davehornet6

Hi everyone. names Dave been reading some of your posts last couple of days. italy sure sounds a challenge.
I hope to make some friends on here so WHEN i move to italy i won't be billy no mates..
I had a motorbike accident 4 months ago (broken hip,pelvis,badly broken left wrist and another bit to be removed). to cheer me up me and 3 mates drove to Bologna on 27th sep for 5 days, mainly to watch world superbike racing at Imola, we had planned before my accident to ride down .
Cambelt snapped on my car on the last day just as we pulled into the hotel Nettuno in Castel Maggiore (north of bologna). AA euro breakdown brought the car back and flew us home, if i wasn't the organiser of the trip with my mates i would have stayed.
Been on holiday to Rimini/Cattolica,San marino and Venice in the past, absolutely loved every minute.
Because of my injuries i have a lot of free time from work, currently a gardener and occasional (qualified and 15 year experienced) vehicle painter.
Since getting back to England ive been looking at properties online for Emilia-Romagna area as next year my injury solicitor should have my claim sorted and he recons it should be subsantial.
Has anyone purchased a derelict property and restored or rebuilt it? and was it an absolute nightmare getting materials if you have?
i hope to do this in the next couple of years, fingers crossed (only on my right hand as im still having physio on my left!!)
Also am going to try and find a good Italian language course very soon.
Any help/advise would be greatly appreciated

Lorna at Vicenza

Hi Dave and welcome to "Italy".

I think we have a few members who have done up their own houses. Can't remember where all of them live though - some in the Abruzzo area I think and some further down.

Getting materials doesn't seem to be a problem here - but most things seem to be more expensive than old B & Q. That might not be true for tiles or chic Italian kitchens and bathrooms though. Little things like door handles, taps, paint, nails, lights, wood, cement etc seem to be dearer.

Getting permission for things can take forever though so beware if you look at houses that need new roofs, walls etc. Plumbers and electricians are dear too.

If you do find a place and keep driving over here rather than flying you'll be able to bring stuff you need.

Anyway - stick around.

Lorna

davehornet6

hi Lorna. thanks. how long have you been in Italy?
i am pretty good at most D.I.Y as my dad is a (retired) plumber and my uncle a brilliant builder. so have picked up a few skills?
i have found several properties already that are structurally good with services, e.g water,sewerage,electric, but need fully renovating insides. obviously it is a bit too early to be getting excited about these as i dont have the funds yet.
will definately be driving down, love watching the loonies on the autostrade
and as you say bits and bobs are cheaper here. especially as the pound is getting hammered.

Lorna at Vicenza

Try driving with the loonies everyday Even worse - try being a pedestrian at a zebra crossing. It's often a case of "stop or kill me"

My Dad drove here on his bike in September - loved every minute of it of course but he's always surprised by the mad drivers on the roads.

How long have I been here ....... a really long time. 18 years - no it's 19 now.
Came here for a gap year before Uni. Never went back.

So if I got things right from your first post - you're hoping to buy a house here with an insurance pay off ? Hopefully you can count on it coming through a bit faster than it would here. Friend of mine waited 15 years before he got paid.

duffer

Learn the language. It will help you immensely getting things sorted.

Lorna at Vicenza

I think you deserve some karma Duffer for a very sensible post (for a change )

davehornet6

19 years. cool. do you consider it 'home' or is it 'not all that'
when my car went 'KAPUT' as the italian mechanic described it, the AA put us up in a 4* hotel in the centre of bologna. it is definately lethal being on foot! must admit though my driving fits right in. used to race bangers for a while which gets you in the mindset of the italian drivers. although nothing prepares you for the taxi driver that stops in the middle of a busy roundabout at bologna airport to get his phone out of his pocket? then starts shouting at other drivers as if they just stole his wife!!
the guy who pulled out in front of me when i had accident admitted it straight away and his insurance has been blinding?? ive already had £5000 as an interim payment to get my bills sorted and they have offered me another interim but im holding off on that as it will all come off the final amount.
just waiting till my surgery to remove my giggleberry and another 12 physio sessions and my solicitor will sort the independant medical exam. after that is submitted its a matter of coming to an agreed amount as settlement.

davehornet6

i was wondering about that karma button. didn't want to press it in case it ejected somebody or me!! what does it do?

davehornet6

Thanks duffer. you're definately right there. i learnt french at school which definately helped when we drove down through france and stayed the night in a 'hotel formule one'.
They mucked up the reservation so i sorted it in french, my mates had to sit down after the shock of me arguing with the receptionist in french.
they all thought i had only just grasped merci from passing through the tolls!
i know some very basic phrases in italian

Lorna at Vicenza

Hmmm - "home" funny word that.
I guess Italy is my home as that's where I live but I still tell everybody that I'm coming/going home for Christmas. One thing is for sure - I like my life here but I'll never be Italian. Yeah, I speak the lingo, know the recipes, know the rules and whatnot but there's too much British in me to ever be totally Italian about things.

I think I have it good - the best (and sometimes worst) of Italy and the best of British when I go back and buy and eat loads of stuff there. Nothing to stop me making a Shepherd's Pie here as well instead of lasagna.

What the heck is a giggleberry ?

duffer

Excellent, is yr giggleberry on contract or pay as you go?

Lorna at Vicenza

The karma button is supposedly to give a poster good karma for a funny, useful or interesting post. Some people use it to make a comment that they don't want other people to read on the open forum.

I don't think we in Italy ever really use it much but the folks in Oz, USA and other parts of the forum do.

To see if you have been given karma by anybody you click on "my profile" on the menu bar at the top of the page and scroll down.

Mr Posh

Welcome to Italy The land of Beuaitfull people, Great wine and Great food and oh ye duffer

Lorna at Vicenza

JohnD63

Hello Dave, welcome to the forum mate. Sorry to hear about your injuries, i've had a couple of broken bones and torn ligaments from motorbike accidents but nothing in your league Anyway Italy has a good climate for motorbike riding as you can tell by the Moto GP listings, the best are usually Italians.

I live on the suburbs of Bologna, 5 mins from the Lambourghini factory. I know of another English vehicle painter near Modena who's just finished at the Ferrari marenello plant and is working for my Fiancees brother. Hes been here for years.

Glad you have fun on the Auto stradas here. My other half doesn't like me driving there cos i get really wound up with the way these Italians drive inches from my bumper in the fast lane