alan h's activity

Questions Asked

My place is between Lakes Orta and Maggiore, and I have used Flybe in the past to fly from Birmingham to Milan Malpensa.Looking for flights in Sept/Oct, I was disappointed at the high costs - so went to the Easyjet site to look at the Luton to Tur

Thu, 08/20/2009 - 04:27

I have often advocated swinging up through Belgium when travelling from UK to Italy, on the grounds of the cheap petrol in Luxembourg and toll free motorways. I did this route again a couple of weeks ago, but found the roadworks on the Dunkirk-Lil

Tue, 07/28/2009 - 09:32

 I thought it might help people not break the law [or get caught breaking it] to some info on speed cameras they might come across in driving down to Italy. [This really applies to people like me who don’t have a sat-nav that tells them all the in

Sat, 07/04/2009 - 11:03

When driving to Italy, [Lake Maggiore area], from Calais, I almost always drive up towards Dunkirk and then head East towards Luxembourg.   The reasons for doing so is simple:-

    Fri, 07/03/2009 - 12:52

    If you are driving down to Italy, this regularly updated AA site gives you the latest info on fuel prices across Europe.  Its useful for deciding where to fill up. Note - in Luxembourg, [where I always fill up - its worth the minor detour from Cal

    Thu, 07/02/2009 - 05:32

    .     I heard this today on Radio 4.  I take it you already know of tough and bough and cough and dough?Others may stumble, but not you,On hiccough, thorough, lough** and through.Well done!

    Sat, 06/20/2009 - 16:58

    .   I'm considering handing over ownership of my Italian Holiday Home to my kids. Does anyone know

    • How easy this is to do, and how costly?
    • Whether this can be done in the UK - or do I have to do it in Italy?
    Fri, 06/19/2009 - 04:54

    Comments posted

    Answer to: Community Spirit
    Mon, 02/08/2010 - 05:01

    As long as its not Wales, i don't care who wins   [Had the pleasure of living and working in Cardiff in mid 70's when Welsh Rugby was 'rampant' and as a lone Englishman in the office - life was unbearable.]

    Mon, 02/08/2010 - 04:51

      I think when they say they 'cruise' to Genoa, they mean that they drive at a 'leisurely' pace rather than 'blasting down' - nothing to do with boats. To cut out the drive you could use motorail services;-  http://www.seat61.com/Motorail.htm#Auto but the Calais motorail services have been [permanently?] discontinued on cost grounds, so you would need to travel from Holland or Germany.  The costs seem high, but once you take off the costs of hotels, tolls, petrol etc - they don't seem that bad.

    Answer to: ENEL
    Sat, 02/06/2010 - 08:15

     "We've been advised by our builders we should consider using cork linning on the internal perimeter walls in the older sections of the house before plastering/skimming. Has anyone used this method of insulation and has it made any difference to the heating costs?" Don't know about cork - but I lined a very cold bedroom's walls with rolls of expanded polystyrene [in the 1970s] - had to turn off the radiator - boiling hot in the room!!!

    Answer to: Community Spirit
    Thu, 02/04/2010 - 08:56

    Dear Colonel,   In the days of the 'old forum' it was a lot more like you mention it is elsewhere. However, after time it degenerated into a number of members trying to 'bully' anyone who posted anything they disagreed with.  It became very 'nasty' at times and several frequent posters left.  In those days we had a 'Thank You' facility [Grazie button], where you could add your name to the bottom of a post to show you agreed/welcomed/or whatevered, the posting.  Some members opened new accounts under names like 'turdle go home' and 'turdle is talking rubbish' so they could thank every post by turtle and really mess the system up.  Others decided [through another forum] to bombard the system with unkind PMs and new postings, to overload the system, and the whole thing degenerated into chaos - creating the need for a more 'sedate forum - and causing us to lose what was, in many respects, a superior forum [when it worked] to this one. Personally, I miss thinks like the Friday Joke, but accept that more boring, but less antagonistic forum is better for those who want info etc. What I don't miss are postings like [lifted from a quick scan of the old forum];- "..... everyone knows you do it - but no one will ever tell you to your face that you're a sour faced gossipmonger who is intent on malevolently claiming to see something flagitious where no such thing exists."  and " ...... please try to be more attentive as the men in white coats may be just around the corner if you insist you can see things that aren't really there"

    Answer to: Bidets
    Mon, 02/01/2010 - 10:06

     Party time - fill with ice - wine chiller

    Answer to: Naples
    Mon, 02/01/2010 - 07:14

     "T"The warning about Neopolitan thieves seems to be a universal one." I must admit - when I visited Naples, on the way to the Amalfi coast, I felt very 'unsafe' as I walked through the streets.  It may just be reputation, but it had a threatening atmosphere, as far I was concerned.  I kept thinking of that phrase "See Naples and die"  [Wrong context, I know, but thats how it felt to me] However, the Amalfi coast was fantastic.  Spent a week walking the coast - absolutely shattered at the end of each day, [pathways were at the top of the cliffs - hotels at the bottom], but what a coastline! Positano was wonderful, and Sorrento wasn't that bad [apart from the hordes of UK pensioners on cheap holidays who seemed to spend all day discussing which Hotel did the best breakfast].  The area around Sorrento itself is beautiful Capri, once you get out of the main square and start exploring the island is fascinating [wonderful coastal pathway] - a great day out

    Mon, 02/01/2010 - 04:37

     Like others, can't post on an opening post - so here is the text;-   Interesting article in today's Grauniad about how British lecturers were denied a fair wage by Italian universities http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/31/british-lecturers-italy-pay Hopefully, they'll get their back pay         [within the next 30 years or so, knowing how the Italian system works!]

    Answer to: Limoncello
    Sat, 01/30/2010 - 06:11

    Make sure the lemons are 'unwaxed' when buying them

    Mon, 01/25/2010 - 13:44

     Why not see if any local farmer wants to graze his livestock - you might get it free!