Help!Anybody in Sicily ?!
Oct 21st 2008, 2:41 pm
#46
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Sicily
Posts: 247
Re: Help!Anybody in Sicily ?!
Dear Michelle,
Hi and welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear things didn't work out in Sicily. I am in sicily near Messina, been here on and off for 25 years. I am also from Manchester. Miss the UK loads but not the weather, here it's always sunny and in Manchester it's always grey
Try and keep up with Italian for the kids it's important. My 2 speak fluent both languages. You could get Sky in the Uk so they can watch stuff in italian
Ciao giuliana
Hi and welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear things didn't work out in Sicily. I am in sicily near Messina, been here on and off for 25 years. I am also from Manchester. Miss the UK loads but not the weather, here it's always sunny and in Manchester it's always grey
Try and keep up with Italian for the kids it's important. My 2 speak fluent both languages. You could get Sky in the Uk so they can watch stuff in italian Ciao giuliana
Last edited by giuliana; Oct 21st 2008 at 2:43 pm. Reason: spelling mistake
Oct 21st 2008, 6:40 pm
#47
Forum Regular
Joined: Oct 2008
Location: Was Marinella, Sicily now Liverpool, UK
Posts: 222
Re: Help!Anybody in Sicily ?!
Hi Giuliana
Thanks for the welcome ! What italian channels can you get on sky in the uk ?? TBH we hardly watch any Italian tv here as we have sky so watch everything in english
DH loves annozero though so would be good for him to watch.
I'm trying to get involved with the Italian community in the northwest and maybe even send the kids to some kind of Italian school if there is any around. We are going to speak Italian at home too.
ciao
Thanks for the welcome ! What italian channels can you get on sky in the uk ?? TBH we hardly watch any Italian tv here as we have sky so watch everything in english
DH loves annozero though so would be good for him to watch.
I'm trying to get involved with the Italian community in the northwest and maybe even send the kids to some kind of Italian school if there is any around. We are going to speak Italian at home too.
ciao
Jan 18th 2009, 9:46 pm
#48
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 30
Re: Help!Anybody in Sicily ?!
I also live in Noto,Sicily and I love it here. I have also known the isolation of not speaking the language (lived 3 years in Greece in an isolated fishing village) and understand how lonley it can get , especially where you are! It is quite happening in this area and Siracusa,Catania,Ragusa,Modica all are easy drives or a train ride away. There is a lot of work for someone like your husband as every old rustico has been bought up and is being restored. The new owners prefer to work with someone who speaks English (locally though it is better that the worker is Italian/Sicilian, not to have problems).My boyfriend has more work than he can handle. Even though I am one of them,I have big fear that too many stranieri are landing here but there is a lot of English speaking expats if that what you like. I try to assimilate as much as possible but know your pain!The good thing about it is that if you do not like a place you can leave. For me, I will die here!
Jan 18th 2009, 9:59 pm
#49
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 30
Re: Help!Anybody in Sicily ?!
I am new here so a big hi to everyone
Love the threads here but there doesn't seem to be many here located in Sicily.
I am in Naro ,a hilltop village in the rovince of Agrigento and it is lovely but no brits(or english speaking people ) anywhere.
I am trying to learn Italian as fast as possible but am so lonely
My husband is from here so we aren't both fish out of water.
We have two boys;Lorenzo,11 and Zach ,2.
The eldest has good days and bad days where he screams he hates Italy!
Only to be expected though I know.
We have been here a year next month and I have come close many times to just giving up and going home.
There does seem to be a larger expat presence from the centre of Italy and up.
There isn't many resources here and it does feel very isolated.
We are going to give it a bit longer and if we feel the same looking to relocate up towards the lakes area of Italy(the weather would be better for me as I am a redhead and the sun is killing me!)
Any advice would be great.
My husband is a skilled builder with specialist skill in granite and marble work-one of his projects is to be featured in a interiors magazine
Considering he is Italian and speaks fluent english(better than I!) do you think that combined with his trade would help in gaining employment further up in Italy?
Love the threads here but there doesn't seem to be many here located in Sicily.
I am in Naro ,a hilltop village in the rovince of Agrigento and it is lovely but no brits(or english speaking people ) anywhere.
I am trying to learn Italian as fast as possible but am so lonely
My husband is from here so we aren't both fish out of water.
We have two boys;Lorenzo,11 and Zach ,2.
The eldest has good days and bad days where he screams he hates Italy!
Only to be expected though I know.
We have been here a year next month and I have come close many times to just giving up and going home.
There does seem to be a larger expat presence from the centre of Italy and up.
There isn't many resources here and it does feel very isolated.
We are going to give it a bit longer and if we feel the same looking to relocate up towards the lakes area of Italy(the weather would be better for me as I am a redhead and the sun is killing me!)
Any advice would be great.
My husband is a skilled builder with specialist skill in granite and marble work-one of his projects is to be featured in a interiors magazine
Considering he is Italian and speaks fluent english(better than I!) do you think that combined with his trade would help in gaining employment further up in Italy?
Jan 21st 2009, 6:55 pm
#51
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 30
Re: Help!Anybody in Sicily ?!
Hello Dave, we have just paid a depo on a town house in Cianciana, working on paying the balance as we speak
there is supposed to be quite an expat community out there, but we dont know any yet, except one. There are also one or two who post here, do a search for Cianciana.
I cant wait to get out there and see the place (bought blind off internet) crazy but true
do keep in touch
there is supposed to be quite an expat community out there, but we dont know any yet, except one. There are also one or two who post here, do a search for Cianciana.
I cant wait to get out there and see the place (bought blind off internet) crazy but true
do keep in touch
Jan 21st 2009, 8:08 pm
#52
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Sicily
Posts: 247
Re: Help!Anybody in Sicily ?!
Hi all,
I am near to Messina , been here now for 25 years. If you have any questions about Sicily please ask!!!
I am near to Messina , been here now for 25 years. If you have any questions about Sicily please ask!!!
Jan 22nd 2009, 7:48 am
#53
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 30
Re: Help!Anybody in Sicily ?!
Hi, Dave Townsend here.......... Not long before the property in Cianciana is mine ( been saying that for about six months now) but looks like all the problems have been ironed out....... Unless porkies have been told..... But my lawyer a friend of the family will make sure all is well before the deed is done. Amazing place always remember the first time I drove through and wound the window down to ask the way. Turns out that most have family or have lived in Essex here in England............ Places like Harlow in Essex have the name of "little Sicily"..... so I'm told.......... Anyway Looking forward to living in Cianciana and hopefully not tooooooo cold in winter. So please get in touch... I'm 57 but not dead in the water and I dont want to end up "billy no mates" ............. I'm an electrician at the moment and have restored various properties here in the UK. I've worked as a sound recordist in film and television for bout 30 years and am quite cool with computers.... not looking for full time work but if anyone wants a hand, I'm your man.
Jan 22nd 2009, 7:50 am
#54
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 30
Re: Help!Anybody in Sicily ?!
Hi,We are coming to sicily this year and will be buying a house in cianciana and settling down so it would be nice to get together with some expats.We are just as crazy as you as we have never even been to sicily.We have lived in crete (greece )for a long while and returned to the UK just over a year ago(various family reasons)We have had enough of the bad weather and everything else already so we were planning to go back until we found sicily on the internet .We have travelled all over Europe and we love Italy but it was always a place that we travelled through when going backwards and forwards.We have learnt the Greek language and island way of life and now we will have to learn Italian from new.An exciting challenge lays ahead for us and our 4 young children who will attend local school.we cant wait!
Jan 22nd 2009, 11:17 am
#55
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 30
Re: Help!Anybody in Sicily ?!
Not at all.In the beginning my husband and I went out there for a holiday and just never came home again.I ran my own bar and my husband worked in a car and motorbike shop.Life in Crete was great.we got married and had 3 children (1 every year for 3 years) It got harder to run a bar and have 3 small children to care for, so I gave that up and we bought some land to build a family house but then my husbands boss died in an horrific car accident so the shop closed down etc.The euro arrived and wages got lower,then my husbands father got very sick back in the UK so we decided to return to England for a while.his father sadly died and then I found out I was pregnant with our 4th child.we returned when our baby was a few weeks old but by this time our older children had asked if we could stay in England to give them a British education as they felt that school in Greece was basic etc.weighing all things up we decided to return to England (our kids are 6 11 12 and 14 now)they speak fluent Greek and some French and German.We bought a house which we have renovated as my husband is a builder/handyman and we will sell it in the spring hopefully.We have been to Italy many times and we love it so we have decided to buy a house in cianciana sicily instead and settle there(We will have to learn Italian now!)a new fresh start.Property prices and building etc has gone very expensive in crete now and you can get so much more for your money in Italy.Hope this helps.Good luck with your househunting trip and hope to see you one day soon. Kim and christos
Jan 22nd 2009, 11:41 am
#56
Forum Regular
Joined: Oct 2008
Location: Cianciana / Norwich
Posts: 122
Re: Help!Anybody in Sicily ?!
Well sadly mine's fallen through........ All this time and It's a good job my daughters friend is a lawyer out there............
The place I was buying turned out to be not registered..... We wonderd why the estate agent kept wanting a deposit before signing the primary contract......
Turns out they wanted to use my money to register it in my name and therefore be liable to work which had been done without permision....
Tell you one thing.
All this has taught me alot about buying in Sicily.
I'll be out there again next week and give them a piece of my mind.
The place I was buying turned out to be not registered..... We wonderd why the estate agent kept wanting a deposit before signing the primary contract......
Turns out they wanted to use my money to register it in my name and therefore be liable to work which had been done without permision....
Tell you one thing.
All this has taught me alot about buying in Sicily.
I'll be out there again next week and give them a piece of my mind.
Jan 22nd 2009, 1:34 pm
#57
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 30
Re: Help!Anybody in Sicily ?!
Well sadly mine's fallen through........ All this time and It's a good job my daughters friend is a lawyer out there............
The place I was buying turned out to be not registered..... We wonderd why the estate agent kept wanting a deposit before signing the primary contract......
Turns out they wanted to use my money to register it in my name and therefore be liable to work which had been done without permision....
Tell you one thing.
All this has taught me alot about buying in Sicily.
I'll be out there again next week and give them a piece of my mind.
The place I was buying turned out to be not registered..... We wonderd why the estate agent kept wanting a deposit before signing the primary contract......
Turns out they wanted to use my money to register it in my name and therefore be liable to work which had been done without permision....
Tell you one thing.
All this has taught me alot about buying in Sicily.
I'll be out there again next week and give them a piece of my mind.
Jan 22nd 2009, 1:55 pm
#58
Concierge
Joined: Apr 2007
Location: Verona/ Nr Turin
Posts: 4,671
Re: Help!Anybody in Sicily ?!
Well sadly mine's fallen through........ All this time and It's a good job my daughters friend is a lawyer out there............
The place I was buying turned out to be not registered..... We wonderd why the estate agent kept wanting a deposit before signing the primary contract......
Turns out they wanted to use my money to register it in my name and therefore be liable to work which had been done without permision....
Tell you one thing.
All this has taught me alot about buying in Sicily.
I'll be out there again next week and give them a piece of my mind.
The place I was buying turned out to be not registered..... We wonderd why the estate agent kept wanting a deposit before signing the primary contract......
Turns out they wanted to use my money to register it in my name and therefore be liable to work which had been done without permision....
Tell you one thing.
All this has taught me alot about buying in Sicily.
I'll be out there again next week and give them a piece of my mind.
Jan 22nd 2009, 2:10 pm
#59
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 30
Re: Help!Anybody in Sicily ?!
Not at all.In the beginning my husband and I went out there for a holiday and just never came home again.I ran my own bar and my husband worked in a car and motorbike shop.Life in Crete was great.we got married and had 3 children (1 every year for 3 years) It got harder to run a bar and have 3 small children to care for, so I gave that up and we bought some land to build a family house but then my husbands boss died in an horrific car accident so the shop closed down etc.The euro arrived and wages got lower,then my husbands father got very sick back in the UK so we decided to return to England for a while.his father sadly died and then I found out I was pregnant with our 4th child.we returned when our baby was a few weeks old but by this time our older children had asked if we could stay in England to give them a British education as they felt that school in Greece was basic etc.weighing all things up we decided to return to England (our kids are 6 11 12 and 14 now)they speak fluent Greek and some French and German.We bought a house which we have renovated as my husband is a builder/handyman and we will sell it in the spring hopefully.We have been to Italy many times and we love it so we have decided to buy a house in cianciana sicily instead and settle there(We will have to learn Italian now!)a new fresh start.Property prices and building etc has gone very expensive in crete now and you can get so much more for your money in Italy.Hope this helps.Good luck with your househunting trip and hope to see you one day soon. Kim and christos
Jan 22nd 2009, 2:11 pm
#60
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Sicily
Posts: 247
Re: Help!Anybody in Sicily ?!
Why are you all so interested in Cianciana? Seems all British are buying there!!