alan h's activity

Questions Asked

My place is between Lakes Orta and Maggiore, and I have used Flybe in the past to fly from Birmingham to Milan Malpensa.Looking for flights in Sept/Oct, I was disappointed at the high costs - so went to the Easyjet site to look at the Luton to Tur

Thu, 08/20/2009 - 04:27

I have often advocated swinging up through Belgium when travelling from UK to Italy, on the grounds of the cheap petrol in Luxembourg and toll free motorways. I did this route again a couple of weeks ago, but found the roadworks on the Dunkirk-Lil

Tue, 07/28/2009 - 09:32

 I thought it might help people not break the law [or get caught breaking it] to some info on speed cameras they might come across in driving down to Italy. [This really applies to people like me who don’t have a sat-nav that tells them all the in

Sat, 07/04/2009 - 11:03

When driving to Italy, [Lake Maggiore area], from Calais, I almost always drive up towards Dunkirk and then head East towards Luxembourg.   The reasons for doing so is simple:-

    Fri, 07/03/2009 - 12:52

    If you are driving down to Italy, this regularly updated AA site gives you the latest info on fuel prices across Europe.  Its useful for deciding where to fill up. Note - in Luxembourg, [where I always fill up - its worth the minor detour from Cal

    Thu, 07/02/2009 - 05:32

    Terrible accident in Viareggio. 

    Tue, 06/30/2009 - 04:50

    .     I heard this today on Radio 4.  I take it you already know of tough and bough and cough and dough?Others may stumble, but not you,On hiccough, thorough, lough** and through.Well done!

    Sat, 06/20/2009 - 16:58

    .   I'm considering handing over ownership of my ½ûÂþÌìÌà Holiday Home to my kids. Does anyone know

    • How easy this is to do, and how costly?
    • Whether this can be done in the UK - or do I have to do it in Italy?
    Fri, 06/19/2009 - 04:54

    Egypt 1 - Italy 0  ÌýÌý.

    Thu, 06/18/2009 - 18:08

    Comments posted

    Thu, 06/04/2009 - 04:19

    ³Ù°ù²âÌý

    Thu, 06/04/2009 - 04:01

    The only problem will be the capacity of the power supply.  In Italy, this is often only 3kW  [equivalent to 13 amps] so all you have to do is make sure you don't have more than 3000 Watts running at any time.  In practice, this means;-

    • ditch the electric kettle  [it takes almost all of the 3kW]
    • don't run your electric oven at the same time  as the washing machine etc

    Its easy peasy really  - or you can  pay extra for a stronger supply - but that's not very 'Green' is it? ÌýÌý.

    Answer to: I'm Gone
    Wed, 06/03/2009 - 17:40

    What also worked was the 'mark forums read' button that allowed you to avoid having to open a posting  just to get it off the 'new' listing. God - how I miss that one! ÌýÌý.

    Answer to: Hello!
    Wed, 06/03/2009 - 09:32

    "It feels a little strange and unfamiliar but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon" Some of us are still struggling

    Answer to: Driving to italy
    Wed, 06/03/2009 - 09:29

    If you look at the 'mappy' website, [or multimap. via michelin etc etc],  that will give you

    • approx petrol cots,
    • autoroute charges,
    • tunnel costs and
    • Swiss motorway vignette

    Ferry costs vary on route etc - the obvious crossing is Dover to France - costs vary between £60 return [Norfolk Line - weekday] to £200+ [Eurotunnel, P&O, Sea France - peak booking]. From Manchester, the Hull - Rotterdam overnight crossing looks expensive - but it saves about 250 miles driving each way, plus an overnight stop.  Driving distance from Rotterdam is similar to that from Calais/Dunkirk Motorways in Belgium are free - so it can pay to pop up from Calais - travel distance increases by about 12 miles only Cheapest petrol is Luxembourg [Belgium route takes you there] -   see -  Overnight stops vary from about £30 a night - Formula 1 up to whatever one wants to pay Allow 400miles/day max driving - so you won't feel completely knacke*red  [I try to keep it down to 300 - 350 max] "You pays your money and takes your choice"ÌýÌý.

    Answer to: Driving to italy
    Wed, 06/03/2009 - 04:13

    If you want to see what its like on the autostrada - go to     [scroll down page to see  relevant webcams If the road looks busy/stopped at the tunnel - leave the autostrada at the Varenzo exit and drive 'over the top', rather than through the tunnelÌýÌý.

    Tue, 06/02/2009 - 19:09

    We have a copy of this book in our ½ûÂþÌìÌà place - for friends staying there who don't speak the lingo.  We came across it when it was recommended to our GCSE ½ûÂþÌìÌà evening class. You can see it here    - click the page tags to turn them.ÌýÌý.

    Tue, 06/02/2009 - 13:54

    Try 'Googling' You get things like    ÌýÌý.

    Tue, 06/02/2009 - 11:31

    Daft as it sounds - one of the easiest options is probably to buy the small car in the UK, insure it with a company that will do extended periods abroad [there are a few] and drive it down  -  bringing it back once a year to re-tax, insure and [if necessary] MOT itÌýÌý.

    Mon, 06/01/2009 - 11:54

    There is a through train [mon - fri] from Aulla to Rapallo - leaves 09.20 - arrives 11.00 The only through train back leaves at 20.00 [arriving at Aulla at 21.25  [Both trains stop at other points along the CT] For all other options look at     its the best site for train times  This give plenty of time for 'sightseeing' and walking. For walking suggestions - look at sites such as the ATG and Inntravel websites for their Cinque Terre walking holidays - these will give you an idea of what you could do in a day. The walk along the coast is easier than the 'higher routes', but is full of Americans doing the '5 cities' - [ they don't know where they are - but they just know they've got to do the '5 cities']. Front page of the Forum site today -   Ìý.