La Dolcevita's activity

What about marketing your translation services to local businesses or the ex pat community? Has your friend set her art up on a website at all/What about a small stall at one of the weekly markets:- San Remo, Bordighera, Vengtimilgia or during the summer months at one of the many village events - these things often take time but once people like your art they'll keep coming back

I agree Gala - Liguria is beautiful - sea and mountains with a temperate climate - perfecto.  We've made a few friends already over there as we've been looking for a place for a number of years - a mix of English, Irish, Danish, Austrian, German and Italiain - my Italian is basic but I'd never me accused of not trying - conversations with my italian friends are a mix of italian/french and english!! - I get my italian and french very confused and then when that fails resort to sign language and then english!!!  Fortunately everyone is very patient with me!!!!!!!!!!  I know when we move it will improve quickly (not difficult really!)

Thanks Alan - good idea didn't realise that..............I do know several people that live there already - just curious to know if anyone from this board lives there - always useful to know - thanks again for the suggestion

Looks like I might be "Billy No Mates!!"

I think it's a very interesting dilemma you raise Karen re aluminium doors and windows - my husband is a highly skilled cabinet maker and is very dubious about us having any external wooden doors/frames/windows ( we will have a wooden front door!!! ) - he says the sun causes too much shrinkage in the timber plus it causes the joints to then open - he's an absolute perfectionist and says he'll be painting 24/7 to protect it.  We've got the most beautiful hand made wooden doors and windows here in the UK - so it's going to be a real shock to the system - I'm sure we'll find something that looks like wood we've already seen some - but still not the same - and our house is eons old!!!! 

at some stage we'll need to do this - not sure yet whether to go your route or maybe buy one in France and take it over

We use Carhireexcess.com for annual excess insurance - £39.99 - as recommended by Martin Lewis the Money Expert here in the UK.  We generally use Europacar hire as flying with easy jet it's easy and  rates are comparable with others. We always go over the car with a fine tooth comb as cars are usually picked up from places with poor lighting or it's dark - so we move it into the sun/under a light and we make sure every tiny mark is noted (I'm sure the guys recognise me now!!) - taking photos is a great idea - we pick our car up in France and whislt my french is quite good a photo is even better!  Anything out of the ordinary eg a half filled tank I would want in writing too - better safe than sorry We've also refused cars - several times for being too dirty/too scratched and one time as it really was the ugliest car I've ever seen - my daughter and her friend who were 16 at the time I think would have walked the 30 miles rather than have got in (and I think I would have too!!  

I've heard that adding a small amount of dish washing powder to washing machine powder does the trick - it makes sense as dish washing powder works on grease in the dishwasher (in vast amounts).  Maybe try the soaking options in cold water first and then dish washer soap in the washing machine after  - good luck 

Yes it's accurate that you don't need to use a solicitor - you can get the compromesso (the promise to buy) drawn up and then sign the final act (think it's called the rogito) in front of the notary all without the use of a solicitor. You must make sure though that you know exactly what you are doing - the italian buying process is very different- if you're not going to use a solicitor I would suggest you find someone independant who understands the process and double check everything   

We bought through a private sale and entrusted a lawyer to prepare the contracts for us - BIG MISTAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!! The lawyer we used did not do his job properly and now we potentially have a major problem - we have a new solicitor who seems to be doing a good job - but too early to tell as yet.  I agree re getting a book -  if I was doing it again I would still go through a lawyer but request in writing that they do the following things as Annec listed:-   Will the surrounding farmers sign away their right to buy your land? How do you know that the vendors are the only owners? Who else may have rights over your property?   And anything else that the book suggests and ask for copies of everything that they do so you know it has been done.  It may sound OTT but we assumed that instructing a lawyer to act on our behalf would mean that they would automatically do these things - some may ours didn't.   Don't let it put you off though as thousands of people have sales go through no problem at all.  Our solicitor who is helping us now is based in Liguria in Ventimiglia - if you want her details please PM me Good luck