Ram's activity

Yes Penny is right,  your residency should be in the comune where the house will be.  What I dont understand is that you opted for prima casa on land alone, which is strange as there was no financial benefit in doing so - assuming that you bought just the land with a project.  If you go to the comune with photos of the state of the build, they should extend the time limit as long the house isnt yet habitable, but you will be dependent on the goodwill of the comune. 

The airport itself is 'ready', what lacks is the will of Catania to open it.  The opening is scheduled for April - but the problem is that by giving the running of the airport to GESAC which runs Catania airport they have shot themselves in the foot as Catania, obvioulsy, doesnt want competition and really only wants a spare runway to use if they cant use Catania.  Catania airport is due to close in 2010 to lengthen the piste, and GESCA would like to divert all flights to Comiso for 3 months, instead of Sigonella, and for this reason dont want to open the airport to general traffic as it would hamper their operations.   It is for this reason that a contract with Ryanair has been left dangling, as obviously Ryanair wont want a contract that excludes them from the airport in peak season.  HOwever, the airport is owned 51% by the province of Ragusa and they are really keen to get it open and have worked very ahrd to get things done - the one thorn in the side is the Assessor for tourism now doesnt want Ryanair but wants to make it an international airport and therefore in direct competition with Catania - so on that basis it would never open.   Optimistically you can say that COmiso will open in APril, but whether it will is another question.  It all comes down to when Catania airport will close, and how much political will there is it get it open - at the moment the link roads will not even be started until 2011.  

1000 euros is the standard rate here in this part of Sicily - obviously labour costs much more in Tuscany.  I have overseen projects for clients which have come in at below this figure, although the majority finally cost about 1200psm - the lure of swish bathrooms and underfloor heating...  If you were to do a build with all the ecological bells and whistles, bioclimatic and state incentives it can come to about 1800euros psm.  Obviously it depends on materials, especially whether you are going to build in stone, face in stone or avoid stone altogether, and your choice of flooring - ceramic or stone.  Also whether you have water and electricity already on site is a factor, though near Siracusa you don't have to drill too deep, though in the hills above Avola you may have to go down to 250+ metres and that is a significant cost.

 All of this depends on your 'base coat' - if you are going to use a cement based coat it needs a long time to dry.  If you have a stone house - as in a pietra viva - common here in this part of Sicily, its best not to use a cememnt based product, as it doesnt allow the stone to breathe.  Nowadays a bio calce - lime based ontonaco is advised as it doesnt reduce the trasnpiration of the stone, but it is much ore expensive - (about 15 euros a bag more expensive) but you wont get the damp or salt leaching that will occur with a cement base.   Once that is done, it will need intonaco - a finer, more typical English palster - but in 2 much thinner coats, which should be done by the same builder.  You only need a fissativo if you're painting on gesso - as it will soak up all your paint, the new skimming intonaco is only slightly coarser than the intonaco you put over plasterboard - and produces a pretty smooth result.  If you a want liscio liscio - Id say use the same intonaco as you use on plasterboard as your final coat, and sand between coats - then it will be a smooth plaster like finish.  

 Where are you? There are loads of 'locals' who do a 'bedda mangiata!' - ricotta calda, pecora arrostita, etc etc - depends where you are

 Hi - usually its because they wont want to dirty the new infissi with the intonaco - its a messy job!   Theres no hard and fast rule - you're the client, so you can do what you like - but you're in Sicily so bear in mind that builders often only will do things one way, 'cos thats how its done in Sicily'.....   

Well, it all depends on what you're building and where.  Traditional build in should come in around 1000 euros psm to a standard finish - if you have a wooden roof and not one in cemento armato a bit less, a bit more  if you want to face in stone.   The new building laws that have come in after May make it more expensive especially for the foundations.Bear in mind that you're in  Sicily and everyone wants to mangiare - but you cannot just build a house yourselves.  You must use a professional, and have a certfiicato di agibilità, you must have energy certification and all the rest and it all depends on the comune where you're planning to build.  And it all depends on how quickly you want it done of course.  You cna put in a single firm with a squad and itwill be done quicker than  a small builder with a separatte plumber and separate roofer etc - and if you're in Noto be careful of the building firms you use.   Use a separate trivellista if you can.  PM me if you want recommendations or need advice or write to info@modicasa.com 

 Id suggest Sicily, but then I would - but its important not to forget Sicily when thinking of southern Italy.  :) 

If the donation is a public act, then it is surely all and dusted inasmuch as the 'estranged daughter' in your scenario would have a right to her legittima for the lottery winnings - cripes this is getting complicated!  What I mean is, a donation is an act like any other and I cant see what the problem could be if the donors continue to live for the safe period.  I would get Charlottes opinion and take it from there, but I wonder if the avvocato is playing up the risks because of other reasons.   

 To me this seems pretty normal!  The only problems with donations, and Charlotte will correct me if Im wrong, is that the donors have to live for a certain time (5 or 7 years) after the event, otherwise its seen as tax evasion.  If they live this time, there is no problem with a long lost son turning up to claim his leggitima.     There is no way of evading the leggitima in Italian law - but rather it all depends on the donors iving long enough to make the deal watertight.   I have sold many properties that have been the subject of donations and the notaio has never raised it as a possible problem in the future.