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
Questions Asked
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
Yes, Lisa123, Rest assured that, as Ugo points out, the property cannot be sold without your consent. Notaries are extremely careful with those matters. In any case, to talk to a lawyer, particularly if you feel that the other heirs may be causing some trouble. Also,, you should start thinking what you want to do with your share. If the others do not want to properly maintain the property, it could easily go into a state of disrepair. And this will not help anyone. Are you prepared to buy the other shares? Are you able to look after the property. Ask yourself those questions and all this must be discussed with the other heirs. If you cannot find a suitable solution, then, no matter how much you love the property, it should be sold before it becomes a ruin. A "pro-indiviso" (when a property is divided into shares as a result of an inheritance) is not a good arrangement in most of the cases. Good luck!
Hi Joy! You will have no problems treating your asthma here. Italy has some leading research institutes for asthma and allergies, amongst them the Policlinico Gemelly in Rome and one in Pisa which is part of its University. It is good that your asthma is not linked to pollen as it can be a bit of a problem at certain times of the year. My advice - as it is the case for anyone suffering from a chronic ailment - would be to ask your regular doctor to give you a copy of your medical history or a certificate stating your condition and the treatment that you follow. This is very helpful should you require assistance from a local doctor.
Fred's advice is excellent. Train travel in Europe is very convenient. Cars can be a problem to access most cities and parking is expensive. On the other hand, train stations are centrally located and well connected. If you are going to travel extensively within Europe, Eurailpass may be a solution.
Sorry, Essle, but a car with a Spanish registration cannot be re-hired in Italy. There is not such a thing - as yet - as a EU registration, which would solve that problem. The companies have to send the car back to Spain and this is the reason for the higher one way fee. Within Italy, you will also be charged a one way fee. Always try to choose large cities or airports for pick up and drop off. It may save you some money.
Some interesting recent data about the property market http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/houseprices/10697448/Global-house-price-league-table-Spain-and-France-languish.html
Great answer, Fred! I had enough of the "doom and gloom" brigade!
Chris, who has been telling you all those stories about BDL? You are listening to all the wrong people! Now, let me clarify some things for the benefit of other members.If the previous owners bought the ruin for 120,000 Euros, they made a mistake. A ruin, unless we are talking about something of historical/architectural interest, is only worth the value of the land it is sitting on. If anyone insists on doing such a thing, they may expect to pay at least double that amount on turning it into a habitable home. Many ruins will need underpinning, a most expensive procedure, and renovation costs largely depend on what the client wants. In many cases, it is preferable to demolish it and build it all over again. Prices can quickly escalate if you do not know what you are doing and this does not necessarily mean that these people have been victims of dishonesty. If you build a "white elephant" you will never get back your money.Yes, on the other hand, property prices have gone down, not only in Italy but throughout the world and very few places have fully recovered. American members will quickly acknowledge this, if I mention the city of Detroit, where prices have collapsed to incredible levels. In Europe, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Latvia and many other places have seen huge reductions in the price of properties. Overall, Italy has not fared that bad. The main problems have been that there has been a reduction on the number of overseas buyers and Italians are not currently buying property. It is believed that we should see some positive changes in the market towards the end of 2015, however, for people who need to sell, this is not a very favourable time.You can count yourself as "lucky" if you were able to buy a property in BDL at what I imagine would be a "bargain" price. This is a buyers market and I trust that you made a good buy. I do realize through some of your posts on another forum that you may have encountered some difficulties with matters related to the property (gas, TV), however, and without knowing the details, it is impossible to ascertain what really happened and I am sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience.Anyone buying a property, should be aware of current prices in the area and strictly buy accordingly. This ensures that, if anything goes wrong and you need to resell for whatever reason, you will not get your fingers caught.I do not know you personally, but to imply that " It is true that there is a group of friends who know each other around BDL, and there is a miniscule whiff of self-importance to them" is most unkind, prejudiced and clearly shows that you know nothing about many people who have close ties with our area and do everything to tell others about how great it is. If you prefer to listen to the wrong people and become as negative as they are...then, it is your choice. You should ask yourself why some people prefer to endure self-inflicted inferiority complexes when there is no reason for that, mainly because thay do not personally know the people they are talking about.Enjoy BDL and if you don't, move on. Life is short, you really have to feel happy about it. Otherwise, nothing is worthwhile! In any case, good luck!
Erhatke, George Clooney is definitely NOT buying in your area. The piece of news you refer to was an April Fool's prank published by some Italian papers, including Il Tirreno. The house depicted was not in Lunigiana but at the southern end of Pisa province. Periodically, George Clooney "buys" property all over Europe, according to news released by the press. In the past few months, he has "purchased" expensive property in Spain (Marbella), France (Provence) and several other areas. Do not believe everything you read
Ulysses, the first time buyers favourable deals may refer to first home owners in Italy who are permanent residents. I understand that you are only looking at a holiday home and there are no special deals in this case. I have found this information which may be useful in your case. http://www.casatuscany.com/services/service.php?id=38It is difficult to ascertain how much you will end up paying as it all depends on the cadastral value of the property you intend to buy, which is usually less than the purchase price. You will need to ask the agent or the notary to give you an estimate of the final costs. Generally speaking, you should budget for 10 to 15 % of the agreed price to be on the safe side.Your idea of visiting Northern Tuscany and doing some serious research is a wise one. You will not be disapointed and this is a buyers market. Take your time and think a lot before buying. It took us two years to find the right place for us some 7 years ago, but it was worthwhile. Stay away from ruins and homes which need major works. This is my advice. Good luck and best wishes!
Brian, I can only say that you are turning this into a personal attack (same with Steve, but I do know his "style"), as I have never insulted trades people. In my message addressed to Steve and his remarks, I have simply said that "To say that a tradesman will have more knowledge than say an architect with 6 years of formal education and professional experience only shows ignorance" and this is a basic answer to his statement that would have been hilarious if it was not sad. By the same token, you seem to share his opinion, which is something surprising for someone who claims to be a professional Design Engineer... are you both related at all?On the other hand, you have generalized in your remarks regarding both tradespeople and professionals in the Bagni di Lucca area (not to mention architects in general who, according to your own words: "they piss Eau de Cologne and are "aloof" with their attitude towards the trades people", something which is derogatory and totally untrue). There are good and bad architects, geometras, design engineers and trades people all over the world and generalizing is not helpful. We have employed tradespeople all over the world in general and in Bagni di Lucca in particular and we never had a problem. We also have friends who have renovated or built houses in the area and we have never heard anything like your comments. I have already warned members about the high cost of renovations, not only in Tuscany but also throughout Italy and this was done in a constructive manner. Brian, your previous statement regarding Bagni di Lucca Comune saying that they "did not seem to want to do anything about it", only shows total lack of knowledge about procedural matters. It would be important to clarify that this appears to be a private dispute between your friends and the geometra they engaged and the Comune will never intervene, because it is not their role. As far as they would be concerned, they have never seen those plans, because the barcode is not theirs. If your friends paid for all the "work" without seeing a proper work permit (not a plan with a barcode on it), it only shows that they acted in a foolish way. In any case, and as I said before, they should take the case to a lawyer to do all the necessary to recover their money and any compensation they may be entitled to. Also, you did not understand what I said regarding certificates, which was in relation to work you allegedly had to complete because of poor workmanship. Most installations require certificates which have to be completed and lodged with Council by the relevant accredited tradesman and this is part of the procedure you have to follow whenever you have a work permit, which is needed for most renovations. So I really do not understand how you managed all that having dismissed the tradesmen... Don't bother answering. I am not really interested in this. But your statements lack credibility.As I said before, this is not the kind of unbiased advice to members of this Community that we should all be giving and has finally turned into a personal attack. This will not be the first time anything like this takes place. Over more than 8 years, I have seen a very valuable Italymag Forum disappear, followed by the Community which has now been replaced by this Q & A. It looks as if we keep on seeing, through all the different formats, this type of negative, unjustified behaviour repeating itself. It is a real pity!And Ulysses, I do hope that this has not put you off coming to theVal di Lima/Garfagnana area. Most of us are very nice, helpful people