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

    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?