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!

The minute you have identified the property you are interested to buy, it’s time for you to approach an estate agent or agenti immobiliari (also called mediatori).
A real estate agent may be an Italian or a foreign real estate agent. The choice of which one to hire is up to you depending on your ability to understand the Italian language and/or speak it as clear communication between you and the agent is of prime importance.
There are corresponding pros and cons to your choice of a real estate agent. An Italian real estate agent, especially one who lives and works near the property you are interested to buy has a deeper understanding of the zoning regulations and possible problems in that area. A lot of agents are either relatives or friends of the neighbors surrounding the subject property which guarantees an insider’s approach as well as discourages the seller from overpricing.
A foreign real estate agent, on the other hand, most of whom are English, speaks your language and thus better understands your needs. Moreover, a foreign agent may have the edge of experience in dealing with buyers who have had to transfer money from abroad or who do not live in Italy the whole year round. The only downside with getting a foreign real estate agent is that they tend to charge more than a local Italian agent.
The final decision rests on you. The importance of language and knowing exactly what your real estate agent is talking about is important and must be a basis for your choice and your ultimate decision. As Peter Kennealy, who bought an apartment in Florence’s San Frediano area with views of the city’s Renaissance skyline, advises, dealing with estate agents is only about language – especially where superlatives are concerned.
“An apartment described as illuminoso is really a dark pit. You’ve got to look for illuminosissimo. An apartment that is tranquillo is not as quiet as one that is tranquillissimo.”
Make sure also that you enlist the help of as many professional sources as possible when you buy property. This is a means to protect your interests.

Visitors of Italy who come during the Christmas Season complain of the lack of Christmas spirit even while they gush about the solemnity of the midnight mass in St. Peter’s Square.

It’s true though. If you are looking for the green and gold brightly lit Christmas Trees and the red and green window decorations plus the bigger than life plaster images of Santa and his reindeer then you are in for a bit of disappointment.

Christmas in Italy is more serene and religious. In fact, the feast of Epiphany on the 6th of January is sometimes given more importance than the 25th of December itself. The Italians, however, love the Christmas season so much that they actually celebrate it for an entire month starting on December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Mother.

As early as the time of pagan Rome, this period between December and January was celebrated. It started with the winter solstice festival and ended with the Roman New Year, the Calends. Emperor Constantine extended this celebration to the 6th of January, the period during which the Three Kings were believed to have seen the infant Jesus. In celebration, the Romans too exchanged gifts with friends and loved ones during this day.

In modern Italy, there are also brightly colored Christmas Trees but the core of the decorations is the Nativity scene – the infant Jesus lying in the manger. Italians are particularly proud of the manger created in 1223 by St. Francis of Assissi.

Christmas music mostly come from bagpipes that are played in the market squares by the zampognari, shepherds who come down from their mountain homes at Christmas time to play their bagpipes, so popular in the regions of Calabria and Abuzzo and in the piazzas of Rome. This tradition of bagpipes dates back to the ancient Roman times. Legend has it that the Blessed Virgin Mary was entertained in Bethlehem by shepherds playing their bagpipes.

Santa Claus has a female counterpart in Italy and she is called La Befana, an old woman who flies on a broom and brings presents. Italian legend narrates that the Three Kings asked La Befana for directions to Bethlehem and had invited her to join them but she refused thrice. When she was finally convinced through the appearance of an unusually bright light and a band of angels, she was too late.

La Befana never saw the Christ child and since then has been searching for him. During the Feast of Epiphany on January 6, La Befana goes out on her broom to drop off treats to the sleeping children of Italy pretty much like Santa Claus does with his reindeer.