Friday, March 31, 2006

Info about Expulsion (Deportation) from Italy

Here are the links about Expulsion (read deportation) from Italy:

EXPULSION (DEPORTATION)
MISCELLANEOUS
The above links are current. In the event of a broken link or if anyone has any suggestions for other sites, please feel free to post your comment and I'll update and/or correct this blog entry.

While one hopes not to be deported (read expulsion) from Italy, it happens. Much has been written about how wonderful and romantic Italy is and once experiencing Italy, one wants to stay as long as possible. However, if one overstays their visa, commits a crime, etc., expulsion from Italy will happen.

You need to plan ahead, submit the necessary paperwork and stay in Italy legally.

That's it for Friday, 31 March 2006: venerdì, 31 marzo 2006.

Ciao, Ben

Today’s quote is an Italian proverb, author unknown.

"Fra il due mali scegli il minore."
Choose the lesser of two evils.

Friday, March 24, 2006

Info about Ferries to and from Italy

Here are the links about ferries to and from Italy:

(LAST EDITED/UPDATED: 5 September 2008)

FERRIES (ITALIAN)
  • alilauro spaIn Italian Only Service to and/or from the following ports (See web site for listing of all ports):
    • Amalfi
    • Capri
    • Castellammare
    • Forio
    • Formia
    • Ischia
    • Napoli
    • Ponza
    • Positano
    • Salerno
    • Sorrento
    • Ventotene
  • EneRmaR – In Croatian, English, French, German, Italian
    • Venice Chioggia to Spalato (Split)
    • Genoa to Palau
    • Palau to La Maddalena
  • Ferry Boats – Listing of Companies and Destinations – In English, French, German, Italian, Spanish – From infoMARE
  • Ferries from Naples – From Italy Heaven
  • How To Get To Capri – From In Italy Online
  • Linee Marittime Partenopee – Amafi Coast – In English, Italian
  • Metrò del Mare – Amafi Coast – In English, Italian
  • Moby Lines – English, French, German, Italian
    • Italy to Corsica
    • Italy to Sardinia
  • Coop. Sant'Andrea s.r.l. – In English, Italian
  • SNAV – In English, Italian
    • Italy (Ancona) to Croatia (Spalato/Split or Zara)
    • Italy (Pescara) to Croatia (Spalato/Split)
    • Italy (Brindisi) to Greece (Corfu)
    • Italy (Civitavecchia or Napoli) to Sicilia/Sicily (Palermo)
  • Tirrenia di Navigazione S.p.A. – In English, French, German, Italian – Service to and/or from the following ports (See web site for listing of all ports):
    • Albania (Durazzo/Durres)
    • Croatia (Spalato/Split)
    • Italy (Ancona)
    • Italy (Bari)
    • Italy (Civitavecchia)
    • Italy (Fiumicino)
    • Italy (Genova)
    • Italy (Golfo Aranci)
    • Italy (Napoli)
    • Italy (Sardegna/Sardinia: Arbatax, Cagliari, Golfo Aranci, Olbia, Porto Torres)
    • Italy (Sicilia/Sicily: Palermo, Trapani)
LOCATIONS
  • CAPRI
  • ELBA
  • NAPOLI/NAPLES
    • Napoli Ferry – In English, French, German, Italian, Spanish – Source: directferries.co.uk – In multiple languages
FERRIES (OTHER)
  • AGOUDIMOS LINES – In English, German, Greek, Italian – Service to and/or from the following ports (See web site for listing of all ports):
    • Albania (Avlona, Durazzo/Durres)
    • Greece (Corfu, Igoumenitsa, Patras)
    • Italy (Bari, Brindisi)
  • CENTRAL MED FERRIES – "In this area you can find informations about schedule and tariffs of ferries to and from: Italy, France, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Spain, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Albania, Montenegro and Croatia. (updated 26th April 2008)" – Source: Traghettionline (NOTE: REQUIRES MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER TO VIEW) – In English, French, German, Italian
  • CMN Ferries – (Marseille-Corsica-Sardegna) – In English, French, German, Italian
  • corsica ferries - sardinia ferries – In Dutch, English, French, German, Italian – Service to and/or from the following ports (See web site for listing of all ports):
    • France (Corsicia: Ajaccio, Bastia, Bonifacio, Calvi, Ile Rousse,
    • France (Nice, Toulon, )
    • Italy (Civitavecchia, Livorno, Savona)
    • Italy (Sardegna/Sardinia: Golfo Aranci, Santa Teresa)
  • MINOAN LINES – Service to and/or from the following ports (See web site for listing of all ports):
    • Italy (Ancona, Venezia/Venice)
    • Greece (Corfu, Heraklion, Patras, Thessaloniki)
FERRIES (BOOKING AGENTS/AGENCIES)
MISCELLANEOUS
WEATHER
  • Italy – Select from list of cities/towns in Italy – "Weatherbase is your one authoritative source for finding monthly weather records and averages for more than 16,439 cities worldwide." – From Weatherbase
  • italy-weather-and-maps.com – home to maps of Italy, current Italian weather conditions, and six day weather forecasts for every Italian region and province.
The above links are current. In the event of a broken link or if anyone has any suggestions for other sites, please feel free to post your comment and I'll update and/or correct this blog entry.

Please note: Some of the above routes and destinations may be seasonal. Always check the respective ferry schedule for hours of operation and destinations.

All times shown on the ferry schedules use a 24 hour clock.
Which means you will subtract 1200 from anytime over or greater than 12:00 while you are traveling in Italy. For example, 14:15 is 2:15 PM (afternoon) or 23:47 is 11:47 PM (evening) or 00:00 is 12:00 AM (midnight) or 05:17 is 5:17 AM (morning).

That's it for Friday, 24 March 2006: venerdì, 24 marzo 2006.

Ciao, Ben

Today’s quote is an Italian proverb, author unknown.

"A pagare e morire si è sempre in tempo. "
There’s always time to pay and to die.

(LAST EDITED/UPDATED: 5 September 2008)

Friday, March 17, 2006

Info about Driving in Italy

(LAST EDITED/UPDATED: 16 OCTOBER 2016)

Here are the links about Driving in Italy:


AUTOMOBILE CLUBS

AUTOSTRADA
  • autostrade per l'italia – Source: web site – In English, Italian – Please note: Italian version contains more detail and information
  • X – "" – "" – "" – Source: X – ""
COMMENTS/OBSERVATIONS
  • BLOG ENTRIES
    • Driving in Italy – May 25, 2006 at 3:19am – John Stewart – nightwriter
    • Italian roads – { 2006 07 15 } – Jilles van Gurp – blog.jillesvangurp.com – "Yet another blog"
    • Various entries – Paolo and Francesca Tosolini – Italy From The Inside – "A Scoop of Real Italian Life for Travelers & Friends"
      • Pre-paid parking permits– Wednesday, August 30, 2006
      • How much does gas cost in Italy? – Tuesday, August 15, 2006
      • A Pedestrian's Life in Italy (video) – Friday, May 05, 2006
      • Watch out for that big P – Wednesday, December 07, 2005
      • Ape: the Italian truck – Tuesday, November 22, 2005
    • Various postings – Expat American & Italian, Family Living in Italy, with Children – "Living in Italy, Travel in Italy, Raising kids in Italy. Comments and advice on life, driving, politics, ecomomics, work, skiing, camping, flying, hiking, schools, etc." – john and luisa AKA Helm & Melacini Architects – Location: Belluno
    • X – "" – "" – "" – Source: X – ""
DISTANCE BETWEEN CITIES
DRIVING
INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT (IDP) AKA INTERNATIONAL DRIVING LICENSE (IDL) 
LIMITED TRAFFIC AREAS AKA "ZTL"
    PARKING
    ROAD CLASSIFICATIONS
    ROAD/TRAVEL CONDITIONS
    ROAD SIGNS
    WEATHER
    • Italy – Select from list of cities/towns in Italy – "Weatherbase is your one authoritative source for finding monthly weather records and averages for more than 16,439 cities worldwide." – Source: Weatherbase
    • italy-weather-and-maps.com – home to maps of Italy, current Italian weather conditions, and six day weather forecasts for every Italian region and province.
    • X – "" – "" – "" – Source: X – ""
    RELATED
    MISCELLANEOUS
    * = Blog entry has been updated.


    PERSONNAL OBSERVATIONS / OPINIONS
    • The following are personal observations and opinions of the blog writer based on driving in Italy:
      • There are many 2 lane roads in Italy. Some roads are marked with lines in the center of the road and others have none.
      • Many Italian drivers will drive in a manner to take up two lanes or drive in the middle of the road.
      • I have seen too many Italian drivers not come to a complete stop for Stop signs and Red Stop lights at intersections.
      • Many Italian drivers will pass your vehicle when there are solid white or yellow lines indicating a No Passing zone.
      • Outside of many Italian cities, there are NO sidewalks. People will be walking along the side of the road wearing dark clothing and will be difficult to see at night and during inclement weather: snow or rain.
      • In many small towns, you will see a small 3 wheeled vehicle called an Ape. They are slow moving vehicles. Please exercise caution when passing these vehicles especially going up and down hills and on curves.
      • The distance to the next exit, service area or a town/city off of the Autostrata is posted on a green colored sign in white letters on the divider barrier by the left lane in kilometers. These signs are the equivalent of mile markers usually found on the right side of the road on Interstates in the USA.
      • Many Italian drivers will tailgate you under all driving conditions, day and night. They may drive so close to your rear bumper that at night you cannot see their headlights in your rear-view and/or side-view mirrors.
    ### END OF PERSONNAL OBSERVATIONS / OPINIONS ###

    For your specific interest, please search the web for further information using Google .

    The above links as of this date are/were current. If anyone has any suggestions for any other additional web sites and/or links for reference, please feel free to post your comment and I'll update this blog entry.

    Please note: If you want me to reply to your comment or request any further information by email, please include your email address in a separate comment. I will NOT publish any comments with an email address in it.

    NOTE: If you want to leave a comment, please leave it in ENGLISH !

    Broken links: Since November, 2005, I have written over 635+ blog entries with 1,000's of corresponding links/URLs for Moving2Italy2, covering a varied and wide range of topics. In the event if you come across a broken link or a non-functioning link/URL, please post a comment and report the non-functional link. I wish to thank you in advance for assisting me in the ongoing maintenance and the updating of this successful and informative blog.

    Please note: I do NOT represent or endorse any of these links nor do I receive payment for listing them in my blog.

    It is important to note that while many rental car web sites do not state that you should have an International Driving Permit (IDP), it is required to avoid paying a fine in the event you have an accident and/or are asked to show it along with your drivers license issued by the state (USA) you reside in to the Italian police. The risk by not having an IDP is having your rental car impounded and being detained by the Italian police. For the $10.00 fee paid to American Automobile Association (AAA) or to the National Automobile Club, its a small price to pay for piece of mind if you are renting a car in Italy. Please note: Only 2 organizations in the U.S. are authorized by the State Department to offer an International Drivers' Permit, the National Automobile Club and American Automobile Association.

    You'll hear a lot about driving in Italy. For some individuals it will be a challenge because of the various types and sizes of vehicles that are on the road in Italy and the behavior of some of the drivers. I have driven in Italy since the late 80's on vacation and have had no problems and more importantly, no accidents. UPDATE: On 16 January 2008, I had my first accident in Italy and Europe.

    If you hate city driving in the States, I can tell you it is a lot worse in the medium to large Italian cities.

    Remember take you time to go from place to place and be careful. I would suggest and recommend picking up a good map for the specific region(s) you are driving in Italy. You do not need a book of maps to carry around with you.

    Several rental car companies and travel agencies offer GPS units for rental cars. While they are a nice to have item, most of these GPS units cover only 80% of Italy. However, note where you are traveling to in Italy. Normally, you can get to most major cities and town but if you go off the beaten path, you'll find out how much is NOT covered by the GPS unit.

    That's it for Friday, 17 March 2006: venerdì, 17 marzo 2006.

    Ciao, Ben

    Moving2Italy2 – #1 source of links About, For or On Italy for those individuals moving, traveling or already living in Italy.

    Today’s quote is an Italian proverb, author unknown.

    "Più che le parole persuadano gli esempi."
    "Actions speak louder than words."
    When you have a free moment or two, please read my wife's interesting and entertaining blog about our life in Italy with photographs: Friends and Family in Italy

    Going to Spain, read my new blog:
    Info About, For or On Spain – a source of links About, For or On Spain for those individuals traveling or already living in Spain.


    (LAST EDITED/UPDATED: 16 OCTOBER 2016)© Benjamin H. Licodo, 2006 - 2016, All Rights Reserved.

    Friday, March 10, 2006

    Info on Using Metric Versus US/English Measurements for Baking and Cooking in Italy

    (LAST EDITED/UPDATED: 16 June 2006)

    Here are the links for using Metric Versus US/English Measurements for Baking and Cooking in Italy:


    BAKING
    COOKING
    MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS
    MISCELLANEOUS
    The above links are current. In the event of a broken link or if anyone has any suggestions for other sites, please feel free to post your comment and I'll update and/or correct this blog entry.

    That's it for Friday, 10 March 2006: venerdì, 10 marzo 2006.

    Ciao, Ben

    Today’s quote is an Italian proverb, author unknown.

    "Tutto è bene quel che finisce bene."

    All’s well what ends well.

    (LAST EDITED/UPDATED: 16 June 2006)

    Friday, March 03, 2006

    Info for Disabled/Handicapped, Hearing Impaired and/or Vision/Sight Individuals in Italy

    (LAST EDITED/UPDATED: 7 June 2011)

    Here are the links for Disabled/Handicapped, Hearing Impaired and/or Vision/Sight Impaired Individuals in Italy:


    DISABLED/HANDICAPPED
    INFORMATION
    HEARING IMPAIRED
    VISION/SIGHT IMPAIRED
    SPORTS COMMENTS/OBSERVATIONSRELATED
    MISCELLANEOUS
    * = Blog entry has been updated.

    For your specific interest, please search the web for further information using Google .

    The above links as of this date are/were current. If anyone has any suggestions for any other additional web sites and/or links for reference, please feel free to post your comment and I'll update this blog entry.

    Please note: If you want me to reply to your comment or request any further information by email, please include your email address in a separate comment. I will NOT publish any comments with an email address in it.

    NOTE: If you want to leave a comment, please leave it in ENGLISH.

    Broken links: Since November, 2005, I have written over 300+ blog entries with 1,000's of corresponding links/URLs for Moving2Italy2, covering a varied and wide range of topics. In the event if you come across a broken link or a non-functioning link/URL, please post a comment and report the non-functional link. I wish to thank you in advance for assisting me in the ongoing maintenance and the updating of this successful and informative blog.

    Please note: I do NOT represent or endorse any of these links nor do I receive payment for listing them in my blog.

    That's it for Friday, 3 March 2006: venerdì, 3 marzo 2006.

    Ciao, Ben

    Moving2Italy2 – #1 source of links About, For or On Italy for those individuals moving, traveling or already living in Italy.

    Today’s quote is an Italian proverb, author unknown.

    "A buon consiglio non si trova prezzo."
    "Good advice is priceless."

    When you have a free moment or two, please read my wife's interesting and entertaining blog about our life in Italy with photographs:

    Friends and Family in Italy


    Going to Spain, read my new blog:

    Info About, For or On Spain – a source of links About, For or On Spain for those individuals traveling or already living in Spain.

    (LAST EDITED/UPDATED: 7 June 2011)

    © Benjamin H. Licodo, 2005 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

    Thursday, March 02, 2006

    Info on the Blog Postings/Entries for February, 2006 About, For or On Italy

    Here are the titles for my blog postings/entries About, For or On Italy for the month of February:
    1. Info on the Blog Postings/Entries for November, December, 2005 and January, 2006 About, For or On Italy *, dated Wednesday, February 01, 2006
    2. Info about the Post Office (Ufficio Postale)/Posteitaliane in Italy *, dated Thursday, February 02, 2006
    3. Info on Grocery Shopping for Travelers with an Apartment, a Rental House or a Villa in Europe and Italy *, dated Tuesday, February 14, 2006
    4. Info on 2006 National Holiday Observances in Italy *, dated Thursday, February 16, 2006
    5. Info about Department/Clothing Stores in Italy, dated Saturday, February 18, 2006
    6. Info on Political Parties in Italy *, dated Sunday, February 19, 2006
    7. Info on American Political Parties Abroad and in Italy, dated Monday, February 20, 2006
    8. Info for U.S. Forces, Government Employees, Military Retirees and certain Defense/Gov. Contractors PCSing (moving) to Germany *, dated Saturday, February 25, 2006
    Usually, my blog postings/entries are About, For or On Italy. However, I had observed numerous hits on my blog entry titled, "Info for U.S. Forces, Government Employees, Military Retirees and Defense/Gov. Contractors with or without their Dependants PCSing (moving) to Italy" about this or that for Germany. Since I spent 4 years in Germany as a Defense Contractor (Wang Laboratories, Inc.), greatly enjoyed my time there with my daughters (Annalisa and Maria) and meeting new friends, colleagues and people from all over Europe, I digressed briefly from my regular blog postings and entries About, For or On Italy.

    The above links are current. In the event of a broken link or if anyone has any suggestions for other sites, please feel free to post your comment and I'll update and/or correct one or more of these blog postings/entries.

    Please note: I do NOT represent or endorse any of these links nor do I receive payment for listing them in my blog.

    The reason that I list these links is to provide information for individuals who are dreaming or considering a move to Italy. It is my intent to share these links (web sites) with like-minded individuals who are either in the process of considering or have made the decision to move to Italy for whatever reason. I have attempted to group these links and to categorize them.

    These blog postings and entries are not static. As I come across new information, I update the appropropriate blog entry.

    * = Blog entry has been updated.

    I have found in my research on the Internet that by changing the wording of the search argument or the order of the wording of the search argument on a search engine, e.g., Google, you may get different results. There is so much information to choose from on the internet. Unfortunately, there's a lot of junk that clutters up one's search. I believe in my presentation format that it eliminates the need for one to do multiple searches. Also, I believe this information is a baseline for another individual to conduct their own search and they do not have to reinvent the wheel.

    For my blog, I am presenting the fruits of my efforts of just a portion of that information in a format that is of use to my wife and myself for future use and reference (and hopefully, other individuals) as we prepare for our move to Italy.

    I am open to suggestions and solicit comments from the readers of this blog for your feedback.

    That's it for Thursday, 2 March 2006: giovedì, 2 marzo 2006

    Ciao, Ben

    Today’s quote is an Italian proverb, author unknown.

    "La prudenza non è mai troppa."
    "You can't be too careful.
    "


    Wednesday, March 01, 2006

    Info on Why Martha and Ben go to Italy?

    The following story was written by Martha S. Taccarino.

    Wednesday, March 1, 2006 is the anniversary of my grandfather (nonno), Antonio Iaccarino’s birth. He was born in mille otto cento settantotto or 1878 so he would be 128 years old. His parents were Ferdinando and Maria D’Esposito Iaccarino. I know they also had a daughter, (figlia) Concetta, (my Zia or aunt) who was 4 years younger than my nonno.

    I know this because I have been researching his life so that I can apply to become an Italian citizen. In the process of this research I have learned some things which have brought me closer to a man that I never met since he died before I was even born. I always think of him when I hear the Simon and Garfunkle song that starts “I left my home and my family when I was no more than a boy, in the company of strangers…” My nonno was only 12 when he joined the merchant marines (Marina Mercantile Italiana). Whether he joined willing or unwilling I don’t know. I do know that at that time he and his family were living in a room or rooms in this house in Meta, Italy.


    Photo #1 - House

    I have found this house because very dear friends (amici), Tonio and Carmella Romano spent hours researching old town zoning records. It seems as if the town fathers in Meta like to rename and renumber streets all the time. This is just one example of that.

    Photo #2 - House Numbers (Click on photo for more detail)

    And here is what the door bell to the building where my grandfather lived looked like in May, 2005. You can see that it is still apartments.

    Photo #3 - Door Bell

    So my nonno went to sea. He signed on as a mozzo (a cabin boy). Fortunately, his seaman’s book is still in our family. The entries are handwritten in script that I can’t always read and understand. (Someday perhaps…) So far I know he was promoted, learned great skills that he would use later in life and four languages besides his native Italian. From the log I can tell that he returned to and left Italy a good bit. Stamps in his book show that some of the places he went to were Greece, Liverpool, England, Marseille, France, and Odessa, on the Black Sea. Can you imagine sending off your 12 year old son and for the next 19 years only seeing him periodically? And he comes back with stories of places he has been to and things he has seen. This is the view leaving the port of Naples that I am guessing is relatively unchanged even today.

    Photo #4 - Departing View of Naples by Water

    He did not always leave from Naples. Meta the town south of Naples where he lived was at the time a fairly large port. Today it is not. It is a small town with a nice sandy beach and a bedroom community for surrounding towns like Sorrento.

    Photo #5 - Meta

    Even though Sorrento and Positano have been popular tourist destinations since the late 1800s prosperity did not arrive until after World War II. A large number of people of all age groups emigrated from the area to the United States and South America. But our family name, a very common one still remains in the area.


    Photo #6 - Sign
    (Click on photo for more detail)

    From my nonno I think I have inherited my interest in other languages besides my native tongue. I do hold it against him that he did not allow Italian to be spoken in their house in America. My cousins have told me that he would scold my grandmother (nonna) if he caught her chatting with her friends in Italian (after they moved to America). He would say “We are Americans now, we will speak American”. (Italian men do so love to declare, dictate and proclaim, don’t they?) So my father never really spoke Italian. He never passed that on to me.

    I also know that from my nonno, the spirit of travel and adventure passed directly to my father and then to me. My passport is never locked up in a safety deposit box. I like to have it near me so if the opportunity to travel arises I can just go. So yes, I have a very cooperative and loving husband who doesn’t mind if we go to Italy each year to learn one or two more facts about my family. He doesn’t mind going each year to visit with my cousins and aunts and uncles from that half of my family. My father was the one who moved away from his American hometown. Most Italians don’t move far from the town that they grew up in and my aunts and uncles didn’t move either. (Yes, some moved later in life but not as early as my father) I grew up several states away and did not benefit from daily or weekly interaction with my nonna and all the aunts and uncles. Now I try to visit at least once a year. And each visit I learn a new wonderful fact. This year I learned from my cousin Tony (where do you think his name came from?) that Grandmom used to call champagne “angel pee”.

    So little by little with research, the help of friends and the memories of my family I learn about my grandparents. On Wednesday or when ever you think about it, please raise a glass of wine or a mug of coffee to my nonno and nonna who had the spirit and sense of adventure to try something different and create a new life for themselves. Most Americans have ancestors that emigrated. I have been lucky enough to be able to trace mine and fill in some of the blanks. Perhaps I will be able to write again about my grandparents’ marriage and the family they raised. Until then Buon Compleanno Nonno!

    That's it for Wednesday, 1 March 2006: mercoledì, 1 marzo 2006

    Ciao, Ben

    Today’s quote is an Italian proverb, author unknown.

    Oggi in figura, domani in sepoltura.
    Here today, gone tomorrow.