Introduction

[Lyndon Sutcliffe]

Hi

My wife Oksana and I purchased a maisonette / apartment in the hills above Tortora this summer (2008).

We love Calabria and can't believe such a beautiful area had remained relatively undiscovered outside of Italy.

We're coming over to spend the Christmas period in the apartment - we have yet to furnish it and generally turn it into a home, so it's going to be a busy period for us.

We're looking forward to meeting with other (full or part-time) residents, and would really appreciate any feedback / help in getting our flat up and running.

All the best
Lyndon Sutcliffe

[Lynn]

Lyndon, how are you travelling to Scalea and are you going to have transport? Is your maisonette new or restored? Is it furnished? sorry to be so nosey but it makes it easier to know what you are facing so that wecan all give you the benefit of our combined experience!!

Lynn

[Doug]

Hi Lyndon,
Congratulations on your purchase. Diana and I have a place in Santa Domenica Talao that is just about restored and we'll become fulltime residents in early 2011 (earlier if possible). Tortora looks like a neat off-the beaten-path place that we have yet to visit. Your neighbor, Aieta, too is a town we must visit this winter. I'll be there for awhile starting November 15 to get our household shipment installed, then we both are there Dec 20 to Jan 3. Would love to meet you and Oksana to visit during one of the trips. Is a maisonette a "little house" in French? Is it a stand alone house, or within another older building like our's?

Our email is 14viacapella@gmail.com if you'd like to exchange information. We have used a couple businesses in the Scalea area for kitchen, bath, tile and household restorations and can share our experiences. (Mobili Sarrubi for kitchen, bed & light fixtures, and Crusco for bathroom fixtures, heating stove, floor and wall tile) We have yet to buy a couple wardrobe closets, sofas and some chairs, washing machine, so we're still on the prowl! Trying to keep our purchases with local community businesses as much as possible.

Hope to hear from you.

Cordiali saluti,

[Lyndon Sutcliffe]

Hi

Great to hear from you!

We're coming by plane to Naples (unfortunately no flights to Lamezia at Christmas time). We'll have a hire car.

Our apartment is a 2 up 2 down in the G.B. Mare Complex, Tortora (although nearer Aeta).

We've got Kitchen, Bathroom and beds - that's all! We'll probably be roughing it a bit for the first few days!

What I really need help with is understanding how much I need to organise in advance - things like satellite TV, Broadband Internet.

Will I be able to buy furniture for immediate delivery?

And also to know where to buy stuff like furniture, electrical appliances, crockery, cuttlery etc.

I can always be reached on my e-mail ls@lyndonsworld.com.

Arrivederci
Lyndon

[Lynn]

Hi Lyndon, Aeta is so beautiful. You are going to be in a lovely area. As to furniture etc you don't have a lot of choice. Ikea is an option in Naples . We will be going there on the way down in December. We have had our apartment renovated and I have to say that was the easy part. There is not a lot of choice in the area for furnishings, pictures, mirrors etc. Euronics for electrical appliances but no choice of furniture or the other niceties. For satelitte tv the best bet is local as it is important to check your reception first. If you can get Sky the bouquets aren't badly priced for the Italian version and if the programmes were originally made in English, as is normally the case for movies on Hallmark, fox etc, there is an originally language option on your remote. You can get a bouquet with BBC Prime and a few English channels as well as a sports channel, BBC World, Sky News, Hallmark, Fox movies for about 20Euro a month.

Benvenuto Mobili has a good choice of furniture at reasonable prices. They are in Grisolia Scalo. There is a Emmezeta Hyperstore on the A3 south before the Cosenza turnoff. Not sure of the name but they have a website. They have furniture. linen, building supplies, electrical etc, but again there is a very limited choice of decor items. It depends on taste, I suppose.

Hope that has all been a bit helpful. It's fun finding out what's available but frustrating when you can't find what you want. The simplest things like 50x50 scatter cushions are almost non-existant. Cuphooks are a curiosity. It makes you appreciate the choice we have on a daily basis. Good Luck!!!

Lynn

[Doug]

Good deal Lyndon,
If you scan through past posts on this excellent forum, you may find a lot about TV and the like. The SPA store in Scalea on Via Fiume Lao has quite a bit of general household items you mention, microwaves, and there are white goods stores near there too. They have some furniture if you want basic stuff, other shops near Scalea and Grisolia have better quality for the higher price. A lot of folks mention buying at the IKEA in Naples and shipping it down. Praia a Mare may have some things listed in someone's post that is closer for you.

Broadband is intermittent now and may not be in Tortora. Thru the Cohens, we discovered the "air card" concept that allows a computer internet access via mobile phone signals. This is what I'll use next month -- buying one of the cards that gives access to the TIM network. We may never bother with hardwire connections if this works suitably. There's a computer shop in downtown Scalea Edicola Eurotelefonia di Bloise Pino where you can get these devices, mobile phone SIM cards, etc. There may be WiFi in Tortora? It wasn't in SDT.

If I learn new things while there next month, I'll let you know. Watch the forum for rendezvous ideas around the holidays! The Pier Bar in Scalea is a popular meeting location....it's near the soccer stadium (oops, football) on Via Fiume Lao. We're starting to talk about a New Years gathering in Santa Domenica where one can watch the Scalea fireworks.

Ciao,
Doug & Di

[Italy4me]

I'm not sure I would agree that there isn't much choice for furniture etc. to be honest.
It is just a case of finding out which shops have the sort of thing you are looking for.
(And have you noticed that a lot of shops - of all kinds - seem to have very small shopfronts and then turn into Aladdin' Caves when you actually venture inside?)
There are furniture shops all along the SS18 between Scalea and Belvedere as well as others as detailed in other threads like this one:
http://www.scalea.info/forum/chit-ch...hen-shops.html (Furniture/Kitchen Shops)

That thread might be of interest to Lyndon as it refers to a shop called Nuova 2G in Tortora itself which might be a good start point.
Also this might be helpful_
Home products - Scalea Info Forums - Your window on Calabria in English

Regards, Lesley

[Lynn]

Hi Lesley, I personally don't think there is a great deal of choice. Plenty of outlets but the range of products is limited. But that is my opinion. I know I'm not alone in thinking that. We just spent 3 weeks looking for the simplest of things only to find that they were either unavailable or we had Hobson's Choice. For instance, we looked high and low for 50x50 and 60x60 cushions. We eventually found a place in Praia with 50x50. Not the best quality but we bought them anyway. It depends on what you want and how much time you have to get it. I suppose that if you are lucky enough to have months in the area to go searching then you will find what you want. Unfortunately for us, our visits are measured in weeks when we are lucky, days when we're not. We travel from such a distance that we don't want to waste time being frustrated. We hope to finish off our tiny flat this time and all that searching will be a thing of the past. Speriamo!

[Italy4me]

Hi Lynn,
I get your point about looking for stuff when time is limited.
And, also, when we first arrived and needed to buy things we just didn't know where the best places were to go looking - sometimes some things are sold in the most unlikely of places!
I will admit to heading to Ikea a few times when I knew they would have just what I was after and I couldn't find that certain something here.
That is particularly tedious when you are trying to buy locally to support the local community.
Another frustrating thing can be looking for stuff that isn't considered to be "in season".
In 2006 we were here at Easter and the weather was glorious so we set out looking for wooden outdoor chairs etc only to be met with little choice as it was considered to be "much too early!"

But I suppose if we look at all of the pros and cons we'd still be here, wouldn't we? 8-))

Regards, Lesley

[Lynn]

Hi Lesley, while we are on the subject of saving time and finding what you want without too much bother, what about the adsl issue? What's the best way to get access to the internet on an ad hoc basis. Obviously we will only be spending short, infrequent periods in Scalea so we don't want to get involved with contracts. We will be there fom 10th December till 15th.

thanks,

Lynn

[Doug]

Hey Lynn,
Regarding your internet question, I'm going to work with Pino about the "aircard" device that slides into the side of a laptop computer that I referred to above in comments to Lyndon. Stuart Cohen had one last summer in their place at San Nicola Arcella and it worked fine inside our place in Santa Domenica. It gets the signal from the TIM cell phone signal. I'm thinking you can buy the device/card and buy time like with the mobile phone SIMs, but Stuart or Janet should weigh-in here. I'll find out in a couple weeks regardless and report back. We bought an Apple Macbook computer instead of another Dell this time, so hopefully Italy services Macs.

PS, tell John I shipped my cordless drill to Italy, so we can use it to make holes for golf tees at Cetraro next time he wants to play!!!!!

Doug

[Italy4me]

Originally Posted by Lynn

What's the best way to get access to the internet on an ad hoc basis. Obviously we will only be spending short, infrequent periods in Scalea so we don't want to get involved with contracts. We will be there fom 10th December till 15th.

thanks,

Lynn

Hi Lynn,
Are you talking about accessing the internet with a laptop you are bringing with you?
If so the PC card that Doug mentions can be used on a Pay As You Go basis.

If the signal is good enough where you are you can get hi-speed internet at broadband speeds - and you can access the internet wherever you happen to be, at the airport, on the train or in your apartment.

TIM Mobile Internet Pay as you go offerings are...

Maxxi Alice Time Recharge.
&
Maxxi Alice Facile Recharge.

The first costs 25 euros for a 30 day period provided you don't use more than 9 gigabytes, (only someone downloading massive music/video files could get near this total - so it's great for most of us). However the usage is limited to off-peak hours - 17:00 to 09:00 (evening & overnight) each day and all-day Sat/Sun and Feste. If in someway you manage to exceed the huge data allowance you either - recharge the 25 euro fee early or pay a data fee for each megabyte until the initial 30 days is up.
The second costs 20 euros for 30 days but only gives you 500 megabytes and you can use this anytime you like - 24/7. If/when you use up the data allowance you can either recharge early (another 20 euros) or pay the high data fee for additional download.

Both of these PAYG options are great for sporadic visitors as you can recharge when you like - either early (within 30 days) if you use up the data allowance or after a gap (when you've returned home for a few months).
If you need to be online at any time of the day the second is for you - but this also probably means you use a lot of data so you might have to recharge more than once a month!!

Normal users will find the limited hours option (17:00-09:00 + weekends) more than adequate given the mass of data you can use.

Note - these two options are also available as monthly contracts instead of Pay as you go if you want.
PC Card Multimode
HSPDA 2100 Mhz - up to 7.2 Mbps
UMTS 2100 Mhz - up to 384 Kbps
Tri Band: GPRS - EDGE 900/1800/1900 Mhz up to 200 Kbps
Built-in Antenna
Ability to send and receive SMS
Access e-mail, Internet e Intranet

Regards, Lesley

[annetigano]

Hi all
We are new to your site. Have a small house in Petrosa, Scalea and we visit for 4 weeks at a time, 5/6 times a year.
Because we want internet in Italy and the UK we use "Three"'s mobile broadband for both countries. This works anywhere you can get a Three mobile phone signal.
The cost for us is £10 a month - this is for a 1GB usage per month. We use ours to keep in touch with friends, do our banking, check weather forecasts, flights, news etc. etc. We have never got near to using the 1GB.
It is just a USB 'dongle' with a sim card in it.
We have found that we can only get a signal outside or upstairs at our place - downstairs I think there is just too much concrete!!

Interested in everyone's comments on car hire - maybe we can all get together and get a deal somewhere.

Will be in Scalea for 4 weeks from 20 November.

All for now
Anne & Tony

[Lynn]

Hi Anne and Tony thanks for the info. I am a Luddite so all of this is beyond me. Maybe we can meet up in December. We are there from 10th to 15th, so not long but long enough for a few drinks at Bar Pier. I think there will be a few of us. Lets all keep in touch and you can explain what a dongle is in person!

Lynn

[Lynn]

Hi Lesley, lots and lots of info. I'll need to ponder it all. I am meeting with Giancarlo, who also has a place in Scalea(S.Nicola), this afternoon. He is a computer boffin and is also looking at options for adsl. He can interpret for me. Thanks alot. Will you also be in Scalea in December?

Lynn

[Lynn]

Hi Doug, you must both be getting very excited now. Will you be there when we are? Do you have our cell number? John says you need a jackhammer for those tees. We will discuss the internet access over a red wine at Bar Pier.

Lynn

[brynithel3]

Hi All

Drills, jack hammers that's the sort of golf I love. Can I bring a strimmer (for the rough) and a chainsaw (in case I'm too near the trees). There is nothing like being prepared for all eventualities.

Ciao

John

[Lynn]

What about golf clubs?

[brynithel3]

Hi Lynn

So that where I go wrong. I wondered why I couldn't get my handicap down to single figures.
The wife's iron, my wood chipper, door wedge and my spare steering wheel (driver) can be taken out of the bag and replaced by clubs. Now lets get this straight, we are not talking about the Neanderthal type wooden club but some fashion accessory to use whilst playing golf.

Ciao

John

[Italy4me]

Originally Posted by annetigano

Hi all
We are new to your site. Have a small house in Petrosa, Scalea and we visit for 4 weeks at a time, 5/6 times a year.
Because we want internet in Italy and the UK we use "Three"'s mobile broadband for both countries. This works anywhere you can get a Three mobile phone signal.
The cost for us is £10 a month - this is for a 1GB usage per month. We use ours to keep in touch with friends, do our banking, check weather forecasts, flights, news etc. etc. We have never got near to using the 1GB.
It is just a USB 'dongle' with a sim card in it.
We have found that we can only get a signal outside or upstairs at our place - downstairs I think there is just too much concrete!!

Interested in everyone's comments on car hire - maybe we can all get together and get a deal somewhere.

Will be in Scalea for 4 weeks from 20 November.

All for now
Anne & Tony

Hi Anne & Tony,
We spoke to you in the spring at Bar La Playa.
Not sure if you remember us?
Lesley & Brian