# Calabria expats doing business?



## Dillinger (Nov 30, 2012)

Hello,

Calabria is beautiful and I have been 2 times, however only as a tourist.

I am thinking of building a small apartment block to rent to tourists.

However, the mafia is very powerful there and I was wondering ... do you get mafiosi asking for protection from tourist projects? 

In other words will I be paying more than just the local taxes? 

Basically. How will it affect my project?


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## italy (Aug 21, 2009)

as a tourist its the best way ... first you should consider how well you are actually connected to get the planning permission to do what you want.. how good is your Italian and technical legal Italian at that 

next consider you will be reliant on skilled people behaving honestly to build your property .. ie all metal work has to be certified as being of the correct purity to be embedded in the re enforcing cement which also has to be certified as having the correct ratio of sand and cement.. that the geologist report has defined the right levels needed to protect the building against slides,floods and quakes and that the site has been excavated and refilled to those levels..

i think the mafia is your last worry .. before that the professional casts will have emptied your bank accounts and left you with a building that will never be finished as often the mayors find out that they have given permission to build in a protected zone which once they have finished fleecing you they then sign a paper meaning it all has to be pulled down and put back as it was.. very costly too


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## Dillinger (Nov 30, 2012)

Thank you for your reply. Sounds like a big pain in the 'arris.

I have lived in Mexico, built a big house, developed a beach resort and also moved to Caribbean where I built a resort.

I know the 'peculiarities' that can come along. Although ... these will be new and 'peculiar' to Calabria or even the commune where I try do buiness.

My Italian is lousy right now. I used to speak it 20 years ago and now speak Spanish. I locked my Italian away as it got in the way of my Spanish (dont ask) so now it is time to lock the Spanish and let out the Italian. I would never do a project without knowing all thw words and slang for buiolding. I NEED to know what they are saying to all goes down the old swannee.

I will take everything you say into account. Concrete is not my idea. I cannot say the idea right now as I am still formulating it, but it will be more Eco based.

I have done business in corrupt countries with no regulation and also with lots of regulatiosna and little corruption ... I have yet to meet them both combined as you outlined.

Thanks again.


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