sebastiano's activity

Actually the gas company installed the bombola underground using their own machines,erected the fence put up the signs,presented the land registry plans to the fire brigade for approval, used the services of their legal consultants/lawyers to get our previous supplier off my back, installed the transmitter which allows them to see when refilling is necessary, they did this without any extra compensation whatsoever.

the conformity of your underground tank ,the fencing about 1,80 mt. warning signs are all responsability of your supplier.the steel tanks are now in a heavy duty plastic sheath so the tank itself is not in contact with water/soil etc they are obliged to make periodic checks that there are no problems/leaks,the site of the tank has to be by law a certain number of metres from the nearest building i think 25 metres.our new tank actually has a transmitter which means the gas company turn up with gas before it runs out which at least is convenient.Our last bill (december) was charged 0,72 euro cents x litre - a small discount (you may be entitled to if your property falls in an area designated as zona montana (Amandola qualifies btw)

sorry forgot to mention that using small cylinders 10kg- 15kg. - 20/25kg. is the most expensive way of all of buying gas so unless you only require a tiny amount for say some small appliance would strongly advise against this (been there got the T-shirt) it's also highly inconvenient continually runs out (at meal/bath times) and you have to eff about lugging a heavy iron cylinder back to where ever you got it (in the snow/rain) despite safety regulations can still today be potentially dangerous usually due to the use of old tubes connecting to the appliance.Italy has few fires compared to the UK but when they occur are nearly always due to the use of these...definitely a no.

IF you live in a town/village generally they are connected to mains gas which is what i think you would call natural gas (methane -metano) this is paid for by consumption and is not too bad (price wise) always assuming intelligent use anyway. If on the other hand you are more distant from a town mains gas is unlikely to be an option for you in which case you would need G.P.L (LPG) from a large cistern usually now placed underground near your home.The cost of installation is usually absorbed by your chosen gas company provided that you sign a contract for exclusive supply by them for a few years.Personally in this area (amandola-servigliano) i could recommend Eurogas and advise against Total.The first,at least allow you to pay by consumption (as opposed to how much is put in the tank at any given time).However bear in mind two important things1. Gas (gpl) prices are free market so there is no fixed price so you have to shop around and negotiate a price(which is not permanent but can fluctuate) 2. gas (gpl) is expensive  so i think most people would advise integrating your heating source/s thru wood burners/pellet stoves/photovoltaic panels or almost anything else to avoid total dependancy on this kind of gas.

so you'd like to come here but are worried by the bureaucracy.... if you've seen it in France i can assure you it's no worse here. So you won't let the rantings of one woman on the internet interfere with your plans now ...WILL YOU. Ive lived here over thirty years , i run my own business,pay taxes,have never paid ANYONE a back hander and should ANYONE ask for one would go straight to the police,you don't need an architect to present your house plans a normal geometra is sufficient and as in most countries the required use of a professional is to ensure that local building laws are not infringed,that the structural integrity of the building is not compromised, that anti sismic building regulations are being complied with,that the drawings reflect what is registered at the land registry etc etc i don't think in france or the uk you just have some naff drawing of only aesthetic aspects and submit that. you don't have to worry about the politics of 1. the local council 2. the geometra who submits your house plans 3. or the idiot sitting at the desk in the office.Generally when you hear things like that woman says it's because they turn up acting like they're from a superior planet and expect to be able to do anything they fancy without any paper work, stick pools on the sides of hills,do their own electricity (avoiding the costs of  qualified electricians/plumber/mason/carpenter etc so i wouldn't put a lot of importance on her ranting if i were you.Actually you might be very suprised at how civilised this country can be.....where were you thinking you might like to move to in Italy?

hi, we have some australian friends who now have a house here.they spend a few months a year here have a panda car they leave here, the rest of the year they're back in the blue mountains of australia.it seems to work fine for them and saves them from the clutches of the italian burocratic system/taxes and a lot of other hassle giving them plenty of time to enjoy this country.At this moment in time i know of personally at least 4 families who are about to emigrate to australia ( so we presume Oz has something going for it) so maybe splitting your time could suit you too?...just a thought.....i guess a lot depends on age as our friends from australia are now retired and they don't have issues of having to work or make an income in which case the whole story would get more complex...  

you can "apply" directly to the police (the carabinieri don't "do" it) their address is: commissariatofermo.ap@poliziadistato.it Commissariato di P.S. FERMO- Via Virgilio,2  -Fermo tel.0734 25441 fax.0734 254435

Terna, the company that runs the national grid is planning to build an electroduct of the largest kind the stand well over the size of normal pylons with usually three levels of arms. i've seen the planned  zone of the line which will come past san ginesio -sarnano - sant angelo in pontano - penna san giovanni- smerillo/montefalcone thru to roccafluvione- towards ascoli and then over to teramo.whilst it's not easy to see exactly where the line itself will pass it certainly looks like the medio val tenna will be affected and will probably cut right across the valley which at the moment is like a picture frame to the monti sibillini....there are already groups of people protesting but traditionally in Italy public opinion is generally ignored.so apart from immense damage to the landscape and it's touristic vocation,it will effect neighbouring real estate values and for those lucky people who find it "over their heads" health risks from electro magnectic fields created...oh yes..and no benefit in terms of more/better electricity in the areas where it passes..........................  

if it's a special occasion (birthday anniversary etc) and you'd like to be treated to something special (and it is) it's not cheap ( actually it's expensive) but it's probably one of the best restaurants not in florence but in the world! enoteca pinnichiori look it up on the net,you may be lucky to get a table in may.it's not just some meal it does for your body what the uffizi does for your head...and it's an art form too..don't get brow beaten into all that cheap cheap talk (vis a vis eating places) you get what you pay for.have a nice trip.

but it's normal that your builders bring the red net and put it up around the building site..so have never had to buy the stuff