BUYING PROPERTY IN ITALY

Although Italy is well known for its red tape and bureaucratic way of doing things, it does not mean that it is not a good place to purchase real estate in. In fact, for some people this red tape gives them the assurance that the process of acquiring property in Italy is safe.
Buying a piece of property whether this be a posh villa in the romantic Lake District, a farm/ranch in the upper Umbria area or a stone mountain house in a country hillside is no less harder or easier in Italy than it is in the U.K. or anywhere else. The most important thing is to have a clear idea of your desired location and once you have identified this, to hire the services of an rent a car bulgariaestate agent or an Agenti immobiliari (also called mediatori). Whether you hire an Italian or a foreign one depends on you and, most importantly, on how fluent you are with the language as clear communication between you and your agent is imperative. It is also adviseable for you to acquire the services of an independent legal advisor to help you with all the legalities required by the sale.

STARTING A BUSINESS IN ITALY

Each year, more and more Britons travel to Italy, lured by the country’s sunny climate, rich history, designer shops and exciting cuisine. Surveys indicate, however, that each year also, more and more of these tourists are no longer content to just spend a week or two living the sweet life but want to stay longer on a more permanent basis.
A lot of them are making the big jump and leaving their home countries to establish a life in Italy and, unlike Spain which is really just for retirees, Italy is providing them a chance to start a new life via small business ventures that insure their productive stay.
Some, like Pam and David Bates from Chandlers Ford, Hampshire have launched a successful bed-and-breakfast business in 2001. Others pursue agritourism and offer local activities such as wine-making, cookery and language courses. David Fryer from Brighton put up his own yacht painting company in Tuscany after visiting a friend and getting hooked on La Dolce Vita.
The huge amount of paperwork, red tape and taxes means they need to generate more business than they normally would back home, but the payoff of a more vibrant and colourful life makes it all worth it, they all affirm.
If you are looking to establish a business in Italy, you must first visit your local chamber of commerce (camera di commercio) to register and obtain your certificate of registration (certificato di iscrizione della camera di commercio) and to obtain information on how to go about establishing your business. The Italian Chamber of Commerce in London can help you locate your local branch and recommend regional organisations like ITP (Invest in Turin and Piedmont) which was set up to attract investment into the region.

Great thought should be put in to where you would like to start your business - you never know, it may be the first of many international offices, restaurants or shops that you go on to proudly own! The place should have good connections given a lot of your work is likely to involve iternational travel (not least to see your family back at home!). Large cities are ideal for this. Not only are they more cosmopolitan and thus easier to integrate into as a foreign person but transport facilities are second to none. In Italy, you have enormous choice - with everything from Milan-London flights, Paris-Florence vols and vuelos Roma -Madrid, your life really will become jet-set as a business person!