# Anyone in Piedmont?



## piedmontjohn (Apr 25, 2014)

Hi, I've been living off and on in the piedmont region of Italy for the past 12 years. I'm currently here on my own, actually trying to sell my residence, and would like to get together with anyone in the Asti/Alba area for coffee and a chat. Let me know, I'm pretty flexible with my time.


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## Poolajet (Apr 25, 2014)

Hi John, I'm new to the forum. Live in America and just trying to chat with people here. How have you liked your time in Italy? What kind of work have you been doing? Does it get cold there? I'd like to move to Abruzzo one day and do a little farming. Dreams...


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## piedmontjohn (Apr 25, 2014)

Hi Poolajet, my time here in Italy has been a mixed bag for sure. My work is still in the US for the most part, via internet and phone, when that actually works here. There are lovely things about being here, but growing up in the US gives one a completly different idea of expectations. Here, the rule of thumb is to expect the unexpected. This is a VERY disfunctional system that over time will beat you down. The Italy of 12 years ago and now are totally different. The bureaucracy here is stifling. I have no more to say than there has been 62 different government administrations over the past 65 years, so that's a new administration almost every year on average. I have people tell me all the time how they would love to do what I've done, but I would be careful what you wish for. You will need to speak the languare fairly well and have an immense amount of tollerance and patients. Coming here on vacation is indeed a wonderful experience, living here, being totally ingrained in the social structure is another matter all together. I can't imagine how difficult it would be for you to get involved in farming, if that was going to be a living for you.You could certainly sustain yourself but as for actually making money at it, just don't think that's going to happen, much anyway. I have relitives in Aburzzo, they are the salt of the earth, I love them dearly. That area of Italy is not doing as well as here in the north, and here it's pretty bad these days. I know this probably shatters your dream idea of being here, and you may have a different experience, but I can only tell you that my experience here is not unique. I have MANY foreign friends and not from the US, that have come and gone with the same frustrations. If you want a European experience I would suggest another country that is more stable and less idiosyncratic. As for your question about the weather, yes it gets cold here in the winter, a bit less so however in Abruzzo. Best of luck with whatever you decide.


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## Poolajet (Apr 25, 2014)

Thanks so much, John, for taking the time to write such an informative post. What I was hoping to do is retire and just grow a few trees, some vines anda garden. But I really don't know if I could stand all the frustrations. I know I'd have to learn the language for sure. :flypig:
Do you know anywhere in Italy where you can see the milky way at night?


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## Mozella (Nov 30, 2013)

Poolajet said:


> ....... snip ..........
> Do you know anywhere in Italy where you can see the milky way at night?


Nearly everywhere outside large cities; almost every night at my house for example. The cost of electricity is outrageous here in Italy, so people (and municipal governments) tend not to use electric lighting nearly as much as in other places. Plus, unlike other countries, Italy charges proportionately less for low home power use in order to promote conservation; consequently, rural areas are usually dark enough to see the milky way on cloudless nights. 

After Chernobyl, Italy decided atomic power plants were too dangerous even though they are, in fact, extremely safe. Chernobyl used a unique design that couldn't possibly be built anywhere else other than Soviet Russia and the problems revealed at Chernobyl are in no way related to other types of atomic power generation. Nevertheless, we are unable to take advantage of atomic power.

The cost of electricity in Italy is further increased by a very strong push toward "green" energy like wind and solar. You see windmill generators and solar panels everywhere. Italy is worse than flat broke, yet we spend over ten billion Euros a year promoting and subsidizing renewal energy. Unfortunately, these forms of electrical power generation cost roughly ten times that of using fossil fuels. Italy generates a lot of electricity using relatively clean natural gas, but it's more expensive than most other fossil fuels. 

Italy also imports more electrical power than any other nation other than Brazil. For example, ten percent of our energy comes from France.

Bottom line: No problem seeing the Milky Way in Italy.


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## Poolajet (Apr 25, 2014)

Oh, thank you, Mozella, that is wonderful to hear! Well, not the part about electricity being so high, but the stars part. I think the US way over lights everything. 
What is your story and how do you find living in Italy? 
Do you think a single older woman could be happy or would I seem too odd? :noidea:
I asked in another thread how women are treated but did not get a reply. Would I find respect and acceptance or cold shoulders and gossip, or worse?


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## piedmontjohn (Apr 25, 2014)

Poolajet, anyones experience with local acceptance will most likely be a bit different, but my experience with that has been very good and I believe it would be the same for you. If you just plan to retire and have all the time in the world to get whatever done you need to, then Italy will work for you. As in any place, there are good people and bad, some of the nicest people I know are Italian, but some of the worst people I know are also Italian, so again, it's a mixed bag. Small towns here can have an exaggerated "small town" mentality, so you need to be conscious of that. Otherwise I think you should be fine. This said, "when in Rome, DO AS THE ROMANS"! Take care.


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## nidelva (Nov 12, 2012)

*how to organize your life in Italy*

Poolajet,
a key to organize your life in Italy arriving as a single woman is to create local social network. I lived 6 years in Milano province and has made my own observations on this.
First, Learning Language is important, it will permit you to make friends and there are many single ladies in Italy now, so do not think, please that this will be some obstacle. Many Italian communes *especially in the Northern Italy have courses of Italian. Then, there are courses in other Languages, shiatsu, all kinds of hobby available at the local Level. Join them and you shall have friends in 1 month time.
If you are a catholic, even better as you can make friends by joining voluntary activities in the Church.
So, hope this helps,
Nidelva.


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## Poolajet (Apr 25, 2014)

Nidelva, thank you so much for your observations and comments. I am not Catholic, but I will definitely take Italian when the time grows near. For financial reasons, I am probably going to end up in Abruzzo or Le Marche. Plus, it looks just beautiful. In these areas, I am slightly concerned with the "small town" attitude that John mentioned in a previous post (sorry for hijacking your original post, John!!!) as well as a possible lack of services. Everything looks pretty close together on the map, but I've read that the windy roads can take a long time to travel.


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## nidelva (Nov 12, 2012)

*more important things*

I would check a criminality situation, seismic risk level, environment pollution for any chosen Place in Italy. 
There are some parts of Italy where a concentration of arsenic in drinking water exceeds several times permitted in the EU. And some lands where mafia for years brought toxic Waste and left without a permission or awareness of authorities.


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