After moving to Italy things changed for me in a way I could never have imagined. One night I poured my heart out on a forum,(Italymag) I received at lot of help, support and advice from people who didn’t know me but were kind enough to care.
Most Italians live with 3, most English change it to 6. anything with a heating element uses a lot so if you have only 3 you can't put the dishwasher on at the same time as the washer. you can't have kettle and toaster on at the same time and if you have electric water heater then 3 would be out of the question. If you are renting a part of the property out I would suggest 6 because if both properties use a heating element at the same time .- if someone downstairs has the washer going and you use a hairdryer upstairs the power will probably cut out.
Last time I paid ICI it was about €56 per year (very small house) So if I now get a discount of €200 as it's my only home and €50 discount for kids under 26 living at home (3) gives me another €150 credit, maybe they'll pay me? :)
I understand what you are saying Flip, I never see the point of low fat yogurt or sugar free biscuits (unless you are diabetic) its like taking the fun out of the product. But I have to disagree that grape juice tastes like wine. They are two very different tastes. I love cider but apple juice is pure poison. I would like to try the non-alcoholic stuff purely for experimental purpose to see if its good enough to fool people. Beverage companies have been trying for years to produce something close to the real thing and failed but if it they ever succeed and it doesn't cost twice the price then it would sell.
What was the delivery cost? I wouldn't mind a case to try out on friends,without telling them, then see if they notice at the end of the night. "Why are we all sober?"
I thnk Italians would call it grape juice rather than wine if there was no alcohol then it just isn't wine. They either drink moderately or mix it with water, which at first I thought was a waste of good wine but actually its not a bad idea if you want to stay sober longer. It's a real pity that this hasn't been sorted by now, a real gap in the market. Surely its possible to produce a full bodied good quality wine without alcohol. All the bad press about alcohol abuse/drink driving/health risk etc, so why hasn't it been done? I know there are some wines in the UK but the stuff I remember was like washing up water, it would need to be good quality to sell but if it was done right it would be a winner.
Positives-When I moved over eight years ago my children were 5, 8 and 10. We live in a rural area and all three were in the same school, they picked up the language really quickly and settled easily. I liked the fact that the class sizes were very small- in fact only 8 kids in my daughters class so she recieved a lot of help in the first couple of years. I was also glad that unlike the UK, religion is not compulsary and as we are not catholic the head suggested when the other kids were doing religion that mine could have extra Italian lessons. I like the idea that in secondary school they can choose which school they want to attend: I.T, mechanics, catering, geometre, art, and various others which as well as the usual lessons gives the child practical lessons in their chosen subject. Negatives -I have no idea how good/bad British schooling is now so couldn't really compare other than to say I believe the Italian system is very hard and if the child doesn't meet a certain standard at the end of the year he/she may well have to re-sit the year and this happens to quite a few kids and it can have a very negative effect as they loose their friends and repeating the year can be tedious- it's hard enough for teenagers to stay focused so not necessarily a good thing. For me the quality of life wins hands down in Italy and ever since we arrived I have asked my kids on a regular basis 'do you want to stay or go back?' They have always replied that they want to stay in Italy. It's not for everyone and people often return to what they know but you could try it out for a year or two, nothing to stop you going back later if you find it's not what you expected and with your children being so young they would adapt to the changes- I say go for it! Andiamo I understand what your saying but when they choose the school it's not carved in stone they can change later- though it means buying another set of books. Which can be expensive.
I know you said no chemicals but it depends how bad you want to keep them. Builders use acid to clean floors in Italy and its pretty nasty stuff but very effective. You can get it at builders merchants but need a mask and gloves, windows open when you use it.
Comments posted
Most Italians live with 3, most English change it to 6. anything with a heating element uses a lot so if you have only 3 you can't put the dishwasher on at the same time as the washer. you can't have kettle and toaster on at the same time and if you have electric water heater then 3 would be out of the question. If you are renting a part of the property out I would suggest 6 because if both properties use a heating element at the same time .- if someone downstairs has the washer going and you use a hairdryer upstairs the power will probably cut out.
Last time I paid ICI it was about €56 per year (very small house) So if I now get a discount of €200 as it's my only home and €50 discount for kids under 26 living at home (3) gives me another €150 credit, maybe they'll pay me? :)
I understand what you are saying Flip, I never see the point of low fat yogurt or sugar free biscuits (unless you are diabetic) its like taking the fun out of the product. But I have to disagree that grape juice tastes like wine. They are two very different tastes. I love cider but apple juice is pure poison. I would like to try the non-alcoholic stuff purely for experimental purpose to see if its good enough to fool people. Beverage companies have been trying for years to produce something close to the real thing and failed but if it they ever succeed and it doesn't cost twice the price then it would sell.
What was the delivery cost? I wouldn't mind a case to try out on friends,without telling them, then see if they notice at the end of the night. "Why are we all sober?"
This looks better - http://winezero-italy.com/
Bit pricey for Italy but you could try this http://negoziobit.it/store/Vini-dealcolizzati/Bonne-Nouvelle.html
I thnk Italians would call it grape juice rather than wine if there was no alcohol then it just isn't wine. They either drink moderately or mix it with water, which at first I thought was a waste of good wine but actually its not a bad idea if you want to stay sober longer. It's a real pity that this hasn't been sorted by now, a real gap in the market. Surely its possible to produce a full bodied good quality wine without alcohol. All the bad press about alcohol abuse/drink driving/health risk etc, so why hasn't it been done? I know there are some wines in the UK but the stuff I remember was like washing up water, it would need to be good quality to sell but if it was done right it would be a winner.
Positives-When I moved over eight years ago my children were 5, 8 and 10. We live in a rural area and all three were in the same school, they picked up the language really quickly and settled easily. I liked the fact that the class sizes were very small- in fact only 8 kids in my daughters class so she recieved a lot of help in the first couple of years. I was also glad that unlike the UK, religion is not compulsary and as we are not catholic the head suggested when the other kids were doing religion that mine could have extra Italian lessons. I like the idea that in secondary school they can choose which school they want to attend: I.T, mechanics, catering, geometre, art, and various others which as well as the usual lessons gives the child practical lessons in their chosen subject. Negatives -I have no idea how good/bad British schooling is now so couldn't really compare other than to say I believe the Italian system is very hard and if the child doesn't meet a certain standard at the end of the year he/she may well have to re-sit the year and this happens to quite a few kids and it can have a very negative effect as they loose their friends and repeating the year can be tedious- it's hard enough for teenagers to stay focused so not necessarily a good thing. For me the quality of life wins hands down in Italy and ever since we arrived I have asked my kids on a regular basis 'do you want to stay or go back?' They have always replied that they want to stay in Italy. It's not for everyone and people often return to what they know but you could try it out for a year or two, nothing to stop you going back later if you find it's not what you expected and with your children being so young they would adapt to the changes- I say go for it! Andiamo I understand what your saying but when they choose the school it's not carved in stone they can change later- though it means buying another set of books. Which can be expensive.
I know you said no chemicals but it depends how bad you want to keep them. Builders use acid to clean floors in Italy and its pretty nasty stuff but very effective. You can get it at builders merchants but need a mask and gloves, windows open when you use it.
Not sure about the torch or the trainers but I might have to start sleeping in pjamas!