens.
Whoops! Don't know why I couldn't write anything in the post body so here is what I wanted to ask in this follow-up post. From your experience, when do you start planting out seed potatoes in central Italy to get good results and when would you expect to start being able to crop them? Being new to vegetable gardening both in Italy and the UK we are a bit green about this. Perhaps green is not the right term to use! Advice would be greatly appreciated. We are coming out to our house for most of February and wonder if this is too early/wet to plant them.
Hi Angie and Robert Apologies for posting this too late for Christmas books but I recommend a non-fiction book The Lady in the Palazzo by Marlena di Blasi. It is mainly about finding somewhere to live in Orvieto but is so rich in imagery it assails the senses. Also includes a few recipes. I could not put it down and finished it in 2 days on a visit to Italy in the summer. On the flight home from Italy the lady in front was reading it and was similarly enthralled. For those who don't know of the author she is a US cookery writer who has lived in Italy for some years since marrying her Venetian husband. Since reading The Lady ... I have also read A Thousand Days in Venice which covers meeting her husband to be and their life in Venice. I enjoyed that too but not as much.
Welcome Agnelli. I am glad you enjoyed your holiday in Tuscany and good luck with your plans to visit again soon. There are so many amazing and varied regions/cities to see. I have a home there and get to visit 5 or 6 times a year but when we go to Italy we mainly go to the house and then visit my relatives who live in the vicinity so we don't often get to see other places other than those we pass on the way down to Northern Lazio! Best wishes.
Hi Andy and welcome and I hope all goes well with your plans to move to Italy permanently. Like you I get out to Italy 5 or 6 times a year. There is a lot of advice on the community re residency and what you need seems to depend to some extent on the comune. For example, my comune accepted my EHIC card but this may have been because I had a letter from DWP showing I am receiving a UK state pension. Good luck with your enquiries about this. The hardest part was trying to get the local police chief to come and visit me at my Italian house when I was there. I applied for residency in August as I knew I was going to be there for 4 weeks but because of all the festivities they were very busy and were not able to come within the usual 3 weeks. Fortunately a neighbour of ours from our previous flat in the village had gone to school with the police chief and was able to get him to make the visit 4 days before we left for the UK and the day before he left on a 10 day holiday! It all worked out well in the end. I see that you are still snowed up in Scotland with more to come. We are just north of London and are expecting it Wednesday according to the weather forecast. I hope you have been able to get out and about despite the snow. Happy New Year to you and also to D&J and all community members.
Hi Tess. I hope that the New Year will bring a change for the better and that your husband will soon be able to join you and your daughter. I am sure things will not seem so bad then. In the meantime try to keep positive - a smile and Buon giorno when you meet people in the local shops can work wonders.
There is a special offer of £5 delivery at the moment, as londonlass says - see website - though it is not totally clear it seems to be per order not per item. There is also a specal offer of 1p delivery to UK addresses!http://www.marksandspencer.com/International-Delivery/b/183243031?intid=ss2_2of3_intdevIn the Help section there is the following info about what is delivered internationally and what is not plus other info about International Delivery. Sorry sofas are not!! It still seems a very good offer!"Which products qualify for international delivery?Womenswear, Menswear, Kidswear, Lingerie, Accessories, Jewellery and selected Home and Beauty products.Please note that many countries have import restrictions on certain products or materials. Customers are responsible for checking with the local customs authorities before placing an order for international delivery. Marks & Spencer cannot offer any assistance in this process.Which products are excluded from international delivery?Food, Wine, Flowers, Gift Cards, Hampers, Furniture, Electrical, Lighting, Technology, Large Appliances, Made to Measure shirts and selected beauty products. See individual product details for more information."
Comments posted
Thank you all for these helpful suggestions. I will check the broadband speed next time we are in Italy. I used expattelly as this site came up when I googled watching UKTV abroad. They are more expensive in the short run, Euros 9.99 for one month, but similarly priced in the long run, Euros 35.99 for 6 months and 59.99 for 12 months.
Not sure why I cannot write my message on my first post. I see others have the same problem - can anyone advise please? Anyway, what I was going to say related to the current media furore in the UK re footballers' private lives. I thought it might start a discussion. It was interesting to see the Times headline today of Capello saying Basta. I am not really interested in what has been going on but wonder why we don't seem to see such articles in Italian papers about their footballers. Is it because they behave themselves, or such behaviour is accepted or the papers do not write about it, or something else?
Thank you all - Gromit, Gala Placida and Colonel Mustard - for your help. As we won't be there in early March we will have to try late February and keep our fingers crossed. They are only for our own use when we come out in the summer so it will not be a disaster whatever happens.
Whoops! Don't know why I couldn't write anything in the post body so here is what I wanted to ask in this follow-up post. From your experience, when do you start planting out seed potatoes in central Italy to get good results and when would you expect to start being able to crop them? Being new to vegetable gardening both in Italy and the UK we are a bit green about this. Perhaps green is not the right term to use! Advice would be greatly appreciated. We are coming out to our house for most of February and wonder if this is too early/wet to plant them.
Hi Angie and Robert Apologies for posting this too late for Christmas books but I recommend a non-fiction book The Lady in the Palazzo by Marlena di Blasi. It is mainly about finding somewhere to live in Orvieto but is so rich in imagery it assails the senses. Also includes a few recipes. I could not put it down and finished it in 2 days on a visit to Italy in the summer. On the flight home from Italy the lady in front was reading it and was similarly enthralled. For those who don't know of the author she is a US cookery writer who has lived in Italy for some years since marrying her Venetian husband. Since reading The Lady ... I have also read A Thousand Days in Venice which covers meeting her husband to be and their life in Venice. I enjoyed that too but not as much.
Welcome Agnelli. I am glad you enjoyed your holiday in Tuscany and good luck with your plans to visit again soon. There are so many amazing and varied regions/cities to see. I have a home there and get to visit 5 or 6 times a year but when we go to Italy we mainly go to the house and then visit my relatives who live in the vicinity so we don't often get to see other places other than those we pass on the way down to Northern Lazio! Best wishes.
Hi Andy and welcome and I hope all goes well with your plans to move to Italy permanently. Like you I get out to Italy 5 or 6 times a year. There is a lot of advice on the community re residency and what you need seems to depend to some extent on the comune. For example, my comune accepted my EHIC card but this may have been because I had a letter from DWP showing I am receiving a UK state pension. Good luck with your enquiries about this. The hardest part was trying to get the local police chief to come and visit me at my Italian house when I was there. I applied for residency in August as I knew I was going to be there for 4 weeks but because of all the festivities they were very busy and were not able to come within the usual 3 weeks. Fortunately a neighbour of ours from our previous flat in the village had gone to school with the police chief and was able to get him to make the visit 4 days before we left for the UK and the day before he left on a 10 day holiday! It all worked out well in the end. I see that you are still snowed up in Scotland with more to come. We are just north of London and are expecting it Wednesday according to the weather forecast. I hope you have been able to get out and about despite the snow. Happy New Year to you and also to D&J and all community members.
Hi Tess. I hope that the New Year will bring a change for the better and that your husband will soon be able to join you and your daughter. I am sure things will not seem so bad then. In the meantime try to keep positive - a smile and Buon giorno when you meet people in the local shops can work wonders.
There is a special offer of £5 delivery at the moment, as londonlass says - see website - though it is not totally clear it seems to be per order not per item. There is also a specal offer of 1p delivery to UK addresses!http://www.marksandspencer.com/International-Delivery/b/183243031?intid=ss2_2of3_intdevIn the Help section there is the following info about what is delivered internationally and what is not plus other info about International Delivery. Sorry sofas are not!! It still seems a very good offer!"Which products qualify for international delivery?Womenswear, Menswear, Kidswear, Lingerie, Accessories, Jewellery and selected Home and Beauty products.Please note that many countries have import restrictions on certain products or materials. Customers are responsible for checking with the local customs authorities before placing an order for international delivery. Marks & Spencer cannot offer any assistance in this process.Which products are excluded from international delivery?Food, Wine, Flowers, Gift Cards, Hampers, Furniture, Electrical, Lighting, Technology, Large Appliances, Made to Measure shirts and selected beauty products. See individual product details for more information."
It made me smile. Thank you Gala. It is so typical of the Italian distrust of politicians coupled with a sense of humour/cynicism.