alan h's activity

Questions Asked

I'm planning my route down for a months visit in July.

Mon, 06/04/2012 - 08:13

I logged on this morning to my local webcam, to look at the snow on the ski slopes.

Thu, 01/05/2012 - 04:47

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14995588Loved the note about changing the locks!

Wed, 09/21/2011 - 09:20

I have just got back from my latest trip to Italy, and thought some of you might be interested to hear about a Swiss hotel that we stayed in on the way down.It is the Hotel Engel in Stans [near to Lake Lucerne, a few minutes from the motorway

Mon, 07/25/2011 - 05:21

For many years now I have used the likes of 'mappy', 'via michelin' etc for calculating different routes down to Italy - for us its a part of our holiday, so we don't always want to take the quickest/shortest route down.  We prefer to vary the rou

Wed, 06/01/2011 - 09:25

Today I received an email from the Swiss Travel Centre.  The relevant portion is;- "The GBP price for a Vignette will increase from 01 June 2011 and we wanted to give you the opportunity to purchase this years’ Vignette before the pric

Mon, 05/23/2011 - 09:45

I've just driven down and back for a [much too] short holiday, and feel that an update on how fuel prices look on the way down would be useful to fellow travellers The following is a good site for seeing what prices have been like  

Mon, 04/04/2011 - 05:02

P&O have introduced a new ferry on the Dover - Calais route - its called the Spirit of Britain. They seem to have a special offer on at the moment [on this ship only] I've just booked a return crossing [car + 2] for £60 - significantly less th

Sat, 01/29/2011 - 06:08

Does Tomato soup exist in Italy? We were feeling a bit under the weather when we went out to Italy 2 weeks ago.  As part of the R&R process, I fancied some soup, and looked around the supermarket.  There were lots of different soups, but I rea

Mon, 01/24/2011 - 08:29

The route/timings for next years Giro d'Italia have been posted http://www.steephill.tv/giro-d-italia/   My son rang me up to inform me that the route passes about 100m away from

Sat, 11/06/2010 - 07:04

Comments posted

Fri, 11/11/2016 - 04:01

" we ....... would be doing quite a lot ourselves as I am an electrician and Mel is a joiner. ..."What little I know about the Italian system - you could have problems doing it yourself. I know of 1 UK electrician that managed to get his qualifications/experience 'accepted' by Italian Authorities - it took years - speak to your Comune about what they will accept from a non-italian registered 'expert'

Tue, 10/25/2016 - 16:10

"Is there a direct debit system that can be used to pay regular bills such as electric and water etc?"Yes - I pay Gas, Water and Electric bills by direct debit from my Italian Bank account - probably the only reason I have an Italian bank account at all.The ones I cannot pay by DD are the IMU/TASI  bill which i used to calculate using an on-line Calculator, http://www.amministrazionicomunali.it/imu/calcolo_imu.php ,   but for the last couple of years the Comune have sent the bill [F24 Form] to my English address.  I then sign the F24 Form and scan and email it to my bank for them to pay.Hope this helps

Mon, 10/24/2016 - 15:14

Idon't have contact details for ENEL - but I experienced something similar when the Water people turned up to disconnect my holiday home [for non-payment of a 12 Euro bill 5 years ago]I was 'saved' by local Italians.  One stopped them from cutting me off, by explaining I was not resident at the place, and could they wait for a few days whilst I was contacted - luckily the water people agreedHe then contacted a close friend of mine, as he himself spoke no English.  My english speaking friend contacted me and the water people and sorted everything out - all I had to do was get my Italian Bank to pay the outstanding bill.  It took about 2 weeks to fully sort out.There was no way I could have done it without an Italian friend to do it for me [the main thing is that he, as an Italian, knows how to work the system]SO - can you get a local person, who you trust, to mediate for you? [daft thing was - when they finally read the water meter - I was 120 Euros in credit]

Mon, 10/10/2016 - 04:39

Obviously, your background, [in strictly legal terms], is Austrian - not Italian.However, your ethnicity is Italian - so why bother telling anyone differently?If you do decide to 'come out' as an Austrian, this may helphttps://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Traditional+Austrian+Clothing+Men&view=detailv2&id=920434AA032FB3F48F63F1CAF977BF9FA019A612&selectedindex=3&ccid=yNVnuB%2F3&simid=607990284500797392&thid=OIP.Mc8d567b81ff7d12685cfc432ff3ed271H0&mode=overlay&first=1

Sun, 10/09/2016 - 06:53

".....I couldn't help being struck by the feeling that the purpose you intended them to serve when you wrote them was about making yourself feel exclusive as one privileged to have a car in Italy...."I wish - I'm non-resident, so no carYou might consider buying one in France or Germany - no problems there

Sat, 10/08/2016 - 05:04

Sorry you thought my comments were poisonous - I thought I was being realistic...These may helphttp://www.understandingitaly.com/living-content/motoring.htmlhttps://www.italymagazine.com/community/post/buying-car-non-residentshttps://www.justlanded.com/english/Italy/Articles/Travel-Leisure/Buying-a-carhttp://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-italy-car-purchasehttp://www.langhe.property/article-buying-a-car-in-piedmont-italy.html Note what they all say about 'Residency' Good Luck

Thu, 10/06/2016 - 03:54

If you are not 'Resident' in Italy, don't bother trying to buy a car - you won't be able to register it, [or insure it]. Its one of the many quirks of the Italian system that even owning a property in Italy won't make buying a car possible - you have to be Resident[In theory, this Italian practice is illegal under EU rules, but since when have Italians followed them - unless it suits them to]

Mon, 10/03/2016 - 10:18

Work out the total Value - divide by 2, and sell 1 or 2 houses and do a cash balance - she then hold at least 1 house [possibly 2], and you have some cash I don't think you can force her to sell

Mon, 10/03/2016 - 09:23

Why not give her first choice of Property to own outright - you have second choice, [which you sell] and you share the income from the third.

Fri, 09/23/2016 - 06:22

"So my question is, if i were to buy a kitchen and bathroom here in the uk,and transport it here to do myself, are the plumbing fixings compatable with Italian plumbing componants." Why not buy the kitchen and bathroom in Italy [cheaper than UK] and fit it yourself?