Gala Placidia's activity

Hi, first of all, are you entitled to work in Italy (EU passport, work permit, etc?). Second, with high unemployment and very few jobs available, your chances are slim. If you have family in Italy, ask them for their advice. Good luck!

Sorry, having problems with my tablet. In any case, my advice would be to contact your nearest Italian Consulate to find out as much as you can about your situation and get your Codice Fiscale. Then, I suggest that you contact the Australian Social Security ( is it stll called that way?) to check on the portability of your part-pension and which would be your entitlements. I know that there is a Social Security Agreement between Australia and Italy and you should check what it covers.In any case, Italy is grat and I wish you the best with your future plans.

Greetings, Mikestar from a fellow Australian. We do not reside permanently in Italy, (but in another EU country as I have dual citizenship), although we own a holiday house in Italy and we do spend a few  months here every year. There are quite a few Aussies living permanently in Italy who do not have Italian ancestry or family ties, so it is possible to obtain an elective residency visa, but you should start your paperwork at your nearest Italian Consulate in Australia. There, you could also obtain your "Codice Fiscale", which is absolutely necessary. You can download the relevant application form from the Italian Consulate in Australia, which should be the nearest to your home address. For a stay of up to 90 days, you do not need a tourist visa; however, if you just want to come for a long stay without applying for an elective residency at this stage, and returning to Australia, you can also apply for a temporary visa at the Consulate. Here is an article from another fellow Australian that will be very helpful http://bagnidilucca.wordpress.com/2010/01/31/getting-a-visa-for-a-long-stay-in-italy/Hat blog is full of interesting information 

Wise decision, Chris! Unfortunately, we all make mistakes. The important thing is to learn through them. Best wishes! 

I don't think that any insurance company will accept insuring HER if there is damage caused by her property. Insurance policies are not retroactive. Glad to hear that you are insured. Go and see your rep and put on a claim as soon as possible. Best wishes!

Is your apartment insured? The insurance company will take care of everything. Otherwise, you have a legal problem in your hands... and not a nice one. Technically, if the leak really comes from the upstairs apartment and the flat terrace is private property, its owner (or her insurance) should fix it, which does not generally mean that she WILL fix it...

Chris, I have now checked with some Italian people who live permanently in Bagni. Granted that they are connected to mains gas and the tank is generally more expensive, but then, you are only here for afew weeks. They spend some 2000 to 2200€ A YEAR for mains gas covering hot water, cooking and most of their heating. They spend some 500 € extra on firewood. They have a large house which is on the river and their insulation is not very good. In our case, we seem to spend some 50€ a month when we are here also covering heating, hot water and cooking. We are also on the river, but our home is made of stone, walls are 60-80 cm thickand our windows are double-glazed PVC, so our insulation is much more efficient. It is definitely very hard to find out what happened in your case and possibly it would not be easy to prove anything. Perhaps, it may be time for you to revise your current situation. In any case, I wish you the best.  

Chris, let me check some of our bills for gas (it is mains gas, but it could give some idea regarding consumption ) and I will talk to an Italian neighbour who is a great source of information. Fortunately, I am in Bagni di Lucca at the moment, so it is easier for me to check those things. Have you thought about organising direct debit with your bank for all your bills?In any case, I do not think that your gas tank needed to be refilled so many times unless the leak was not a small one, but a HUGE one and I guess that something like that would have been noticed. I will let you know what I find out.  

Chris, it is obvious that there is something very wrong with this story. We have a house in Bagni di Lucca and we are connected to mains gas. In seven years we have not spent those amounts and we come at least twice a year for a month or two each time. Try to investigate as far as you can go. And advise them that you will prosecute them. If you were paying the agent to look after the house it is obvious that he/she should have noticed the leak if they were doing a proper job. Who is in charge of calling the gas supplier? Do you have neighbours who can tell you whether anything was wrong?Get a specialist to check on all gas connections. And, if there has being any wrong doing, please denounce them, as you will be doing a great service to the community. Good luck with your investigations!

Great to hear, Poet, and it is obvious that you made a good decision. You also came to Italy with the right attitude. And this is why you succeeded. Congratulations!