Our electricity was recently cut off by ENEL for non-payment of bills. We hadn't paid because we hadn't received any bills!
KarenSheffield's activity
Questions Asked
We are having our outside staircase renovated - at the moment it is all in rather rough concrete which is crumbling. Out builder has sent us details of the work this involves.
Sat, 02/23/2013 - 13:23
We are having our outside staircase renovated - at the moment it is all in rather rough concrete which is crumbling. Out builder has sent us details of the work this involves.
Sat, 02/23/2013 - 13:23
We have had problems when hiring a car in Italy - they seem to deduct random credit card payments for imaginary accidents and traffic violations. However, it is a long way from Sheffield to Basilicata. Is there anybody who had cone this?
Sat, 11/17/2012 - 09:41
Our house is ready, but there is still no water connection, despite myriad requests and a variety of excuses from the water board- software problems, short staffed, August, wrong kind of water etc.
Sat, 08/20/2011 - 10:43
The property is an ancient wine vault that was used for making and storing wine. It is part of a terrace of similar structures built into the hillside, with cantinas underneath.
Wed, 07/06/2011 - 10:33
Hooray! Our house is finished! Well, apart from the water connection...
Mon, 07/04/2011 - 15:30
Our wine vault in Grottole is being renovated. The plastering has been done, kitchen and bathroom installed, but still no electricity or water connections.
Fri, 05/27/2011 - 12:35
These photos show our house in Grottole, an ancient wine vault, and some views of the village.
Wed, 04/06/2011 - 11:24
Comments posted
I'm with Gala on this one - definitely prosecco! Balmy evenings drinking in an Italian piazza seem a long way off. I am writing this in Sheffield and it is snowing heavily outside... On the subject of Galliano, I came across this cocktail recipe. It's called a Yellow Bird. Ingredients [ oz | 1 oz Bacardi 151 (or any light rum) 0.5 oz Galliano 0.5 oz Banana Liqueur 2 oz Orange Juice 1 oz Pineapple Juice Blend in a cocktail shaker and serve with ice.
So nice to read some good news on this site! There seem to be so many reports of problems, rather too many ill-natured postings. Hopefully we will be able to report our own good news in due course - we have just bought a small property in Basilicata which is currently (we hope!) being renovated. I wish you both many years of happiness. All the best, Karen and Peter
We have a small Classic Gaggia coffee maker. It doesn't have a build in grinder, so we grind beans fresh every time in a small Dualit grinder. It makes good coffee, and froths the milk. We are very fussy about our coffee. I agree with you that beanz are best every time.
Maybe George Clooney could make a donation? He has a house in the Italian lakes. Also he is a progressive who supports good causes. Although being photographed shaking hands with a grateful Berlusconi might be a step too far...
Shouldn't it be 'Corriere Annunci'?
This is a truly inspiring story. Many British and other allied servicemen owed their lives to the courage and generosity of ordinary Italians.
There is no such thing as a squatter's right in England. Most respass is a civil tort, not a criminal offence, but under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 certain forms of trespass, eg those involving squatters, are criminal offences. Do not believe everything you read in the Daily Mail. In the 1980s they ran a hate campaign against squatters, illustrated with lurid tales about people going shopping and returning to find their house had been squatted and they could not evict the squatters. These were complete fiction in the vast majority of cases. The Daily Mail has found new bogeymen now - asylum seekers, benefit cheats etc. - but they are not one to let an issue rest if they can stir up a bit of indignation aganist anyone who is not white, male, British, fully employed, heterosexual etc.
How lucky you are to live in Lecce! We enjoyed a wonderful, though all too brief, stay there two years ago at the Patria Palace hotel, which is right in the centre and has a lovely roof garden overlooking the Duomo. We are now in the process of buying a house in Basilicata, but Puglia is near enough for visits.
Thank you for this, Ram. How annoying that we have been caught by this new legal requirement. The selling agent was vague as to how long it might take to draw up a new catasto, and how complicated a process this was. Hoping for the best...
Thanks for the tip, Milky Bar Kid. I did look on the web for EBAC, but I saw that there were some quite damning reviews- machines breaking down after 6 months. So I will shop around a bit.