Scalea Info Newsletter - May 2008
For local news, information on events, reviews and feedbacks.
News
News
Marine plans, more talks but no date"
Plans have been passed to begin the construction of Scalea's port. The small harbour will incorporate the Torre Talao, it will have an inlet of 40 metres and take approximately 320 boats. This will be an important infastructure for the town and will bring in added tourism. Start date is to be confirmed but aims to be completed within 2 years. This project has been in the pipeline for some years now and along with Piazza Caloprese would significantly improve the town for foreign tourism.
Football Stadium improvements for local club
The football stadium 'D. Longobucco' has been given a new look last autumn and is due to be handed over late April. The new look will include astro turf, replacing the mixture of sand and dirt which surely hampered AS Scalea's fortunes. No excuses now boys.
Free Italian Lessons
For permanent residents in Scalea and the surrounding area there is an Italian for Foreigners Course held at the High School. Classes are Monday to Friday from 4.00 p.m. - 6.00 p.m. The academic year runs from September to June but you can join in at any point. Enrolment is necessary and can be done at the school in the mornings between 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. You will need to produce a Permesso di Soggiorno or Residency papers. These Lessons are free as they are funded by the European Social Fund and all nationalities are catered for.
Scuola Media "G. Caloprese", Via Degli Uberti, 1. Tel. 0985 20988
http://www.scuolamediascalea.it/modules/news
More flights needed to Calabria from UK & Ireland
With the number of foreign visitors to Calabria increasing we believe we have a strong case to put to them for greater Ryanair flights to Lamezia from Stansted currently the only real option to arrive in Calabria have a limited use. Visitors from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Nothern England and the Midlands need options as well. Every signature counts so please sign up.......many thanks.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Choicetolamezia/?e
May events in the area
see Events Calendar for further information
Festa at Tortora Marina
1st May - Piazza Stella Maris, Tortora Marina
10.00 a.m. Stands with local produce, local crafts and visual art.
16. 30 p.m. Street Artists, jugglers, fire-throwers, stilt walkers.
17.00 p.m. Live music and dancing to include: Concert by the Provincial Wind Band of Cosenza, Tarantati Ballet folk dancers from Foggia, Opa Cupa of Lecce Balcani. DJ Ue, Cervone of Naples.
Buy a lottery ticket for 5 euros and win a Fiat 500!
Maratonina
1st May - Via Michele Bianchi (Morning event) Mini Marathon - Associazione Flos
Praia A Mare Motoraduno
10th National Motorcycle Rally Loc Fiuzzi
2, 3, & 4 May 2008 - Praia A Mare
Events include: Motorcross freestyle show, motorcycle exhibition and competitions, live music and dancing, all-night disco, Miss Tattoo and Miss Swoosh, fitness area & visual art.
More info: http://www.mirospotpoint.com/images/motoraduno.pdf (page 2 shows the full programme and timings) info.comitato15@libero.it
Day of sport
9th May - Football Stadium (Morning event) Amministrazione Comunale - Scuola Elementare
Azalea flower show
11th May - The square next to Interspar (8.00 a.m.) Association Italiani per la Ricerca Sul Cancro (AIRC) & Pro Loco Scalea
Giro D'Italia National Cycle Race
14th May - Stage 5 (170km) leaves Belvedere Marittimo going North along the coast- through Scalea -
and onwards into the Basilicata. Route Map http://www.steephill.tv/giro-d-italia
It will be quite a spectacle and is a great honour for Belvedere and the towns along the route.
Cycle race of the Riveria dei Cedri
18th May - Patrenza Piazza Aldo Moro (Morning event) Associazione As Bici Sprint Affiliata Udace
Festival of the Wild Boar
23rd - 25th May - Piazza San Padre Pio (Starts at 7.00 p.m.) Ristorante Pizzeria Antica Osteria
Push & Shove Car Competition
25th May - 1st Giuseppe Mancuso Memorial (Starts 9.00 p.m.) Association Culturale Carnem Levare
Readers stories
Wedding Story
We are so delighted that we will be celebrating our wedding in this idyllic town of Scalea in Calabria . We originally wanted to celebrate this occasion in the Amalfi coast as it is one of the most popular destinations advertising weddings in Italy but found it extremely hard to find an agency in Ireland who could be efficient and equipped to cater for a wedding of 150 people.
After discovering this we stumbled upon Scalea property advertising fantastic holiday homes in amazing places in Calabria so we decided we should investigate by taking a holiday out there. We had no idea that this town would be the place that we would celebrate our wedding day... Our decision was decided after having spent only a few days there. The possibilities of settings for your wedding here are endless, which is one of the reasons why we choose Scalea. Other good reasons include the Sunny climate, miles of amazing beaches, unique historical sites, exquisite cuisine and old traditions.
With many thanks to Ada Leo from Hotel Talao without whom this wedding would not have been possible as well as Tony Hackett (Scalea Property), Salvatore Campi, Giovanni from Antica Osteria, Danielle Arieta, Giaccamo and of course our Family and friends.
I am not going to say that this was an easy event to organize as it is probably one of the most difficult destinations to get to from Ireland, but with a lot of perseverance and help from all of the above mentioned, we have managed to cater for everyone that wished to attend this wedding. I am sure with the growing popularity of Calabria ; there will be a lot more flights accessible to Italy 's most spectacular region from Ireland . Having said that what better way to celebrate a wedding in Italy than to experience with family and friends the special event and take advantage of what Calabria has to offer for a vacation as well as lots of sightseeing from vineyards, national parks and fantastic activities from jeep adventure tours to Go carting. The list is endless!
I have decide to advertise weddings in Calabria through my website www.bigmouth.ie in Ireland where I can work as an integrator on behalf of an agency in Scalea for people who wish to have their special day in an amazing setting in Italy's hidden secret Calabria
Buying in Calabria - The Ansley family
Following many years of thinking about finding a property abroad we head to Scalea to find out about the area and to see if we could find a property to suit us. Having 3 children we needed two bedrooms and a town with enough to keep them occupied.
We arranged 2 days property viewing with Tony who arranged to meet us early on a tuesday morning, the first property we saw was a small two bedroom villette overlooking the old town. Tony showed us all kinds of property ranging in location and price on the first day. He was very tuned to what we liked and didn't like and on the second day showed us many properties that suited, but as these things often happen we kept going back to the first property we saw. Although small it is close enough to the town to walk up to and yet has spectacular views.
Do we understand the nuances of Italian law - no! but we don't need to as Tony assisted us all the way finding notaries and anyone else we needed to help us in buying our property. On 31st July 2007, we flew over and finalised the purchase. Our place needed work so in October we flew over again and arranged for a new kitchen and bedroom furniture (Serrubi recommended). Tony put us in touch with Franco who has carried out all the other work (electrical and painting). We had heard many stories of builders in Italy not moving too quickly so we were very surprised in december to receive an email from Tony attaching pictures of an almost completed home!
So here we are in April 2008 staying in our completed holiday home. Tony is still assisting us with some final details but we are definititely finding our feet.
Today it's raining but we can sit and admire the beautiful views and our children are sitting here happily watching TV having spent yesterday in the sea and on the beach.
Living in Calabria - Derek and Monica Baker
We came out in May 2007 to look at Abruzzo and Calabria properties. Both areas similar in price but the proximity to the mountains (brrrr) in Abruzzo made Calabria favourite. After coming out again in September 2007 to complete the purchasing admin, we finally moved out of the UK to settle here in October 2008. Yes just six months of joy and love of everything about our new lives.
We sold up our possessions completely in the UK on the grounds that the cost of a lorry to bring out second-hand furniture was more than the value of it! There were, however a number of personal possessions, clothes, Hi Fi etc that we wanted to bring out. So we hunted for a vehicle that would bring us and our ‘stuff' to Italy and still be useful when we got here. Our budget was £3000 and we found a Hyundai 6 seater ‘Crew bus', 2.5 diesel with a 6 foot van built Into the back, white and air-conditioned Spent £3200 plus breakdown protection and ‘Bertha' got us here reliably and safely. (Note from Monica … can you guess who used to sell cars in a former life?) Bertha is now part of the local community and has helped others with their “moving” experience!
Since here, our main concern has been getting to grips with the language! The current Scuola offering English lessons in Scalea is proving excellent and FREE (sorry Gratis). Everyone says give it a year and you'll be speaking Italiano watch this space! Everything else is slowly beginning to work well. We have found the help given by everyone has been remarkable and we feel very welcome in our village. The building work on our casa has been done on time and on budget. Everything we have needed to obtain has been found (and much of it at bargain prices). The advice we have been given has generally been OK, however…. Our own advice to anyone moving out would be get advice but from three SEPARATE sources. If the advice matches then go for it.
We all have tales of woe and joy. Our most costly mistake and our only experience of being dealt with really badly was being sold the wrong thing from a phone shop, Unfortunately the local Police have a 2-year waiting list before they can help so we put that one down to experience. EVERY other trader has been fantastic. The list is endless but some places really stand out; Future Next (phones and computer bits), Expert (some furniture items and some electrics), Center Gross in Diamante (white goods, TV, furniture) Alvi and Spar for food etc. And last (but certainly not least) all our local shops in Santa Domenica.
We have so many stories of unfailing kindness and wonderful advice that this letter alone would turn into a book. However, some areas to double-check before making any big decisions are: Health concerns and registering with a local Doctor. Taxation; Internet Connections; Banks and banking; House and car insurance; Building costs; Delivery charges; The Postal System; Phones and connections; Electricity supplies; Gas supplies; ICI and other Commune taxes; and a number of other issues relating to living here in Italia! All of these are best tackled with a glass of wine in one hand and your sense of humour firmly grasped in the other, BUT the summary is we love it and trust that you will too!
Reviews
Bar PeperOne
is just off the SS18 in Cirella.
It has friendly staff, a snack menu and a "dish of the day", varied beers of many nationalities and cocktails. There is a cosy area with sofas and easy chairs as well as covered outdoor area with patio heaters for all year use. Live music on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
Silver Restaurant
Directions: Heading south towards Santa Maria Del Cedro along Corso Mediterrano (SS18), take the left turning after hotel Parco dei Prinicipi.
Type of restaurant – Typical Italian cuisine of pasta, fish and meat dishes.
Silver is well known by locals as a great place to eat, with a wide variety of fish and meat dishes.
You are always assured a warm welcome from the owner and his staff. There is a terrace at the front of this restaurant where you can eat 'alfresco' in the summer. Menu is available in a variety of languages including German and English. Average meal including wine (a rough indication) €25.
Readers Letters
Dear Brian,
My name is Dan and I am desperate I have recently moved out to Calabria in search of a better life but at the ripe age of 20 I'm finding difficulty in meeting some of the local lovelies. I'm currently learning the lingo but this is obviously going to take some time to master (I should have listen to the old fella when I was younger). Anyway any suggestions as I understand you are an advanced in years and have an abundance of experience.
Grazie mille
Dan (Scalea)
Dear desperate Dan,
Have you ever thought of becoming a comic cartoon strip?
Dear Brian,
My friend has the voice of an angel whilst ont the other hand I can strip paint with my rendition of "Lovely Tonight" by Eric Clapton. How can I compete with him?
Yours Vincent
(formerly St. Albans) now Dublin
Dear Vinnie,
You have nothing to worry about. Have you heard those two clowns Tony & Tom murder "Youv'e lost that loving feeling" as the Righteous Brothers?
Reader Poem - by Richard Crossman
Never in a million years
Did I think the thing between my ears
Would enable me to own a thing
That makes my heart rejoice and sing
Relax beyond my wildest dreams
To sit and think of colour schemes
And other more important stuff
Like the origin of my belly button fluff
Where and what to eat today
Parle Italiano along the way
Decisions huge that must be made
Like sit in the sun or partial shade
Or wake up early 10 '0' clock
Or really make the rafters rock
By strolling down into the town
Face, a debonair shade of brown
To take a beer before the noon
And wine with lunch before the swoon
Into the sun to snooze away
The troubles of a busy day
Wake to make the big choice now
Where to take our evening chow
Pasta's such a versatile dish
But then again so's the fish
The stress is quite too much to bear
On top of that there's what to wear
The job eventually get's done
We stagger back at 12 or one
Except of course to go to bed
To rest our slightly aching head
It can't be drink it must be stress
I think really need to rest
Thank god I've had a bit of nouse
And bought my dream Italian house
And finally about this issues contributors
Lesley Eastwell
Lesley lives in Belvedere Marittimo with her husband Brian. They bought their Italian house in June 2005 as a holiday home but loved it so much they moved here permanently in March 2007. Lesley's mission is to find and report on things to do and see - and places to eat and visit - in the immediate area and beyond.
Melanie Thorpe
Lives on the outskirts of Scalea with her husband David (the other half of Scalea Property) and her 11 month daughter Gabriella. Melanie and David bought in Scalea 5 years ago as a holiday home, but made the permanent move from Nottingham to Scalea 2 years ago. Melanie's mission is to share the secret of Scalea and the surrounding area with others.
Peter Flynn
Lives in Scalea and has found it difficult to adjust, living near the beach, the Tyrrhenian sea, the fantastic food and wine and most of all the laid-back lifestyle but somehow he gets by, design and production.
Tony
One half of the Scalea Property team who is responsible for interviews with those who have left the dark and dreary shores of the northern wastelands and the stress laden pressures of "big city life" (song in there somewhere). Also covering the introductions to new buyers in the dolce vita. Tony took the plunge moving out back in 2004 and won't "look back in anger" again.
For more information or if you wish to participate please do not hesitate to contact us...
