½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

Basically, you should avoid anywhere that makes Mortadella, ham, high-fat cheese or balsamic vinegar, all of which can be bad for your waistline, anywhere that makes fast cars or motorbikes, or the north which is flat and damp.
That just leaves Umbria then.
Seriously, Emilia Romagna is lovely and I hope that someone who is better informed and less facetious than me can answer your question.
You could try [url]http://www.lacasaemilia.com/[/url], but since they are evidently based in Yorkshire I wouldn't hold out too much hope!

Emilia Romagna is a beautiful region. Have you seen the movies with peppone and Don camillo? I know Guareschi's books are translated in English, if you wish to read rather than watching some movies. Actually a few months ago I was listening to the afternoon play on BBC radio 4 and it was an extract of Don camillo and Peppone... very weird to listen to it in English.

Also the Pupi Avati movies, and of course, fellini!

Paola

There's nowhere better than Bologna in Emilia Romagna in my opinion. Bologna has everything you need and none of the thngs you don't need. If you don't want to live in the country miles from anything then Bologna is the next best thing IMO.

All of life on your doorstep, a 24/7 city but one where people are polite, considerate and know how to cook and where to get the best ingredients.

[QUOTE=latoca]Actually a few months ago I was listening to the afternoon play on BBC radio 4 and it was an extract of Don camillo and Peppone... very weird to listen to it in English.[/QUOTE]
Even weirder to hear the actors performing Don Camillo in mock Geordy accents. I know Bologna is in the north east, but the BBC seems to have missed the fact that Italy is upside down compared to the UK.

The posh accents are in the north of Italy. IMO Sicily would be the equivalent of Geordyland, Bari is Barrow in Furness and Bologna would best be represented by a Southern English accent. Lampedusa would get an Outer Hebrides accent.

[QUOTE=Mannette]My husband and I are taking early retirement and want to relocate to Emilia Romagna. We have fallen in love with Bologna, but are also willing to consider some of the smaller cities, such as Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and Ferrara. Does anyone out there have any advice on places to try or places to avoid? All advice welcome![/QUOTE]
As has been said is a lovely region . Nevertheless consider that your area of range is to say the least vast from Parma to Ferrara.Personally i would tend to avoid the immediate area of Bologna which seems to get bigger by the day is quite industrialized etc etc.SUGGEST looking at Parma and or Ferrara at least for a stay ..they are very different.Perhaps Ferrara ,very beautiful and quiet , bicycles widely used, offers more long term guarantees of remaining a quiet,cultured, civil,interesting place than some of the larger towns you mention in all of these towns public services are pretty good.
good luck.

[QUOTE=Marc]Basically, you should avoid anywhere that makes Mortadella, ham, high-fat cheese or balsamic vinegar, all of which can be bad for your waistline, anywhere that makes fast cars or motorbikes, or the north which is flat and damp.
That just leaves Umbria then.
Seriously, Emilia Romagna is lovely and I hope that someone who is better informed and less facetious than me can answer your question.
You could try [url]http://www.lacasaemilia.com/[/url], but since they are evidently based in Yorkshire I wouldn't hold out too much hope![/QUOTE]

We bought our house from the above - reasonable company mainly focused in and around Villa Minozzo region - but I know at least one other poster who has bought via them and whom requested to be closer to Bologna and they came up with the goods

Purchase and viewing wise good company to work with, don't trust their Geometra he works for them {Obvious now when you think about it }, reasonable after sales service to

Well worth contacting in the frist instance - at least the propoerties they advertise are actually for sale and at the prices qouted unlike some of the english based on line estate agents

[QUOTE=lotaresco]Even weirder to hear the actors performing Don Camillo in mock Geordy accents. I know Bologna is in the north east, but the BBC seems to have missed the fact that Italy is upside down compared to the UK.

The posh accents are in the north of Italy. IMO Sicily would be the equivalent of Geordyland, Bari is Barrow in Furness and Bologna would best be represented by a Southern English accent. Lampedusa would get an Outer Hebrides accent.[/QUOTE]

I have been told by ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs (who admittedly won't venture further south than Rome unless they must) that the Veneto dialect is the most unintelligible in Italy, with Bergamo coming a close second which must make Brescia (sandwiched inbetween) an interesting place to learn ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ. In fact the good folk of Veneto (who have separist tendancies as we assumed of the Geordies did until they rebuffed Precott's devolutionist ideas) always complain that there are no newsreaders who sound like them - good job too! At least Geordie is kind of musical. I have also heard it said that the "best" ½ûÂþÌìÌà is heard in the words (and grammar) of Dante's Tuscany spoken with a Roman tongue. However, the one that does it for me is Massimmo Troisi (of Il Postino fame) and the oratory of Neopolitan advocacates is supposed to be pure honey so if you ever find yourself in a jam with the law...

A really good site with great service is [url]www.realpointitaly.com[/url], they have lots of properties in Emilia Romangna and they were really helpful.

Joe

I have just done a visit with LaCasaEmilia in Emilia Romagna and they were fantastic! They found me the property I wanted and couldn't have been more helpful.

[QUOTE=Mannette]My husband and I are taking early retirement and want to relocate to Emilia Romagna. We have fallen in love with Bologna, but are also willing to consider some of the smaller cities, such as Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and Ferrara. Does anyone out there have any advice on places to try or places to avoid? All advice welcome![/QUOTE]

Ciao Mannette,
I live in Modena and I studied in Bologna. Surely Bologna is the only city in Emilia that can be considered big and fully european, with a wide cultural offer, the eldest university in Europe and other schools for foreign students, the center of the regional institutions, an international airport, a beautiful medieval old town...

The other cities such as MO, RE, PR, FE are smaller and more "quiet". This means you won't find all the theatres, concerts, exhibitions and all the cultural events that make the BO day & night life so interesting and lively. Still, these cities are beatiful. I suggest you to have a visit in Parma and Ferrara. Parma is a gem, aristocratic, beautiful. Ferrara is the city of bicycles. Very warm and pleasant.
MO is at the level of PR.
Don't consider RE or PC, these cities are a step under the ones mentioned before.

The quality of life is similar in all this cities and every year they rank in the first 15th positions in the classification of the whole italian cities made by the Sole24Ore.

If you are taking in consideration also the sourroundings, my advice is to ignore the towns located between the via Emilia (the road that connects PC PR RE MO BO...) and the Po river. This area is pure Pianura Padana. Appreciated only by those who like humidity, moschito, a climate hot in summer and very cold in winter...

In my opinion, the best location is the narrow area between the Via Emilia and the firs line of hills, the Appennines in the south. Here you'll find the best mix: good landscapes, a territory not yet destroyed by factories and industrial districts, good climate with small humidity and acceptable temperatures even in summer, a "provincial" and genuine style of life, but at few km far away from the cities.
Some nice tows: Langhirano, Salsomaggiore Terme (PR).
Castelvetro, the hills between Maranello and Serramazzoni (MO).
All the area in the south of BO, the so-called "colli bolognesi", Savigno, Monteveglio (BO).

Strictly avoid all the area delimitated by Scandiano, Casalgrande, Rubiera, Sassuolo, Castellarano. Too many tile factories.

Hope this help, I apologize for my "unsteady" english,

good luck

Pavlein

[QUOTE=Paolino].......... in the classification of the whole italian cities made by the Sole24Ore.....[/QUOTE]

eeeeeeer, can you explain the Sole24Ore, please?

Tuscanhills, it's the italian business daily, like Financial Times, check [url]www.sole24ore.com[/url]

For some, for me unknown reason briefcase is called "ventiquattrore" (24 hours).

Rgs, Paul

No no nooo, I know that!

.........but they publish an annual list? Where can I find that?

[QUOTE=tuscanhills]No no nooo, I know that!

.........but they publish an annual list? Where can I find that?[/QUOTE]

Sorry about that! I understood from Paolino they publish the list, tried to search
the 24 site but couldn't come out correct italian words to find anything. Maybe
the info is in the archive sector which is payable. Paolino must know where to
find it.

Paul

[QUOTE=Panteric]Sorry about that! I understood from Paolino they publish the list, tried to search
the 24 site but couldn't come out correct italian words to find anything. Maybe
the info is in the archive sector which is payable. Paolino must know where to
find it.

Paul[/QUOTE]

for the year 2004, here:

[b][url="http://tinyurl.com/8vdu8"]http://tinyurl.com/8vdu8[/url][/b]

Thank you, that was very comprehensive presentation and I think will be of big interest for people on this forum. Tanto da studiare!