Casa Monal's activity

  Do you mean viewings and courtesy?  Or do you want your potential buyers to curtsey when they come to view?  I would ask for a telephone contact number and I would certainly ring them if they were a no show. Good luck, tough market conditions! PS Not laughing at you but with you

  It was certainly hot in our small Ligurian village.  We had five consecutive days of 33+ Back to rain now 

  We drove home last Saturday via the Grand St Bernard Pass (only open June – September) Absolutely stunning and breathtaking views, much better than the Gotthard Pass (in my opinion). And of course no queues to contend with!  And the icing on the cake was seeing the adorable and lovable Saint Bernard dogs. Lots of reasonably priced accommodations in traditional villages like Orsières and Bourg-St-Pierre.  We will definitely use this route again. Ideal for Piedmont and Liguria. PS Avoid the St Bernard tunnel as you have to pay to use it, about 25 Euro.   

3 August 2011 

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Silvio Berlusconi says Italy banks 'solid and solvent' COMMENTS (25)   Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said the country will not be drawn into the debt crisis engulfing Europe. Addressing parliament on Wednesday, he said Italy's banks were "solid and solvent" and the economy was "solid". His comments come after heavy losses on the Milan stock market and a sharp rise in yields on Italian bonds. The eurozone's third largest economy is about to introduce a 43bn-euro ($62bn; £38bn) austerity package. Mr Berlusconi said Italy had "solid economic foundations" and called the recent fall in bond yields a "crisis of faith in the international markets". Italy has so far managed to avoid sovereign debt problems, despite having one of the highest debt-to-GDP ratios in the eurozone at 120%. But the economy is twice as big as Greece, Portugal and the Irish Republic's combined, so a bailout would probably be unaffordable. Mr Berlusconi has been criticised for his silence on Italy's economic problems, amid concerns about whether the government would introduce the full austerity package. He told MPs that the government would need to approve "as soon as possible" fiscal reforms in order to have "a tax regime that is more favourable for families, workers and businesses". Mr Berlusconi also underlined the need for labour-market reforms and competition. He said the crisis "should be confronted with consistency and confidence, without bowing to the nervousness of the markets". Dominoes But Michael Hewson, an analyst at CMC Markets, doubted whether Mr Berlusconi's speech, made after European stock markets had closed, would calm investors' nerves. Continue reading the main story

Analysis

David WilleyBBC News, Rome Silvio Berlusconi quite rightly said he must not make the financial markets nervous. But it was very significant that he delayed his speech by two-and-a-half hours so that markets would be closed by the time he spoke. He said the banks were solvent and the economy was solid; that Italy was in a more favourable situation than many other European Union members. This is the sort of language he has used before. But quite frankly many Italians do not believe him. And we will have to see what the markets make of it when they re-open. Basically, the tenor of Mr Berlusconi's remarks was: "What is all the fuss about? We have a flourishing economy." Well, this is not true. Italy has almost zero growth, big productivity problems, and prospects for the future are dim because it is going to have to pay more to re-finance its very heavy public debt. So I do not think it was a very convincing speech as far as many ordinary Italians are concerned, and I do not think it is going to convince Mr Berlusconi's European partners. He told the BBC: "This is not about Italy. It is about the future of the euro. As soon as one domino falls, the markets move on to the next one. "Nor is it about Italy's banks. It's about the government's debt and the only reason the banks are involved is because of their exposure to that debt," he added. Emma Bonino, vice-president of Italy's Senate and leader of the opposition Radical Party, told the BBC: "For the first time [Mr Berlusconi] said we are facing a crisis - which is something. "But the real point is the lack of growth - and in the whole 30-minute speech he didn't announce any more measures to promote growth." Earlier in the day, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso described the bond markets' treatment of Italy and Spain as "a cause of deep concern". Yields on Spanish and Italian bonds have hit euro-era records this week, meaning that it would cost both countries' governments more to borrow money. The Italian 10-year bond was yielding 6.02%, while the Spanish 10-year bond was at 6.14%. A bond yield above 6% is considered unsustainable in the long run. "The upward march in Spanish and Italian bond yields is evidence of the relentlessness of the sovereign debt crisis," said Jane Foley, an analyst at Rabobank International.

Spare a thought for us...we're back to autumn...it's 14 degrees here, raining cats & dogs and blowing a gale...

Thank very much for sharing your knowledge with us Charlotte  We will certainly be re-looking at our situation which also involves property outside of the EU.

Received thanks. Sent you an email 

  Italy set for senate vote on austerity budget The Italian senate is set to vote on a tough austerity budget, which proposes cuts of 48bn euros ($67bn; £42bn) over three years.   Italy wants to reduce one of the largest budget deficits in the eurozone and avoid any need for a bail-out. Correspondents say the budget is likely to be approved by the upper house, and then in the lower house on Friday. Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has said Italy is on the front line of the eurozone's economic difficulties. The BBC's Gavin Hewitt says both the government and the opposition know that Italy is under fierce scrutiny by the markets due to its large debts. Earlier this week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) asked Italy to ensure "decisive implementation" of spending cuts. In a report, the IMF said Italy must make efforts to reduce public debt, maintain the stability of its financial sector and introduce structural reforms to boost growth. The vote comes amid concerns that Italy may be the next country to be hit by the eurozone's debt crisis. Opposition parties have said they may vote against the measures, but that they will not mount delaying tactics, meaning the government's majority should be enough to see it through. Italy's Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti is proposing 48bn euros in budget cuts over three years, and aims to cut the deficit to zero by 2014 from this year's 3.9% of gross domestic product.

  Italian debt crisis: Your stories As the Italian government moves forward with its plans for an austerity budget, the International Monetary Fund has asked the country to ensure spending cuts are implemented in a "decisive" way. There are concerns that Italy could be the next country to to be affected by the debt crisis spreading through the eurozone. Here, BBC News website readers explain how their daily lives have been affected by Italy's money worries. CLICK HERE 

13 July 2011  IMF urges Italy to enforce spending cuts   Italian shares had a volatile day of trading on Tuesday Continue reading the main story

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked Italy to ensure "decisive implementation" of spending cuts to reduce the country's debt. Its comments come as concerns continue that Italy may be the next country to be affected by the debt crisis in the eurozone. The Italian government is now moving ahead with plans for an austerity budget. The IMF said Rome may be being too optimistic about economic growth. Deficit target "[IMF] directors stressed that decisive implementation of the package is key and a number of them felt that more front-loaded spending measures would have a positive effect on market sentiments," said the IMF report. It added that Italy's plans on tax reform lacked detail. Concern about Italy's finances saw its main share index, the FTSE MIB, fall as much as 4% at one point on Tuesday, before recovering to rise 1.2%. Italy's Finance Minister, Giulio Tremonti, is proposing 48bn euros ($67bn; £42bn) in budget cuts over three years, and aims to cut the deficit to zero by 2014 from this year's 3.9% of gross domestic product. He left a meeting of European Union finance ministers in Brussels early on Tuesday so he could continue to work on the austerity plans. In a sign that investors are worried about Italy's financial situation, the yield on Italian 10-year bonds on Tuesday increased to 5.8% from 5.6% on Monday. Analysts say this is close to levels at which the Italian government will have problems servicing its debts. As concerns about the debt crisis in the eurozone continue, the Irish Republic had its debt-rating cut to junk status by ratings agency Moody's on Tuesday. Moody's said there was a "growing possibility" that the country would need a second bail-out from the European Union and the IMF. The Irish Republic is one of three eurozone countries that have so far needed such financial support, the other two being Greece and Portugal.