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If you need to ask you don't need to know! 

If you are thinking about putting in tie bars for structural reasons I'd expect an engineer to be involved, and he will specify not only the diameter of the bars, but also the quality of the steel and design of any end plates.  In Italy the authorities are very particular about structural alterations (including improvements) especially in zones considered at seismic risk, and the cost of any tie bars is likely to pale into insignificance compared with the fee payable to the engineer for his report!

Yes, the BoE have the opportunity to do QE, so does the Fed. They've both done it. The ECB (arguably) doesn't have the authority (aka power) to do any money printing - and obviously EZ Sovereign banks gave up the possibility when they joined with, (in the case of Italy!) great celebration, the Euro. Every country which joined the Eurozone (in my opinion) simply didn't understand that they were being deprived of an accelerator and a brake. The mainstream American investment community didn't understand that there was a difference between a Bund and a Btp - which was pretty stupid of them, because they dived into the higher yeilding sovereign securities like there wasn't any risk. They wanted (still want) to have the benefit of a risk premium but are unwilling to look at a loss. It's easy to 'blame' these manipulators - but they were using politically sensitive money (pension funds of voters), so although they made stupid investment decisions to allow them to suffer any loss is anathema to politicians. But that's only the fundamentals of the difficulties of sovereign debt. If the commercial investment banks (worldwide) were not in so much trouble because they had invented an enormous sackful of what they call 'money', which they sold to each other, and which basically (and realistically) is worth zilch, then they wouldn't have to push their problems onto the sovereigns. But clearly - that is their soft option - because it then becomes political! Whoever siad he admired Roubini - I'm in total agreement. His point of view (in a nutshell) is that fundamentally the whole system (not capitalism, but creditism) is completely fracked. The road along which 'our leaders' are kicking the can might just be infinite - we live in interesting times. As far as I can see, Roubini does not have any concrete suggestions (at least, none which the Germans would countenace). As far as Italy exiting the Euro - there are persuasive voices from the Berlusconi camp (mainly Claudio Borghi, economics editor of Il Giornale) - which suggest that the devaluation resulting from any ½ûÂþÌìÌà euroexit are already factored in (as far as sovereign yields are concerned). As a disinterested observer, I'm somewhat inclined to relish the scenario of Spain or Italy effectively squeezing the zit of the Euro, and watching the pus hit the fan.

Have you got a smartphone? I have a wonderful app on my Android phone called Brightest Flashlight, and it works both as a very powerful torch, and also as an emergency lamp. It uses surprisingly little battery power - and saves clutteing up my bag or pockets with phone and torch. I'm sure something smiilar is available for IOS.

This is an awful story - my sympathies with you and with your Dutch would-be renter. But - it seems to me that your rental site (perhaps it has the initials OA?, but that's not very relevant) could well be the source of the difficulties, and they are trying to fob you off. I appreciate that pursuing it further might be time-consuming, but I wouldn't be deterred by the fact that we have a Dutch person involved at all - get onto a trading standards officer would be my advice. If it is a UK website find their area and get the relevant office.

Now this is a reply specifically to Andy T (apologies to those few who read in threaded view!) Your comments about 'high end cars' - of course, the same is true of Greece - remind me of the 1960's when 'every' council house tenant had a cocktail cabinet and a TV, and it 'wasn't right'! But in those days, there were credit controls, and you could only get a bit of a Porsche on HP. Ask yourself who made the credit available to the spendthrift Greeks and ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs - Daimler Benz, Porsche, BMW - predominantly German firms acting as bankers, and luring newbie borrowers with siren calls. Okay, the borrowers should have been more sensible - like people should not gorge themselves on MacDonald's burgers or immense Colas - but when the advertising is overwhelming it takes a Saint to resist. Of course, wedging everybody into a common currency (the euro) was bound to end in tears - but it is less than surprising that the politicians who forced this through are now trying to protect (at, it seems, all costs) the imbecile currency rather than their populations. We haven't even exited the starting gate yet, but I would not be too sanguine about the prospects for Sterling.

By anybody's criteria (given today's real estate prices) that house in Collevalenza is a bargain. Whether it is a good investment is debatable - iit depends on your view of the possible developments in any national or international property market, and your longer term views on currencies I suppose - but if you are even marginally bullish about property, and fancy an impressive pad in Umbria, it is a no brainer. Probably it is being offered at an affordable price because it is a forced sale, although Ugo also alluded to some bureaucratic niceties that needed tidying up - presumably paid for by the seller (though if that is Equitalia maybe not!) Anyway, I'd recommend viewing it (with the caveat of the catastal stuff) to anyone looking for a fancy gaff in Umbria, even if they were looking for a property at twice the price.

Correct me if I am wrong, but fundamentally nothing has changed. Whether something would have changed had the UK signed up to the treaty, I am not qualified to say - but from experience with a number of successions (UK citizens resident in Italy), the statement within a written will that the estate was to be treated under UK law was respected by four different notaios in the (relatively distant) past. The important thing is to write a will, and not leave it to chance!

I can get about 1.5 quintail (150kg) in the back of my Merc A Class with the back seats up. I'd guess a bit less than 0.7 meter cube for this amount, so something like 0.45 metre cube per quintali. (1 m square, 45 cm high)

If any dedicated Muslim happened to reside close to the Arctic circle I think he'd have a workaround. The Koran is quite flexible unless you are of the Taliban or Iranian persuasion, and you would only follow the mad mullahs in extremis.