Fillide's activity

I'd agree with the small bottles for the cooker being a perfectly feasible pay as you go option - the price doesn't really matter if you are just using one bottle every six months or so.  But for central heating, gpl costs roughly twice as much as mains gas. Beware of 'piped gpl' - this comes from a communal buried tank, probably serving a small village, say twenty or so houses. This is convenient (you don't have to bother with the fencing or the fire extinguishers, or watching out for the tank getting low) and estate agents will try to pass this off as 'mains gas'. It isn't, it costs twice as much. I believe (though I'm willing to be corrected) that metano from Italgas or one of the alternative suppliers (EnelEgergia and others) costs about the same in Italy as does 'natural gas' these days in the UK

WOW. That is quite amazing! I had idly googled throne chairs, but (unlike Penny) hadn't come up with anything exciting. There was a prog on (I think) Channel 4 - the title had something about 'rooms', and people took bizarre items to various antique dealers in the UK who bid on them. There was a woman who had a prestigious shop in Edinburgh who (IMO) would die for your throne. Try and track her down and send her a pic!

The clip I linked to was a precis of a part of the Agenzia clarification on IVIE, and really only talks about Trusts. I take the reference to 'nudo proprietario' to cover the freeholder (in the case of a UK leasehold property), and in that case the freeholder is not responsible for IVIE. If you owned a leasehold property in the UK, and were an Italian resident, you would be responsible for the IVIE, irrespective of whether it was rented out to another party. I'm sure there are cases awaiting determination, and further clarifications will no doubt emerge. As Panner says, even without the complicating issue of a Trust, you need to go through it with a commercialista.

Oh dear - forgot to leave time for the site to digest my earlier post! 

Here is something from the Agenzia delle Entrate (Italian tax office) stating their position on Trusts in relation to IVIE. (You may have to cut and paste if the link doesn't work). The site linked to can probably assist you, in English. http://www.mpotrustee.it/trust-e-applicazione-dell%E2%80%99imposta-sugli...

Bit nearer for you (though maybe you are looking for an excuse to go to Rome) Gio on Via Andreotti usually have it, together with items such as instant porridge oats.

I have no idea about your insurance, but I'm solid on parking rates! Perugia airport are now charging for parking. But if you left your car there before the charges came in, you will be probably not be charged.    Here are the charges: Parking charges from 07 January 2013 Opening times 06:00 - 22:00 (when the airport closes)   First 30 minutes free 1 hour € 1 Any further hour € 1 First day € 7 Second day € 7 Third day € 5 Fourth day € 5 Fifth day € 4 Sixth day € 4 Seventh day € 3 Further days € 3   Season Ticket: € 500 per year (unlimited exits and entries Info at: http://www.airport.umbria.it/en/info-passeggeri

I hope you know, Spud, that since this month Perugia airport is levying a parking charge!

The major shock on Jan 25 was centred in the Garfagnana area of northern Tuscany - the epicentre was close to Castiglione di Garfagnana, it had an intensity of 4.8 Richter. There followed at least one smaller tremor. There are no reports of serious damage, and nobody was hurt. Here is a link with maps. http://ingvterremoti.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/terremoto-in-provincia-di-lucca-m4-8-25-gennaio-ore-15-48/  There were also a number of smaller (round about 2.0 Richter) tremors on Jan 25 in the region of Emilia Romagna, which has been suffering minor movements for around six months - some of the earlier larger shocks in this area did damage buildings.

Just a sec SirTK - you dissed (I believe this is a term used by youngsters) Florence. I have an impulse to agree with you, although concerning your particular objections: of course the Uffizzi is a wonderful study collection, rather than a prettified up museum for plebs with all the modern interactive stuff. It is the fault of the tour operators that they fill this austere dry uncollated collection with uninterested 'tick it off' visitors, who just get in the way of serious afficionados. And parking is a nightmare, and tripadvisor doesn't alert you to the park and ride schemes, and don't seem to have understood trains. And I much prefer the cut and thrust of Rome traffic to those Florentine traffic lights which one appears to be expected to understand and anticipate, and the Florence scooteristi who have a death wish, and that the powers that be have closed off the best bits of the duomo, and that there is more than one McDonalds, and Florence can look globalised (maybe they are aiming at that) - but: in November or Feb it's quite quiet - if meandering undisturbed looking at top notch renaissance palazzi is your passion. I'm damning with faint praise, I know, and I can't imagine wanting to spend more than a day in central Florence - but then I spend many (non-consecutive) days there on a 'needs must' basis, and if I wanted to make it a holiday destination I'd have my own car, stay in Fiesole in a hotel with parking, do alternate days taking in the art and driving out into the Tuscan countryside. Just my point of view!