Casa Monal's activity

  @ ram- if you type any of those words from anywhere in the world into a search engine, it will alert the authorities and the IP address will be logged automatically. There are several hundred key words that internet providers & search engines have in their memory banks which will trigger a reaction. I’ve never heard of holiday lets and B&B’s in Italy asking for copies of passports. We’ve been holidaying in Italy for over 15 years and we have never been asked, only by hotels in major cities. I’m convinced that our friends who rent out their properties and other friends who run B&B’s have never done that either. There is a European Data Protection Act or has Italy opted out  @ Gala – It goes without saying that I have ID with me when I’m travelling (airports etc) but certainly not when I am sightseeing!  Or has Italy also opted out of ‘democracy’ and adopted a ‘stop & search’ policy  Surely you should only be asked to identify yourself if you are suspected of committing a crime otherwise it would be seen as a breach of a very fundamental human right  I would have thought that forms from the Rome Chamber of Commerce are used for research purposes e.g. where tourists are coming from, what type of accommodation they are staying in etc. Again what about the Data Protection Act? Or where they anonymous? When did Italy become so paranoid

  That’s very strange.  We used internet cafes regularly before we had our own internet access. We have never ever been asked for ID.  To be honest, I would be very reluctant to let anyone make a copy of my passport! The only time we are ever asked for our passport details is when we check into Italian or Spanish hotels.  When we were in Venice last November the hotel receptionist asked us for our passports but we politely refused and said that the information on our credit card should be sufficient.  She spoke to the Duty Manager and he said fine.  Same when we were in Madrid. We must have honest faces…

  13 September 2011 Italy pays higher interest rate to borrow money   Italy's borrowing costs have hit a new high, reflecting a continuing lack of confidence in the nation's finances. Italy raised 3.85bn euros (£3.3bn) in five-year bonds - but the interest rate rose to 5.6%, up from 4.93%. Before the fund raising, reports said that the Italian finance ministry had met delegates from China's largest sovereign wealth fund, CIC. This sparked speculation that CIC might invest some of its vast wealth in Italian assets and bonds. The European Central Bank has been buying Italian bonds, but there was no immediate disclosure on Tuesday if it had intervened in this latest auction. Peter Chatwell, a strategist at Credit Agricole, said: "Markets were positioned for a weak auction. The five-year yield of 5.6% is probably the most telling sign that issuance of new bonds into this environment is very difficult." Italy has about 1.9 trillion euros of debt and must raise about 70bn euros by the end of the year. The government will start talks in the next few days on more measures to stimulate economic growth and reduce the debt burden.

13 September 2011  Italy's ruling coalition has struggled to implement austerity measures to calm the markets Italian government 'in bond buying talks with China' China's largest sovereign wealth fund is considering buying Italian assets, according to reports in the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal. China Investment Corporation (CIC) and Italian officials have held meetings in the last month, the reports said. CIC is wholly owned by the Chinese government and has an estimated $400bn (£250bn) in assets. The news comes at a time when the cost of borrowing for the Italian government has reached record highs. "When you introduce a large buyer like China, it brings down the interest rate," Mark Young of Fitch Ratings told the BBC. "They can then fund their economic growth more easily," he added. Strategic stakes? The FT reported that Lou Jiwei, the chairman of China Investment Corporation, had met Italian finance minister Giulio Tremonti and other officials in Rome last week. It added that Italian officials had visited Beijing the week before, and negotiations had also taken place in August.  Continue reading the main story

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It is a natural consequence of creditor and debtor nations, one supporting the other”

Mark YoungFitch Ratings As well as buying bonds, the FT said the talks also covered investments in "strategic" Italian companies. According to the newspaper, Italian officials said further negotiations were expected to take place soon. The impact of the news on market sentiment could come as early as Tuesday when Italy issues up to 7bn euros of longer-term debt, including a new five-year bond. Italy's previous long-term sale at the end of August attracted poor demand for a new 10-year bond. Wu Xiaoling, a former deputy governor of the People's Bank of China and now a senior government official, said on Tuesday that Beijing was ready to work with Europe to boost market confidence. "We will continue to support Europe's measures in maintaining a stable euro," he told the Reuters news agency. News that China is looking at Italian assets caused US stocks to rebound in late afternoon trading on Monday, cutting their earlier losses. However, on Tuesday Asian markets had a mixed opening because many analysts questioned whether a purchase of Italian assets by China would do anything to resolve Europe's debt problems. They said there was still a danger the crisis would spread, not least because Greece was still at risk of defaulting on its debt holdings. "Europe is not just lurching from one crisis to another. It is lurching into a new one before the previous one is solved," said Makoto Noji of SMBC Nikko Securities. Creditor vs debtor Italy has a national debt of 120% of gross domestic product (GDP) and accounts for 23% of all eurozone sovereign debt. According to the International Monetary Fund, it will need to raise funds equalling as much as 20% of its GDP in 2012 to refinance its debt. On the other hand, China has been sitting on huge piles of cash, with foreign exchange reserves in excess of $3tn. Analysts said given its deep pockets, it was no surprise that countries were seeking China's help. "It is a natural consequence of creditor and debtor nations, one supporting the other," Fitch ratings' Mr Young said.

  Glad it’s not just me!  I asked the same question here.  On that particular day, the site was running so slow, it wouldn’t even let me start a new thread! It’s a shame that the forum will soon disappear. I’ve found some very useful and valuable information here.  So big thanks to everyone for sharing     

  I had/have the same question. When we received our bill, I went to the commune to ask them about a possible rebate and I was told NO. We only spend a maximum of six weeks per year there and generate very little rubbish. We recycle everything that can be recycled. We even take flat batteries home as we have a battery recycling container in our village. We also queried the sq metres (rate is calculated according to sq metres) which was higher than our apartment. The extra 20 odd sq metres is our share of the communal space apparently. Yep death and taxes…happens to us all!

  I don’t believe in 'fixing' money problems with money.  What is needed is a change in culture and mind set. Amazing how Italy amongst 60 others are now Libya’s ‘friend’ – incredible how many friends you have when you have oil and there are lucrative deals to be struck 

  At least you can speak the lingo!  I’m still at the ‘buongiornia, ciao, come sta, va bene stage’  Just had this image in my head of your ‘late stressed out buyers, lost the way cos’ I followed sat nav’ also forgetting to curtsey  Fingers crossed that you sell soon.  Try Ebay – Alma has had some positive response. http://www.italymag.co.uk/community/post/not-sure-how-help-my-neighbour    

  It takes forever for pages to load and for threads to open.  Is anyone else experiencing this?

Just been confirmed that we have had the wettest summer since 1906 So spare a thought for us. I refuse to turn the central heating on even though it is tempting. Just a spent a long weekend in the UK and it wasn't much better there.