The city of Lucca has always been my favourite. Not only because it is only 25 minutes away from our home and I go there at least two or three times a week, but also because you do not feel like a "tourist" there.
Gala Placidia's activity
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In this icy cold weather, hot drinks and comfort foods are a must. Preparing and consuming them are good ways to spend time when we cannot venture outdoors.
Wed, 02/08/2012 - 06:10
The cold weather is affecting most of Italy and creating difficulties concerning energy supplies. Russia, the most important supplier, has been reducing the provision of gas up to 30% due to increasing demand in their area.
Tue, 02/07/2012 - 02:22
The San Francisco Chronicle publishes today this most interesting article:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/
Sun, 02/05/2012 - 12:45
Whenever we are in Italy, we love to visit antique and vintage markets and fairs, looking for that special piece that we would love to have. Sometimes, we find it...
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 02:47
One of my favourite activities in Italy is to visit those markets that sell antique and vintage items.
Tue, 01/31/2012 - 06:38
Some members may have noticed that I have been fairly quiet for the past month and a half. The reason for this was that we have been visiting our daughters who live in San Francisco (CA).
Fri, 01/20/2012 - 02:59
The new Italian government has been announced and it is obvious that we will have a fight between technocrats and politicians.
Wed, 11/16/2011 - 14:24
A lot has been written about the dangers of overheating Teflon coated cookware. Toxic fumes can be extremely dangerous for our health. Personally, I have never liked that type of cookware and I do not buy it anymore.
Sat, 10/29/2011 - 06:24
In another thread, we were discussing Tuscan herbs and "funghi porcini". Tuscany is a paradise for herb lovers and many varieties, such as rosemary, sage and "nipitella" grow wild.
Thu, 10/27/2011 - 11:23
Comments posted
Penny, I think that Ronald will be able to explain it better than I, but just to reassure you, I can see my own full name, date of birth, address, etc.; however, I cannot see yours or the confidential data pertaining to any other member. If I'm not wrong, there is an earlier post regarding this.
Hello nils satis and a warm welcome. Best wishes with the renovations and tell us more about what you are doing. Your experience can help others. This is how we all start.There are a few members from Abruzzo although they have not started an area group as yet; however, there are other topics which may also interest you.
Lantana grows very well almost unattended. It comes in beautiful colours: orange, yellow, mauve, pink and white. In some countries, it is considered a weed, so you can imagine how strong it is. There are many varieties for sale in Italy.Careful with oleander if you have children and pets around, The leaves are toxic.
Hi Russ. I do not have personal experience with those little monsters, but I was curious and I did some search. If you go to the Italian Google www.google.it you will find some information about them. They are called "Grillo talpa" in Italian from the species name (gryllotalpa-gryllotalpa). The organic way to deal with them is to find the nests and destroy them. For other methods, you may do a research through the normal google and you will find that the Americans have quite a few products to deal with them. There are also photos of the monsters. Not nice! You may have to go to a Garden Centre and seek advice there.Good luck and best wishes! P.S. Keep us informed, please.
If you are travelling with dogs mainly in Italy but also some information for the rest of the EU: www.dogwelcome.it
Perhaps someone in your area may be able to recommend a local "geometra" who could do a report in Italian and your lawyer would be able to summarise the contents in English. On the other hand, could your lawyer make those arrangements on your behalf? Give him the instructions in writing and he should be able to work it out.... I think. Are you buying through a real estate agent who could make arrangements on your behalf? When we purchased our property there were a few problems with the roof and we were able to sort out everything through the real estate agent and the geometra.
I have been thinking about the problem.... If the mill is partly restored already, why are the connections missing? You would think that this would be amongs the most basic things to do when you start a restoration. To have water and electricity. Try to check why the owners did not do it. Are there any major problems? Find out how much all this is going to cost you before making a final offer on the property.
It is not an easy task to find one. Most Italian surveyors do not speak English and to do a full report you need a good command of the language. Perhaps, some of the Lunigiana members may point you in the right direction. Good luck!
The 112 number is the emergency number throughout the EU; however, in Italy, 112 is the number to call the "Carabinieri". I have never had to call them; however, I guess they will interact with other emergency services.Here is a list of those EMERGENCY NUMBERS:112 "Carabinieri Pronto Intervento" (Emergencies, Carabinieri)113 "Polizia Soccorso Publico" (Police Emergency, dangerous situations and accidents)114 "Emergenza Infanzia" (Emergency involving children115 "Vigili del Fuoco" (Fire Brigade)1515 "Servizio Antincendi - Corpo forestale dello Stato" (Forest Fire Brigade)118 "Emergenza Sanitaria" (Health Emergency)1530 "Soccorso in Mare G. Costiera" Emergency at sea Coast Guard)1522 "Servizio Antiviolenza Donna" (Protection Service for Women subject to Violence) All these numbers are free if you are calling from a fixed line or a public telephone.Perhaps someone may have experience calling from a foreign mobile phone. I guess that it will be necessary to enter the country code.
Hi and welcome to the Community. I am sure that you will get plenty of help for your trip. We also look forward to receiving more news from you.Best wishes regarding your plans.