Hi. Just moved to Italy and signed up for a loyalty card at the local Ali (carta fedelta). I’ve successfully registered on the web site and have my card. Can anyone explain how the system works please?
We are doing some building work on a house near Ostellato, Ferrara and need to find a local builders merchant who can deliver bricks, sand and timber. Does anyone know of such a place? Also what is the Italian translation for builders merchant?
I understand that snow chains or snow tyres are a requirement in some parts of Northern Italy. We will be driving a van from the UK down to Ferrara on 13th November and returning around 16th December. Does anyone know if we will need snow chains?
We have just bought a house in Emilia Romagna which has Apple TV. Can anyone advise how we can view UK TV channels such as BBC or ITV. We have Amazon Prime and Virgin subscriptions back in the U.K. Many thanks.
We are planning on driving down at the end of May to our home in Northern Italy (laden down with proof of residency, vaccinations etc). Rules seem to be changing all the time but we expect to have to have a test when we get to Italy (possibly at the testing centre at Bologna airport which is en route to our house) and maybe a test before we leave the UK. Italy is looking at how to make it easier for foreigners especially if they've had both vaccines. Hopefully by the time we return to the uk in July things will be more relaxed and we won't not need the 2 tests and isolation currently required. I will let you know how we get on.
Where do I begin! We live in an often neglected (tourism wise) part of Emilia Romagna- Ferrara. The city itself is a real hidden gem with its understated blend of Medieval and Renaissance architecture- a perfect place to enjoy an apertivo watching the world go by in one of the many squares. With an imposing castle and many palaces and galleries to visit, Ferrara is a university city so cycling is the favoured mode of transport. I highly recommend cycling around the city walls or along the River Po. The international annual Buskers Festival of street music taking plac in August is awesome. Nearby is Comacchio - known as little Venice- a favourite with our visitors, especially when dining on one of the canal boats. The endless sandy beaches nearby have an infinite variety of bars each with their own identity and food specialities. Our favourites are Pyramide and Bagno 36. Comacchio lagoon is an ornithologist heaven, renowned for the famous flamingos. Throughout the year there are local festivals- one of our favourites being the Asparagus Festival at Mesola. Porto Garibaldi is the local fishing port and home to a number of excellent seafood restaurants.
You could try asking someone in italy to buy you an Italian SIM card and post it to you. You could then use that in your U.K. phone. We have a phone with a dual SIM card- one U.K. and one Italian- to avoid the necessity of having two phones.
We made the mistake of taking over a U.K. electric job for our kitchen in italy. It uses too much wattage and causes the power to trip so we now need to replace it. It’s quite easy to upgrade the power supply. We were 4.5kw and recently upgraded to 6kw. You just need to visit the local office of your supplier and they switch it electronically without the need to change cables or equipment.
We've are driving straight back from Italy to U.K. At the moment, stopping only at Aires in France for loo stops and paying at pump in service stations. So, as we are not having contact with people in France, under current government guidelines, we don't need to quarantine in U.K. upon return. We've done this a couple of times recently with no problems. We just make sure we complete the online government form before arriving at Calais.
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We bought our vignette online to save the hassle at the border. It arrived within 48 hours.
Thank you. Will do.
https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/sem/aktuell/faq-einreiseverweigerung.html#2005127624
As we have residency we should be allowed to transit through Switzerland. ?Will let you know if it all goes wrong!
We are planning on driving down at the end of May to our home in Northern Italy (laden down with proof of residency, vaccinations etc). Rules seem to be changing all the time but we expect to have to have a test when we get to Italy (possibly at the testing centre at Bologna airport which is en route to our house) and maybe a test before we leave the UK. Italy is looking at how to make it easier for foreigners especially if they've had both vaccines. Hopefully by the time we return to the uk in July things will be more relaxed and we won't not need the 2 tests and isolation currently required. I will let you know how we get on.
Where do I begin! We live in an often neglected (tourism wise) part of Emilia Romagna- Ferrara. The city itself is a real hidden gem with its understated blend of Medieval and Renaissance architecture- a perfect place to enjoy an apertivo watching the world go by in one of the many squares. With an imposing castle and many palaces and galleries to visit, Ferrara is a university city so cycling is the favoured mode of transport. I highly recommend cycling around the city walls or along the River Po. The international annual Buskers Festival of street music taking plac in August is awesome. Nearby is Comacchio - known as little Venice- a favourite with our visitors, especially when dining on one of the canal boats. The endless sandy beaches nearby have an infinite variety of bars each with their own identity and food specialities. Our favourites are Pyramide and Bagno 36. Comacchio lagoon is an ornithologist heaven, renowned for the famous flamingos. Throughout the year there are local festivals- one of our favourites being the Asparagus Festival at Mesola. Porto Garibaldi is the local fishing port and home to a number of excellent seafood restaurants.
You could try asking someone in italy to buy you an Italian SIM card and post it to you. You could then use that in your U.K. phone. We have a phone with a dual SIM card- one U.K. and one Italian- to avoid the necessity of having two phones.
We made the mistake of taking over a U.K. electric job for our kitchen in italy. It uses too much wattage and causes the power to trip so we now need to replace it. It’s quite easy to upgrade the power supply. We were 4.5kw and recently upgraded to 6kw. You just need to visit the local office of your supplier and they switch it electronically without the need to change cables or equipment.
I was able to get home insurance including earthquake cover recently through Schofields.
https://www.schofields.ltd.uk
We've are driving straight back from Italy to U.K. At the moment, stopping only at Aires in France for loo stops and paying at pump in service stations. So, as we are not having contact with people in France, under current government guidelines, we don't need to quarantine in U.K. upon return. We've done this a couple of times recently with no problems. We just make sure we complete the online government form before arriving at Calais.