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Glad to hear that you are finally enjoying your home, water connection included. We all learn through our errors.Late spring can ring some cold weather. Always have a supply of warm clothes and blankets at home.

"Piccolo villaggio, grande inferno" . (Small town, big hell). It is generally the case in all countries, in all languages.  I do hope that your friend will be able to overcome this painful experience.

Mulberry leaves appear in the coat of arms of the MOREY and MORIENS families, and a few others. In this case, it is obvious that it is because they are "armes parlantes) (French is used in Heraldry) or coats of arms that speak for themselves or that convey a message. They try to represent what the family name says: mulberry or mulberry tree. 

Hi Alan, to pretend that we all love everything ½ûÂþÌìÌà would be nonsense. First of all, and as you said, Italy is not perfect and there would be a long list of things and characters that people -perhaps not everyone- dislike. And we certainly write about those topics and discuss them. This has always happened and I am sure that it will continue to happen On the other hand there are some characters out there who use forums and the Internet for very dark, personal reasons and try to disrupt everything for the pleasure of it. We have had two recent cases who annoyed everyone and had to be banned by the Administration. These people are called "trolls"and they move from forum to forum. In both cases, they were n novices, as they had been banned from other forums. The posts sent by "Judecas" were not only negative but also obsessive. As for the other weird character, Ms Belsito, her posts were also highly disruptive in a different way. They seemed to be the work of a mentally unbalanced person. I did not mention this before, but following her first post I sent a welcome message on the same thread, something that I endeavour to do with everyone who is new on this site as a friendly gesture. Next thing I know, she is sending me a private message asking me to correspond with her through our own personal emai addresses... It is common knowledge that this is not done, mainly for security reasons. The Internet can be a dangerous place.

Sorry to hear about your predicament. We can get certificates regarding energy efficiency, cadastral entries, copies of deeds...; however we will never get a certificate stating that your neighbours are going to be nice.... In our case, we have been extremely lucky, but I have heard some horror stories. Good luck with your future plans!

Atessa, I am afraid that the feudal lords had no direct involvement in silk production. They will wear it and raise taxxes on it; however, the production and trade was in the hands of merchants, who, in turn , will start residing in cities, such as Lucca, creating a new social class, which the French called "bourgeoisie". It is said that that in the case of Lucca, some of them were of Greek and Jewish ancestry and that they came from the southern region called"Magna Grecia" . Also, the first workers, who taught the skills to the locals were Arab and they came from Sicily. Silk merchants became extremely wealthy and powerful. One of them was the Florentine Francesco del GIocondo, who commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to paint his wife, Mona Lisa del Giocondo, or "La Gioconda". All that from the humble mulberry tree and the silkworms!

Actually, very close to our home in Bagni di Lucca , there is a derelict building which used to be a silk mill. Many of the local women and children, because of their smaller and more delicate hands, used to work there.nThe silk industry was a most important source of income for the Lucca region since the 12th Century. Tuscan silk was highly appreciated throughout Europe.

Mulberry trees have been an important source of income for poor families in Italy. They grow very well in most parts and their leaves were sold to feed the voracious silk worms, at the base of Italy's silk industry which used to be far much more important in the past than nowadays, when China's imports have become prevalent. On the other hand , I feel that the "symbolism" mentioned by the old owner, is related to the fact that the tree was "reborn" from its own ashes, like a phoenix. There is a strong symbolism in that rebirth against all odds.  

If you google using the words "larvae garden pests" you can get plenty of images that will allow you to identify the culprit. In many cases larvae cause damage as they are voracious eaters.

Grammar is the backbone of any language. There has been methods claiming that you learn any language without learning grammar. As far as I know, they haven't been able to prove their claim. Parrot learning does not work. On the other hand "functional grammar" is the answer. Students need to know how the language works in order to assimilat what they learn. Exposure to the language or immersion are necessary to make progress, but we all need some basic knowledge of the language's own structure to be able to properly assimilate knowledge.