528 the dream is now reality.....yikes

Hi good luck with the move. We've just done it. At times it very stressful but once your here you realise why. You can get anything you need and anything you fancy just ask friends to post....

Kirstin

[QUOTE=fiona]Will I be able to listen to jonathon ross on a saturday morning?
[/QUOTE]

One of the advantages of a life in Italy is that you'll never have to see or hear him again.

Actually I've never had much time in Italy for TV or radio, the constant round of social gossip takes so much time that there's none left over for trivial stuff.

You can listen to Radio 2 from anywhere in the world through the internet [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/[/url]

And, senator lotaresco, if your social life is so action packed how have you found the time to write 102 posts (more than anyone else) on this forum?!

kirstin , Thank you for the positive comments . I'll make sure my friends earn their visits to me . Good idea.
Neilmcn.
thanks for the website address, but does that mean that I won't be able to tune in on a radio. It is not the be all and end all in life for me but I sometimes find that J Ross can relieve the monotony of boring mundane tasks like ironing..........

According to the BBC "You will not be able to pick up BBC stations broadcasting on FM, MW, LW and DAB very far from UK shores. They are funded by the UK licence fee and the BBC is not permitted to re-broadcast them from other countries".

More info is available at [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/factsheets/text/onthemove_factsheet.html[/url] if you are interested.

[QUOTE=neilmcn]And, senator lotaresco, if your social life is so action packed how have you found the time to write 102 posts (more than anyone else) on this forum?![/QUOTE]

Because at the moment I'm in the UK, earning the dosh to keep the farm going in Italy. I'm counting down the hours, never mind the days until I go back and get a social life back again.

Do others not find that when they are in Italy that there's no time for the meeja? Somedays I feel like putting up a notice begging neighbours not to drop in with cake or to suggest a get together for vino and arrosticini because I'm a tad pooped. But then they arrive and start to tell me what old Tonino got up to last night when he tried to woo the local widow and I'm hooked. It beats Corrers/Emmerdale for entertainment value.

And Johnathan Woss? I ask you, is there a bigger waste of space on UK broadcasting? Well other than Big Brother, Celebrity Stupid People on an Island, etc. etc.

The Lady asked a perfectly polite and reasonable question, why criticise her taste ???.
Only about 99% of the UK Media out put is rubbish, but, some people like watching or listening to some of it, who are we to criticise.
Ohh well, off down to the bar to watch the swifts and swallows swooping around the buildings in the Piazza and find out what Tonnino REALLY got up to last night!!!!.

[QUOTE=GeorgeS]The Lady asked a perfectly polite and reasonable question, why criticise her taste ???.
Only about 99% of the UK Media out put is rubbish, but, some people like watching or listening to some of it, who are we to criticise.
Ohh well, off down to the bar to watch the swifts and swallows swooping around the buildings in the Piazza and find out what Tonnino REALLY got up to last night!!!!.[/QUOTE]
Hello,my name is James Carter,I have just registered for this forum,and would like to take this oportunity to introduce myself.I am really hopeful of gaining something positive by logging on from time to time.One thing that immediately strikes me is the sarcastic undertones of a couple of the response posted,please forgive me ,but I really do think this is totally unnesesary ,what about a straight forward answer to a question.Anyway ,sorry about that,needed to be said ,sincerly looking forward to making contact and assisting in any small way I possibly can ,good luck to everyone,Grazie.

james you are right - some people do like to emphasise their point :o and clearly are not shy to state their opinion. lets just say its part of the "joys" of a forum. Welcome... and lets hope you will find less bickering in other threads!

Fiona, I am afraid that the stress is unavoidable. However, in Florence a lot of things should be much simpler than smaller, rather remote villages. Let us know how things develop!

ronald

Can I just suggest that you do watch some Italian TV or listen to the Italian radio sometimes? It's a very good way to improve the language, and even if the quality of programming might not be your cup of tea, it will give you a bit of an insight on Italy's popular culture, and will be useful to make small conversation with people.

I know for sure that when I first moved to this country (over 10 years ago) and I didn't have a TV, I often wondered what the hell people were talking about. Gradually I picked up a lot of cultural references, jokes, ideas that you need to relate to people on a day to day basis. Example: people refer to someone as a 'Del Boy' and I know what this person is like. But if they have to explain everything...it kills the conversation.

This is why some people never properly integrate - there are too many areas of a country's culture from which they are cut out. A friend of mine has been here 3 years, but he doesn't read English papers, doesn't follow the news much etc. He somehow never seems to fit in. Moral of the story: submerge yourself into the local culture, you don't need to forget your own - you never know when things might come in handy!

James.......from my own meagre experience of this type of forum, they always go this way eventually. They seem to start out pleasantly enough and then slowly but surely begin to get a bit nasty.....don't know why really............people ask perfectly sensible/civilized questions and get a whole lot of abuse in return..........oh well who cares, I'm off to watch last nights episode of holby City for the 3rd time!!

[QUOTE=ronald]james you are right - some people do like to emphasise their point :o and clearly are not shy to state their opinion.[/QUOTE]

It's a bizarre English, no not just English but southern English belief that no one should have or express an opinion other than 100% agreement with the first person to speak. We had dinner recently in England with a couple of friends from Marche who live and work in Hampshire. They said that the one thing that is really getting under their skin in Hampshire is that few people are open and honest in the way that people are in Marche (also Umbria, Abruzzo, Molise - I can't speak for other areas but I did find the Milanese to bit a more like the British in this respect.)

Anyway rules of thumb, offence can only be taken, not given. And if someone doesn't like what is said, by anyone, they are always free to ignore it.

[QUOTE=lotaresco]It's a bizarre English, no not just English but southern English belief that no one should have or express an opinion other than 100% agreement with the first person to speak. We had dinner recently in England with a couple of friends from Marche who live and work in Hampshire. They said that the one thing that is really getting under their skin in Hampshire is that few people are open and honest in the way that people are in Marche (also Umbria, Abruzzo, Molise - I can't speak for other areas but I did find the Milanese to bit a more like the British in this respect.)

Anyway rules of thumb, offence can only be taken, not given. And if someone doesn't like what is said, by anyone, they are always free to ignore it.[/QUOTE]
Point taken.Everyone is entitled to their own opinion,and this world would certainly be a strange place if we were all to agree with one another for the sake of it.However ,I do feel that even though this is a "forum environment" , I personally feel that we all should uphold respect and etiquette as much as we possibly can.I dont think that's too much to ask.Anyway enjoying logging on and reading all the interesting stuff thats going on.Good luck to everyone.James

Hi I am Val and its the second post I've written today. Great site and makes it a lost easier for me, I listen to Steve Wright and Jonothan Ross, you can pick bbc up either on the internet or satellite.

[QUOTE=fiona]On August the 6th we are moving to an apartment in florence. Our 14 year old son will be going to the international school in florence and our 16 year old daughter will be at boarding school in the uk. wea re all very excited about the new adventure but the reality is making me slightly anxious. silly things are worrying me like........

Will I be able to listen to jonathon ross on a saturday morning?
Can I buy corriander?
Can anyone recommend any tutors or italian language courses?

Ciao fiona[/QUOTE]

We live in Prato close to Florence having made the move from the Dolomites last summer. Although this year won't be as hot as usual "it's gonna be hotta dan 'ell" in August. Florence always seems like a furnace in August more so than more southerly cities like Naples and locals like to escape to "monte o mare" so you will find a lot of useful shops and services are not open until the last week in August. So be prepared.
For language courses try the British Institute ([url]www.britishinstitute.it/[/url]) (nothing to do with the British Council) or [url]http://www.dantealighieri.it/[/url] (the Italian equivalent of the British Council - I think). We have never found fresh corriander in Italy but there are Chinese an Indian shops where you could buy corriander seeds - do you think they would germinate?
On which Radio station does old Wossy do his thing? It would certainly be change from Any Questions/Answers and that extrodinary programme that John Peel used to host.
Good luck with the move.

Emma and Stan

[QUOTE=lotaresco]It's a bizarre English, no not just English but southern English belief that no one should have or express an opinion other than 100% agreement with the first person to speak. We had dinner recently in England with a couple of friends from Marche who live and work in Hampshire. They said that the one thing that is really getting under their skin in Hampshire is that few people are open and honest in the way that people are in Marche (also Umbria, Abruzzo, Molise - I can't speak for other areas but I did find the Milanese to bit a more like the British in this respect.)

Anyway rules of thumb, offence can only be taken, not given. And if someone doesn't like what is said, by anyone, they are always free to ignore it.[/QUOTE]

Isn't it Hampshire manners that gave rise to the rather unfair "continental" notion that the English are hypocrites and one of the themes in a "Fish Called Wanda"? I think taken to the extreme this English reserve can be confusing but I am more comfortable with that and the resultant guessing game (do they really want to.... or were they being polite?) than I am with in your face criticism or rejection. Except on a faceless forum like this.

SDOJ

I am astonished and disappointed.
I had no idea that my first time in aforum and my questions would evoke such a response.
Why are some people so rude? are they not content with monopolising the forum and spending what little spare time they have obviously watching or listening to all the 'rubbish' on the 'meeja' that they pretend to despise. It seems that if you don't have an answer to a perfectley polite and civilised question you just make some pathetic comment.

Thank you to all those decent people who gave some constructive advice.

wossy is on radio 2 on saturdays from 10 am.
I should have said fresh coriander, but yes I can growit and have done so in england. I just wondered.
The language websites will be useful. Thanks.
we have the apartment from the 6 Aug, but we have rented a villa in puglia for 3weeks as well.

Incidentally, I have not taken offence, why did some person assume that,
I just think that to be so supercilius and to have lack of respect for anyones view point is naive and bad manners.

Fiona

[QUOTE=fiona]
I should have said fresh coriander, but yes I can growit and have done so in england. I just wondered.
Fiona[/QUOTE]

I figured you were asking about fresh but just wanted to tell you about shops where you can find ingredients which are not easily available in Italy for the occasional Indian, Thai or Chinese dish . We have found that a bit of [I]World Cooking [/I] goes down a treat when entertaining the natives!

Seems to me it should be perfectly possible to disagree with someone 100% and still do so without sarcasm and character assassination - in any language

sdoj

Do you know the names or addresses of any shops in Florence that sell the ingredients for Indian Thai food etc. Can you recommend any resturants. We adore Italian food, but sometimes need to have something different.
I will bring some spices etc.with me also Tbags marmite and the usual things,
Today at the Garden Centre I found some 'grow your own coriander kits just add water' so thats a start !

thanks
fiona

[QUOTE=fiona]sdoj

Do you know the names or addresses of any shops in Florence that sell the ingredients for Indian Thai food etc. Can you recommend any resturants. /QUOTE]

We live in Prato (20 mins. by train from Firenze) pop. ca. 300,000 with more than 10% Chinese (official figure) as a result there are many Chinese shops in the interesting Chinese quarter around via Pistoiese which is central - close to the old city walls. There are also several Indian shops there too. I have seen similar shops in Florence but I don't remember the street names. We have not been impressed by the food at the Chinese restaurants here which are not frequented by any of the Pratese. However, there is [I]supposed[/I] to be a very good Indian place at Fiesole - would be interested in a review.

We will try to find and check out the resturant in Fiesole, it's only a small place so it shouldn't be too difficult. As soon as we have I will let you know what we think.
As for Indian shops, if I can't find any in florence I will come to prato, it will be a good excuse to visit another place in Italy.
Thanks for your help.

Kind regards

Fiona