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Try Rocarasso in Abruzzo.My family had a wonderful skiing holiday there 3 years ago staying full board at The Hotel Trieste.The train runs from Roma Tiburtina to Rocarasso for about 10 euros single.Check on trenitalia web site

Penny your post made me chuckle as my experiences are so similar to yours!I lived on my own in Italy this year for 3 months - my partner was too busy to come out for more than few weeks- I was 'pursued' by several older men who seemed to assume I was avaiable just because my man wasn't with me and I did things like taking my car to the garage ON MY OWN !!!! its pretty much unheard of for an ½ûÂþÌìÌà woman to drive a car if she's with her partner let alone drive it to a garage so I guess by doing so I was signalling my willingness to be dated?I was going to sleep at our house overnight but some local men made me feel so uncomfortable that I decided not to take the risk while I was alone.When my partner is about it all goes back to normal.Funny that!!     

Let's not get too personal with all this - I can assure you that I am not at all bitter or why would I want to continue to spend my time and money in Abruzzo? I try to focus on the moment rather than dwelling things that might or might not have happened to me in Italy ! Life's too short.I suppose what I was trying to do was to defend the comments made by the author of this article as I have found from past experiences on this forum that it generates lots of controversy whenever Italy or ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs are criticised. Sometimes people almost take it as a personal insult and I find  their reasons for doing so extremly interesting. It's as if they feel under attack personally and I wonder why this is so?That is why I always join in with comments posted on these types of threads! 

I actually think that the ability to feel happy in your own skin and to feel that you can be accepted for who you are is incredibly important !I Is it really a case of subduing you nature so that you can 'fit in'? How does that apply to gay couples ? What would they need to do to 'fit in' ?Sorry but you've missed my meaning sangy - and as you point out you are a couple ( not a gay couple I presume) so its hard to see how you can relate to the experience of a single person who trys to 'fit in'! You are making the mistake of assuming that your experience is the one that everyone will share and that's just never the case.Its great that you feel so accepted and welcomed and long may it continue for you.I'm trying not to be negative about Italy - there's so much to admire and enjoy there but also things to question and challenge too.

 'just moved here. We're restoring the grove down there on the San Lorenzo road." Total puzzlement. We told ourselves how nice it would feel when we weren't such a freak show.' quoteIf you think that she's exaggerating just walk into a bar on your own in the small village where we live.Small Town Italy is narrow-minded and insular and if you are a woman on your own a pretty dificult place to be 'yourself' in. Anyone who thinks differently is ( in my opinion)1. A man2. Incredibly unawareBut if you don't take it personally, if you persevere, if you take time to explain yourself and your plans and are prepared for the incredulity and astonishment that anyone from the UK with a good job and a nice home would want to live in Italy at all you'll find out whats underneath that 'hostile' stare. And you will end up with a lot of people who treat you as if you are mad and a lot of great new friends and some that just dont give a damn !If you want to the sort of life you live in a big city like London rural Italy is the last place in the world for you.    

If people don't get too touchy this is a great thread and so interesting to read other people's views.I suppose I'm living in the uk most of the time so I tend to compare everything in Italy to UK prices and that's things I really like buying like books ( 50p for a brand new paper back in my mum's charity shop).If I was much better off I would totally share Angie and Robert's philosophy and consider that what I'd lost on the financial side I gained on the Quality of life side.But I'm not,sadly.As a self-employed person I agree with Adriatica's comments regarding setting up businesses in Italy. People may see it as an escape from the rat race but what about when the bills come in?And a great big earthquakes hits -  meaning that tourism drops by 95% !!!! I love working for myself and my family tell me I shout less but I'm not sure what I'd have been like if I was doing it in Italy! 

We have found that planners,surveyors etc in Italy are not as aware as their uk conterparts on things like grey water recycling ,compost toilets etc, etc.They often worry that you may be polluting the local water table or as Adriactica says your own domestic water.Unless your ½ûÂþÌìÌà is very good I would try to research the subject on the net - try US living off the grid sites as these seem to have the most innovative ideas and suggestions - some even have youtube clips !!!You may then need to work very hard at convincing your local comune!!!I work on an Allotments Garden project in the center of Plymouth and we collect all our own water and have a very simple but highly effective compost toilet which is basically a shed built over a large pit where liquid and solid wastes go into separate chambers.This is a very clean and non- smelly system much more hygenic than the ½ûÂþÌìÌà 'inspection pits ' where concrete boxes fill up with water and untreated swewage that then 'stews' in the heat of the sun until enough water forces it down into the sewer or septic tank !Dry toilets and grey water recycling is the only way forward for countries where water is a scarce and precious resource and rather than seeing these systems as a problem for the environment they should be regarded as a benifit adding much needed organic matter and moisture back to the land and helping to fight dessertification.Bravo to you for trying!

Yes its all very well quoting figures for eating out and buying new clothes but these things are 'optional' surely?If I am having a 'bad month' I wouldnt choose to eat out at a pub or restuarant or buy someting new to wear; If I was doing well then I can treat myself ( I do own a credit card but I've never used it).What I was trying to point out that the unavoidable costs of living and working in Italy are much higher than in the UK comparing things on a like for like basis.There are many people coming to Italy trying to set up tourism businesses and it may be quite a struggle for them financially until they get regular bookings. They can cut out luxuries and concentrate on establishing the business but if they are then clobbered by massive tax, vat and insurance costs even when they are not actually making any money then its tough going.

I find it best to sow it in Aug / Sep in the uk as it doesnt seem to like being sown in June/ July. But that's because its been very cool and wet in Cornwall over the last 2 summers!It hates getting too hot and dry so keep it out of the hot sun and give it some good well rotted compost to root in and you'll have this lovely herb all year round (move onto window sill in winter)

I don't see that post as a rant ,its just very, very good advice and it would be helpful to lots of people considering the move to Italy.5 years ago we seriously considered swopping working as artist designers in the UK to Italy.However after spending 5 years making regular trips out to work on our house we have changed our minds totally as we just could not survive in Italy on our income.We don't earn much so we don't spend much here but at least I can chose to run a small car for £35 road tax and £250 insurance a year .In Italy no matter what car I ran it would cost 3 times that amount. We use wood burning stoves and keep energy use to a minimum but we do have wi fi and enjoy entertaining and visiting friends as well as making trips out to Abruzzo so we by no means live like paupers! We'd certainly have to in Italy.In the uk we can prepare own own tax return with no need to employ an accountant and its a simple matter to phone the inland revenue if there is a problem.What would be the alternative in Italy?We both rely on people buying our work online and contacting us through our websites but I know from talking to ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs there is little interest in  online shopping.I love our home in Italy but I just cannot afford to live there - luckily we discovered this fact before we moved out !