I usually drive to Italy with my old style UK paper drivers licence with no photo. Back in early 2020 this was also good to show for car hire. Have the rules changed since Brexit? is an old style UK paper licence still valid for car hire? The
Just in case it might help anyone not already aware. My comune is discounting the costs of IMU by 37.5% for second home owners resident abroad who are in receipt of a recognized pension as proof of retired status.
Any recommendations on an Italian bank? I have used MPS for years and they are fine and I can manage stuff online but they seem expensive, I assume to pay for an extensive branch network.
Lovely part of the world. Lucky you. Others are better qualified to give advice. My first thought would be to ensure that the land is murativa or has permission for building. Then you are right to think about a geometro.
If you are trying to buy at the last minute then you can print off a paper certificate to leave on the dashboard, just in case the sticker doesn't arrive in time. As Alan writes, the certificate has no expiry. We got it as we like to stay in Reims where it is required.
Alan h, did you get anywhere with the IMU discount? You don't have to be Italian listed on AIRE as the law was changed. There is just the pension condition which is unclear and a possible stumbling block.
Also there is a discount for the TARI rubbish tax which I just got approved but my commune will only apply it to 2024 charges.
The two DIY stores I use are LeRoyMerlin and OBI who have good internet sites so you can plan while out of Italy as well as a decent network of stores. They are typical DIY stores so not the place for building materials.
It's also good to use a local builders merchant. They are small operations and they won't have the same range but they will be better for building materials and advice.
Reading the extract from Maurice, the Italian extract can either be read that a pension needs to include some Italian pension contributions or perhaps just be a pensioner living in a qualifying state, which is where the Italy has a reciprocal agreement such as between the UK and Italy which just means that Italian and British national insurance contributions are transferred to be consolidated in a single pension.
My commune did not specify an Italian pension contributions element in the overall consolidated pension on its website as a condition of entitlement. This would be a blocker for me and many others. The text says it has to be a pension 'maturata in regime di convenzione internazionale', which might mean that part of the contributions in the final pension came from a period of working in Italy. I am still trying to get confirmation on my discount having done a declaration that I am a foreign based pensioner having never worked in Italy with UK only pension contributions.
What is clear is that the law was changed in 2022 to remove the AIRE requirement for entitlement as the EU ruled it discriminatory for non-Italian pension owners abroad. I wonder whether some communi are still using the original pre2022 law.
I've not worked in Italy so we shall see. I'll try and do some further digging but I fear Alan H's download from Modicasa above is correct, meaning no discount unless paid some national insurance in Italy.
Lucky you. If you are UK based than make sure you are with one of the mobile phone providers that don't pénalisé EU roaming.
For events just check on line with tourist offices as the holiday season starts to get under way with Easter. Easter Monday is a big holiday and the 25 April is liberation day so another national holiday.
There is no point telling you about sights as Tuscany had more guide books than you can shake a stick at. To get around to the usual Lucca, Pisa, Siena and Florence itself then download the Trenitalia app as it works in English and easy to use for times and tickets plus trains are good. Less obvious destinations are Bologna, Pistoia and Pontedera for the free Piaggio Vespa Museum near the station.
Just make sure that you allow time to just chill, to live Florence, find a local bar (cafe) and make it your regular for a cappuccino and un pezzo dolce.
There isn't a recipe as such. Try YouTube but it is all in the cut and quality of the meat. Allow 900-1000 grammes for a single piece to share between two. Cook as a single piece with just some olive oil on a hot barbecue sealing round the edges and keep it rare to medium rare. Season AFTER cooking to avoid drawing out the juices. Serve with just lemon and patatine and/or fagioli. As always Italian food tastes better in Italy just as a pie and a pint tastes better in the UK.
Modicasa is correct and i speak from family experience.
These things can just get left and then become more complicated over time. I'm not sure but given that you don't have any direct heirs so called 'eredi necessarie' then I think you can write a simple will just stating who you want to be your heir for the property. It might not be as robust as one via a notary but it works as a back stop otherwise I suspect your share goes to your sisters and then their children so it becomes ever more complicated to gather people together and get an agreement.
It depends on where you are going in Italy. I travel to the Tuscan coast and use two routes with only 15 miles difference.
The 'summer' route is motorway Calais-Reims then N routes via the Gran San Bernard pass so Swiss vignette. Some French tolls at the start and the rest of the route is pretty fast and direct. Into Italy via Aosta.
The 'winter' route when the Gran San Bernard pass is closed is Calais-Belgium-Luxemberg-France-Germany-Switzerland so via the St Gottard and Como into Italy. It is cheapest and fast but a bit dull as just motorway and fast roads. The only tolls are the Swiss vignette and Italian m/way.
I've also tried Maurice's route last month but on the return trip learnt to go via Le Bonhomme pass to avoid the tunnel tolls as that route wasn't fast.
Agree with Alan H on the tag costs. No premium other than paying a fixed month charge for when using the tag out of the country of origin so pay extra in France if use an Italian origin tag.
I keep meaning to get my own tag but I just use my Italian debit card and tap and go. Nearly as fast as a tag but it helps to have a passenger in a right hand drive car.
Comments posted
Lovely part of the world. Lucky you. Others are better qualified to give advice. My first thought would be to ensure that the land is murativa or has permission for building. Then you are right to think about a geometro.
If you are trying to buy at the last minute then you can print off a paper certificate to leave on the dashboard, just in case the sticker doesn't arrive in time. As Alan writes, the certificate has no expiry. We got it as we like to stay in Reims where it is required.
Alan h, did you get anywhere with the IMU discount? You don't have to be Italian listed on AIRE as the law was changed. There is just the pension condition which is unclear and a possible stumbling block.
Also there is a discount for the TARI rubbish tax which I just got approved but my commune will only apply it to 2024 charges.
The two DIY stores I use are LeRoyMerlin and OBI who have good internet sites so you can plan while out of Italy as well as a decent network of stores. They are typical DIY stores so not the place for building materials.
It's also good to use a local builders merchant. They are small operations and they won't have the same range but they will be better for building materials and advice.
Reading the extract from Maurice, the Italian extract can either be read that a pension needs to include some Italian pension contributions or perhaps just be a pensioner living in a qualifying state, which is where the Italy has a reciprocal agreement such as between the UK and Italy which just means that Italian and British national insurance contributions are transferred to be consolidated in a single pension.
My commune did not specify an Italian pension contributions element in the overall consolidated pension on its website as a condition of entitlement. This would be a blocker for me and many others. The text says it has to be a pension 'maturata in regime di convenzione internazionale', which might mean that part of the contributions in the final pension came from a period of working in Italy. I am still trying to get confirmation on my discount having done a declaration that I am a foreign based pensioner having never worked in Italy with UK only pension contributions.
What is clear is that the law was changed in 2022 to remove the AIRE requirement for entitlement as the EU ruled it discriminatory for non-Italian pension owners abroad. I wonder whether some communi are still using the original pre2022 law.
I've not worked in Italy so we shall see. I'll try and do some further digging but I fear Alan H's download from Modicasa above is correct, meaning no discount unless paid some national insurance in Italy.
At least this is nothing to do with Brexit.
Lucky you. If you are UK based than make sure you are with one of the mobile phone providers that don't pénalisé EU roaming.
For events just check on line with tourist offices as the holiday season starts to get under way with Easter. Easter Monday is a big holiday and the 25 April is liberation day so another national holiday.
There is no point telling you about sights as Tuscany had more guide books than you can shake a stick at. To get around to the usual Lucca, Pisa, Siena and Florence itself then download the Trenitalia app as it works in English and easy to use for times and tickets plus trains are good. Less obvious destinations are Bologna, Pistoia and Pontedera for the free Piaggio Vespa Museum near the station.
Just make sure that you allow time to just chill, to live Florence, find a local bar (cafe) and make it your regular for a cappuccino and un pezzo dolce.
Lucky you.
There isn't a recipe as such. Try YouTube but it is all in the cut and quality of the meat. Allow 900-1000 grammes for a single piece to share between two. Cook as a single piece with just some olive oil on a hot barbecue sealing round the edges and keep it rare to medium rare. Season AFTER cooking to avoid drawing out the juices. Serve with just lemon and patatine and/or fagioli. As always Italian food tastes better in Italy just as a pie and a pint tastes better in the UK.
try www.comune.milano.it/aree-tematiche/anagrafe then the link cittadinanza italiana
Modicasa is correct and i speak from family experience.
These things can just get left and then become more complicated over time. I'm not sure but given that you don't have any direct heirs so called 'eredi necessarie' then I think you can write a simple will just stating who you want to be your heir for the property. It might not be as robust as one via a notary but it works as a back stop otherwise I suspect your share goes to your sisters and then their children so it becomes ever more complicated to gather people together and get an agreement.
It depends on where you are going in Italy. I travel to the Tuscan coast and use two routes with only 15 miles difference.
The 'summer' route is motorway Calais-Reims then N routes via the Gran San Bernard pass so Swiss vignette. Some French tolls at the start and the rest of the route is pretty fast and direct. Into Italy via Aosta.
The 'winter' route when the Gran San Bernard pass is closed is Calais-Belgium-Luxemberg-France-Germany-Switzerland so via the St Gottard and Como into Italy. It is cheapest and fast but a bit dull as just motorway and fast roads. The only tolls are the Swiss vignette and Italian m/way.
I've also tried Maurice's route last month but on the return trip learnt to go via Le Bonhomme pass to avoid the tunnel tolls as that route wasn't fast.
Agree with Alan H on the tag costs. No premium other than paying a fixed month charge for when using the tag out of the country of origin so pay extra in France if use an Italian origin tag.
I keep meaning to get my own tag but I just use my Italian debit card and tap and go. Nearly as fast as a tag but it helps to have a passenger in a right hand drive car.