Tourist season a few phrases

Re: In bocca al lupo!!!
I believe it's a reference to Cappuccetto Rosso-- Little Red Riding Hood. The fairy tale is more famous in Italy and the UK than North America even, having inspired many films. It is directly translated "in the mouth of the wolf".

Crepi is, "to hell with".

- So che domani hai un essame . . . in bocca al lupo!!!
- Crepi il lupo!!!

Or tomorrow you have an exam ...

Email to a Canadian friend Bergamo hotels recommedations

Hi Richard you would probably like to be in Citta Alta, have you visited there before?

Citta Alta Hotel Piazza Vecchia, right in the centre of the old city, dates from 1300ad, but I believe they have running water and maybe a phone now costs €158 per night for the dates I believe you will be in town more or less?

>http://www.hotelpiazzavecchia.it/eng/hotel.htm

Citta Bassa still good for the centre so if your wife would like to take a wander on foot while we are in meetings this one is also good, it’s the Hotel Capello D’oro, (Dan Dixons favourite hotel in Europe apparently) it’s a Best Western and in the centre of the shopping district with advanced payment this one come in from €112 a night http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=98166

We have the Hotel Donizetti, this is about 3kms outside Bergamo and bang in front of the old Eicon/3 Continents/Dialogic offices.

http://www.hoteldonizetti.com/eng/index.html

€67 per night. They offer a good breakfast in the price and the hotel restaurant is also up to good Trattoria standard in the evening.

Binge drinking Teenagers have arrived

I assume this is the start of that time of year when strange things happen, and the strangest thing was the Italian ones hit the UK press first and visa versa.

I heard about the Milan ban on the under sixteens drinking on Saturday on BBC radio 4, with the warning of dire cosequences for the parents :-( instand fines, gaol forced to watch Atalanta play next season etc:) but caught up with the same in La Repubblica only published the 19th, well Bellusconi thinks it's a fine idea, and the parents will get a ticking off during the 40 day trial, a bit less Draconian. I think I must agree with him on this one.

We had first hand experience of this "new to Italy" experience that I have seen to my horror in UK. Around the 10th of June schools out, working from home in the quiet residence where I live, we were all rather concerned to see an Ambulance arrive at the door to our block.

Net curtains were twittering ike semaphores all expecting that one of the older Nonna's had kop it.

But no!

A hairy pair of legs uder the blanket of the stretcher indicated a male casulaty. Infact it was, the 15 year old so of a friend downstairs who had had 10 too many and collapsed.

Yup Binge drinking is almost alive and green in Provincia di Bergamo!

Uk to Italy, so I was chatting to Luca our Portinieri (Janitor) this evening and explaining how England had thrashed the Aussies at Lords for the first time since 1934, and wasn't it wonderful, and what did he think of cricket? could we form a team? He told me an umpire had been killed by a strike from a ball in the UK, and now they may have to wear helmets.

After that he drew the positions of everyone involved it was a throw by a fielder killed the poor chap Alcwyn Jenkins 72 years old in a League of Wales game. Regarding our new team Luca's opinion is it's to dangerous, and lasts too long, and he would rather stand with the Inter supports during a derby with AC Milan (His team) to feel safer :-(

. He may not know much

Tomorrow Barca Man Utd

Well it's the highlight of the soccer season. If you fancy a flutter I recommend you visit the following site that is Hunchers, the thing I like is that you can see the view of the worldwide punters. At the moment Man U are ahead 56% but i think Barca will get it.

I am not supporting either side tomorrow but hope we get a cracking game!! Unlike most UK betting sites it's not blocked by Italian authorities.

Looking for a holiday villa in Le Marche

Some friends of ours from England are looking for a holiday rent in le marche in July for 4 adults and 4 kids if you happen to have such a place or know someone who does please get in touch.

Thanks

Consumers do have a voice in Italy...really!!

Last year I received a gas bill from E.on for €1,455 because they had not read the meter of over 2 years. I had actually paid €900 in this period, after calls to the call centre faxes nessimo I was about to throw in the towel, my avvocato said he couldn't think of anything to do. But then I found the Associazioni Consumatori Bergamo, part of a national network I started calling Rome Associazione Consumatore the people were helpful, passed me on to Milan and then I arrived with Bergamo.

The first thing to do was to meet the consultant in his office, here in Bergamo the offive hours are 8:30-12:00 so check before you drive into town.

He strongly advised me to force E.On to grant me a meeting, which I did after insisting and just turning up. Their position was fixed no deal.

I went back to AC, signed on as a socio €35.00 for 1 year. 2 days later got an appointment with their avvocato and within 2 weeks we had a new proposal from E.On for €487.00! done deal :-)

So what is the lesson:

1)The law now says Electric ;gas or other operators cannot leave it 2 years to read youn meter. But now we do it every 2 weeks to check all is as it should be.

2) keep this org. in mind they actually are helpful and effective in the battle us expat consumers have to fight every day.

Web design new service

We are getting to launch the 5th web site that my son Ryon, has designed. This is a bit of a first as it's for an entirely Italian company,if you were thinking how to get your own website up and running please feel free to get in touch and see how we can assist you.

We are also able to run tri-language sites English, Italian and Spanish. so if we can help we can build web sites that work . You will need to decide how to use tool like Adsense and Adwords to promote your site but the main thing is that we keep your site looking as fresh as you need it.

How to get the latest Radio 4 news on the Internet

Yippee!! I've worked out how to do it, so you go to the BBC Radio 4 web site, select news and go for the Midnight news, this means you can get..... from yesterday. it's betteer than their other news feeds which are old and awful.

So if you want to pick up more sleeze than you find in the SUN in the best tabloid that is The UK Government it's all there for you.

Have fun

Internet Radio and TV

As promised here are my recommendations. For Internet Radio the best site by far in my opinion is www.radiopaq.com at present I am listening to Kyss 102.5FM on St Kitts-Nevis totally clear no breaks. The neat thing is you can search by country and by genre like Sport or music. Yesterday I followed the Conference Playoff final on BBC Radio Cambridge.

For Internet Sport my recommendation is www.rojadirecta.com this tranmits free streaming from atletics to Wrestling and pretty much all sports in between even bowls!!

Rojadirecta is not a tranmitter but a directory, they typically tell what video players are available about an hour before the start. You click once on the event you are interested in and the player info will open up.

Of the players some you need to download some you don't. The main download ones are Sopcast, TV Ants and TUplayer, the biggest non download player is Justin. Next to the tranmitter info is information in the language in [en] for example English.

You will need about 60kb of effective bandwidth to have a good stream, if you cannot get video return to Radiopaq and listen instead.

Free Parking Bergamo Airport

Sometimes the car park for travellers at Orio Al Serio or Bergamo Airport can be over capacity or full of traffic. We were leaving for a short trip to the Uk the last bank holiday weekend and that was the situation.

So to avoid missing the flight, I dropped of my passengers and parked in the free carpark of Orio Serio Center a very large Centro Commerciale, there is a pedestrian tunnel that takes you under the autostrada with signposts for the airport it took me 7 minutes to arrive that check in.

We were away fro 4 days, on return I went back picked up the car and collected the family and off home we went.

Following your sports team from where you now live

I would be really interested to know tips and means to follow the hometown sports team from where you now live. By Satellite Internet whatever.


Also I would be interested to know why the BBC 4 news is rubbish after the site was recently redesigned so now we are "allowed" the news from the BBC once a week!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00g3j4x/episodes/2009

Jeez the Europeans under occupation in the second world war could hear it every night if there were no Nazis around!

I see no Nazis :/

Expats in Italy

Here's a very comprehensive site with links to many excellent blogs and sites that you should find useful http://www.expatsinitaly.com/

Why Atalanta not Bergamo FC

A lot of people, who are interested in Italian soccer ask me why Atalanta is the football Club of Bergamo and not FC Bergamo. It's a good question considering that there are not 2 major clubs in the city unlike Milan, Rome or Genova.

Actually the original "big club" in Bergamo was Bergamo FC formed by wealthy Swiss imigrants in 1904. Atalanta taking it's name from a the female athlete of Greek mythology, were rivals from another part of the city. Although formed in 1907 (As you will see from the graffiti sprayed all over the city and surroundings) They did not enter the league until 1914 and ggot into Serie A for the first time in 1937, then got relegated immediately, this is quite a habit.

The only silverware the club has won is Coppa Italia in 1963 and the hall of fame of the past and present players is pretty sparse.

However the fans are fanatical, the Curva Nord is the home to the Ultras, the stadium has definitely seen better days. However a trip to an Atalanta match if you want to feel the heat of a game in Serie A is recommended. For those who remember English soccer in the late 70s and 80s will find the atmosphere and state of the stadium very similar.

One anecdote. I took an Italian friend from Bergamo to see the side I support Portsmouth FC playing a premiership game at home. As we were walking to the stadium he saw the luxury coach of the opposition parked quietly in the genral car park no guards. He was stunned, he said why haven't you destroyed it. I said "Luca this is English Soccer 2008 we don't do that anymore" (Except at Millwall!!)

Traffic violations and fines a few tips for visitors

I live in Italy and have from time to time got fines for parking, speeding etc. My 21 yr old son is actually an expert on getting hauled up.

It would be convenient to pay by credit card particularly from abroad but there are 2 problems.
1. This facility does not exist, cetainly in Lombardia where I live.
2. This point is important because each Italian region has it's own system.

Therefore the most suitable way is wire transfer using Swift and IBAN references. It is important as the contributors have done to check diary, photos to be sure it was you. And if possible verify the communcation is not a scam.

Consider that my wife received a demand for a fine for parking in a banned spot in Rome, when she was taking the kids to School near Milan. My eldest son was apparently involved in hit and run on his motorbike in Verona when he was at school (And we did check the register) in Monza!!

I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have as an English resident in Italy for 14 years.

Secret of getting between Orio Serio Malpensa Linate

I was at Rome Fiumicino airport earlier this year and amazed and disappointed to find there is about 1 bus a day connecting it with Ciampino Airport where i wanted to meet a work colleague arriving from France.

I thought the same problem existed getting from Milan Linate and Milan Malpensa to Bergamo Orio Serio airport but there is a trick. Buses to and from Linate and Malpensa, that run every 30 minutes or so during the day, stop at the medtro station Cassina di Gobbo and from there is a quite frequent service to Bergamo airport, therefore if you're arrriving at these airports you are not forced to spend €110 euros plus for the taxi ride.

Monza Park

With the good weather yesterday we decided to head off to Monza Park. Monza is about 15 kms north of Milan and well known for it's racetrack. One of the incedible things about the park is that not only does the race track fit into one corner but there is also an 18 hole golf course and still miles of Park to go round.

On Sunday the transit roads across the park are closed to motor traffic so it's a great place to go cycling or roller blading or just take a stroll.

There is ample parking (mainly chargeable) and a number of kiosks and small restaurants dotted here and there. We took a picnic lunch and it's easy to find a tranquil spot far from any crowds even on mothers day Sunday when everyone seems out and about.

On line payment Tasse Automobilistica Regionale

I've been trying to find out if it's possible to pay these for the region of Lombardy online, with no success either with Taxtel or ACI. Does anyone have any ideas about this?

Cycling Milano Martesana

Even if you're in the centre of Milan you can cycle without having to battle with the traffic, my favourite route is the Martesana route which takes you from the centre to Cassano D'Adda. Starting from Via Padova it runs 38kms east to link up with the River Adda at Cassano D'Adda.

In total the gradient is only 16 mtrs over the whole route making it suitable for any type of bike and also easy for smaller members of the family.

Follow this link for more info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martesana_Canal

Cycling River Adda

If you like cycling but are worried about battling it out with Italian car drivers I can recommend an excellent track by the river Adda that runs from Lecco to Cassano D'Adda. The River Adda is actually the 4th biggest in Italy, running for 313 kms from Monte Del Ferro through lake Como to the River Po at Castelnuovo Bocco D'Adda.

From Lecco to Olginate the cycle track is not complete and you will need to return to the main road from time to time so I don't really recommend this section to those who want to stay "off road". However from Olginate as far as Cassano D'Adda the track is good.

The best access points if you are bringing your bikes by car are Brivio, Imbersago, Paderno Adda, Porto D'Adda , Trezzo sul Adda, Vaprio sul Adda or Cassano D'Adda.

The track is used by pedestrians and sometimes horses as well as bikes, in particular Sunday afternoons can result in a lot of traffic! I would recommend the section from Paderno D'Adda as far as Cassano as the best, widest section if you decide to go at that time.

The gradient is pretty easy for most sections, the steepest is rising from Porto D'Adda to Paderno D'Adda. However it's worth the leg work as the river scenery and the rapids are spectacular if the river is high andd you can also see the canal system constructed by Leonardo Da Vinci at close quarters.

The track is perfectly suitable for ordinary street bikes and Mountain bikes. I would advise you to prepare to get dirty if it has rained recently on the section Imbersago to Brivio as this is mainly a mud track.

Recommend you visit Expat Blog

I recommend you visit the excellent Expat Blog www.expat-blog.com it is packed with info, experiences and news from around the world.

Bergamo what it's like

An English friend once described it as "il gabinetto" of Italy. I guess being so close to the Alps any loaded cloud heading north is going to download over our heads, so you have to keep an eye on the sky over the lakes, the south, and Milan to see what's going to hit you when!

Funny thing is that having spent my first years on this earth in England living near Portsmouth I love to have the Alps as a reference point in the same way that I could orientate myself in Hampshire just by finding out which direction the seea was, south! Alps north.

In fact a few years ago flying back from the UK and passing the Alps on the approach to land I unconciously thought "Ah good home again" I realised at that point I had crossed the line. Life in Bergamo is pretty quiet compared to Milan, in fact compared to many people, consider that 35% of the population are pensioners. It comes as quite a shock to go to a city like Dublin that seems to be overflowing with young people and babies. In fact my kids once asked my ex "what have they done with the children?" Fact is there arn't so many of them.

The Bergamaschi are a gernerally pretty reserved lot, you will not make instant friends, but over time they get to open up to you. Many times I was asked cautiously if I was German, replying in the negative that i was English their faces lit up, va bene. I think there are still long bad memories about WWII particularly among the older citizens.

As a City Bergamo's jewel is "Citta Alta" if you haven't visited it yet you will find a stunning walled Medieval City untouched by modern buildings, the views in all directions are amazing. Living so close we don't go there as often as we should, too many tourists today comment.... But that's always the same when you could go any day. However a visit is really recommmended.

Another plus for Bergamo is it's closeness to the lakes Como, Iseo and Garda. Ideal for a "gita" in summer, in winter the ski locations of Fopolo and San Simone are less than 90mins drive away (except Sundays) and Madessimo not so far away.

Hi from Bergamo

Hi my name is Chris. I live just outside Bergamo. I have been living in Italy for 14 years and work in the IT and Telecommunications sector. My partner Ana is Spanish and we've been together for 7 years. I have 2 boys by my ex wife one of 21 yrs and the second is 15.

I weould be delighted to tell you what it's like living and working in this area Bergamo and about my experiences in Italy in general. What ever it is you want to know, holidaying, eating out, night spots, work, the Bergamaschi even Atalanta, just ask.