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
Thank you, Al, that's really helpful. I had no idea what a dehumidifier actually was or how it worked until you told me!. Thanks also for the advice on by-passing the internal bucket- obviously one that you can attach a hose to would be better for us as the house would be shut up for several weeks at a time.
Grazie Steve! I might have known the Italians would have an eight-syllable word for it!
Can anyone recommend any particular brand of dehumidifier? And how large/powerful should it be for a 55 sq metre flat with a very high ceiling? I can't even find an entry for 'dehumidifier' in the dictionary- what is it in Italian? Any replies will be much appreciated!
I think you would have to ask a native Italian speaker to answer this. Valentina, over to you!
We have used Rational FX to transfer currency from UK to Italy and they are very efficient. But as capoboi suggests, you might be better off with a US based broker.
I think it would have to be 'mentre pensavo', not 'mentre pensando'. As pianopiano says, 'pendsando' already suggests an ongoing action.
1. The examples you give are not strictly speaking gerunds. The English gerund is a verbal noun, i.e. a noun formed from a verb: "Walking is good exercise", "growing your own vegetables is very satisfying". 2. The gerundio presente using 'stare' is known as the present continuous, the form using ...ing, in English: "Sto preparando la cena" = "I am getting dinner ready" 3. The other use, as you say, is to indicate an activity that is/was going on when something else happens/happened: "[quando stava] corriendo nella strada, se e fratturato la gamba" = "[when he was] running in the street, he broke his leg". This is also 4. It is also used adverbially, i.e. to modify a verb, as in your example of "gesticulando" : "parli sempre gesticulando" = you always gesticulate when you speak. N.B. Valentina, you don't say "I may have missed to explain something" in English, you say, "I may have omitted to explain something", or more usually, "I may have missed something out [in my explanation]". Thank you for raising this complicated question, it has stimulated a lot of debate altready!
I looked at your website, and your dog Barney looks incredibly like our dog- also called Barney, also a black-labrador/border collie cross, and also a resue dog! He was fined wandering the streets of Sheffield by the dog warden, only 18 months old and well-fed but nervous of loud noises. We have had him for a year and a half, and he is a lovely dog, rather naughty sometimes but very intelligent and friendly. So nice to hear about people who are doing their best to help some of the sadly neglected dogs around them. Keep up the good work! Karen
We are buying a fully renovated property from a developer. Will we automatically get a certificate guaranteeing the plumbing and electrical work from the developer, or do we have to ask for one from the contractors? And what is the DIA that Ram referred to? Thanks in advance for any replies.
Hi Caroline, We have the same idea, and are buying a small property in Grottole, near Irsina. We go out in September to sign the contract, and then (hopefully) it will be renovated, and we should be able to take possession around next Easter. Where is your property? Perhaps we will be neighbours! All the best, Karen