Friday, June 29, 2007

Info on shipping books and printed materials via USPS M-bag to Italy

Here are the links on shipping books and printed materials via USPS M-bags to Italy:

INFORMATION
USPS (UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE)
COMMENTS/OBSERVATIONS
The above links are current. If anyone has any suggestions for other sites, please feel free to post your comment and I'll update this blog entry. For your specific interest, please search the web for further information using Google .

As quoted above, "M-bags is a special service to send books or printed matter to an international address at a reduced postage rate.". As noted by some of the discussions above, sometimes they don't show up at all and there is no way to track them. However, the price is right to send books and printed material to Italy or an international address.

M-bags are now going by air as of May 14, 2007. The days of low cost, surface shipping of book and printed material via M-bags and USPS are gone. The current rates are listed in Country Conditions for Mailing — Italy section of the IMM Issue 34 - International Mail Manual. However, M-bags are a bargain in comparison to commercial shipping, e.g., FedEx, UPS, etc.

That's it for Friday, 29 June 2007: venerdì, 29 giugno 2007.

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.

"Mal comune, mezzo gaudio."
"Trouble shared is trouble halved."
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Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Info on the Toscana (Tuscany) Region of Italy - Part 2

(LAST EDITED/UPDATED: 17 March 2009)

Here are some more links on the Toscana (Tuscany) Region of Italy - Part 2:

Today's blog entry is a continuation of the blog posting of 19 June 2007 titled, "Info on the Toscana (Tuscany) Region of Italy - Part 1".

BLOGS
  • TOSCANA/TUSCANY
    • Food scribbles – "notes on food at home and elsewhere" – indah – Location: Siena, Toscana (Tuscany)
    • If not now, when? – "One American woman. Twenty acres and a 1650 farmhouse in Tuscany. Random introspection and hilarity, depending on the day." – Viaggiatore – Location: Monte San Savino (AR), Toscana (Tuscany) – Unfortunately, Viaggiatore has returned to the States
    • Life in The City of Flowers – "Me, 2 kids and sometimes a husband (!) living in Firenze, Italy. What we love here and what we don't! Must sees, must haves and more besides. Hopefully you will see our love and enthusiasm for this beautiful city." – Alyson – Location: Firenze , Toscana (Tuscany)
    • Lucullian delights - An Italian experience – "I cook, I take photos and I post the results here. I like to cook genuine food with a lot of taste, I suppose most of us does, and I experiment quite a lot with recipes. What I post here are the successful ones, let's forget about the failures - life's too short!" – Ilva Beretta – Location: Pistoia, Toscana (Tuscany)
    • Olive Oil e Vino Dreams – "My love of everything, anything Italian started back in Spring 2002. I am going to live my dream by moving to Italy in January 2007. I hope to inspire other people to follow their hearts to a place so magical and divine. This is the ride of my lifetime, jump on if you dare..." – katerinafiore – Location: Firenze, Toscana (Tuscany)
    • Over a Tuscan Stove – "Thoughts and recipes from your Italian life coach-and cooking teacher Judy Witts of Divina Cucina Cooking School Everyone should try being Italian once a day!" – Judy Witts – Location: Toscana (Tuscany)
    • Siena is Tuscany – "La vita e' breve" – Steve Soper – Location: ?, United States
    • Tuscany blog.com – "is your guide to Tuscany on the internet: a journey through this region where you can find a wealth of resources, history and traditions: tourism, culture, art, gastronomy, itineraries, events, and much more." – Multiple contributors – Location: ?
    • Tuscany Painting Studio Gallery/the tuscanartist – "Contemporary original oil and acrylic paintings of Tuscany and Italian cuisine art in downtown historic Florence by a small selection of local artists. We offer courier shipping with professionally made crates to assure that the original art work you have selected arrives safely to you. If you are adventurous you can join one of the various art workshops in Florence and Tuscany. Choose from plein air painting, art appreciation, printmaking, or photography all with professional artists." – ? – Location: Firenze (Florence)
  • OUTSIDE OF TUSCANY
    • Art and Barb Live in Italy! – Location: San Venanzo, Umbria
    • Countries Beginning with I – Deirdré Straughan’s excellent web site – words, pictures, and video about Italy, India, and the world – Location: Lecco, Lombardia (Lombardy)
    • cross-cultural moments – ".....a twitch, a deep gut-wrenching punch, a squirmy, queasy, lightheaded feeling that comes on when people and institutions act in ways that put you outside your cultural comfort zone. Join me as I explore my cultural moments in Italy. Then send me yours!" – Elizabeth – Location: Rome, Lazio
    • La Cucina – "... means "the kitchen" or simply "cooking". A compilation of easy, tasty recipes. Many are inspired by numerous trips to Italy and my Italian grandmother. Others are just plain good ol' American meals. All are guaranteed to be easy to prepare. The simplicity of flavors is more important than using too many ingredients and techniques which mask the flavors of the foods. Buon appetito!" – Valerie – Location: Ascoli Piceno, Marche
    • Drawing on Experience: an open sketchbook of life in Le Marche – Scott Henderson – Location: Calcinelli di Saltara (PU), Marche
    • foreign remarks – "Welcome to foreign remarks.com. This is the website for Rebecca Helm-Ropelato. I am an American free lance writer. I live in Italy with my husband, who is Italian. I moved here in 2001 from my longtime home in California. Recently, I have had articles published in the Los Angeles Times Magazine and the Christian Science Monitor, (featured here). Here on foreign remarks.com I have a blog in which I present opinions and impressions related to my experiences living in another country. I will add something new every week. Sometimes it will be brief, other times more in depth. I hope it will be enjoyable and at times, perhaps, informative." – by rebecca helm-ropelato – Location: Lazio region
    • Wandering Italy – "Living, eating, and enjoying Italy" – James Martin – Location: ?
BOOKS
EXPAT INFORMATION
MULTIMEDIA: AUDIO/PHOTOGRAPHS/VIDEO
NOT A MAP
  • 360° – "A new way to explore Tuscany" – Source: Italy Travel Guides Ltd
REAL ESTATE LINKSRENTALS
TUSCAN COOKING and LESSONS/COURSES
  • COOKING
    • Tuscan cooking – "Tuscan kitchen" – Source: Cookaround – "The Italian regional cookings" – In English, German, Italian, Spanish
    • Tuscan cooking, wines, and more – "Tuscany has everything from high mountains through rolling hills and sandy beaches, and therefore the list of ingredients the Tuscan cook has at his or her disposal is stunningly long. And then there are the wines..." – Source: Italian Cuisine section of About.com
  • LESSONS/COURSES
    • DIVINA CUCINA FIRENZE ITALIA – "Everyone should try being Italian... at least once a year"
    • Good Tastes of Tuscany – "Tuscan cooking courses in a rustic, authentic atmosphere should be widely available to any and all interested parties at affordable prices, regardless of cooking experience, knowledge of the region or proficiency in the Italian language."
    • Organic Tuscany – "offers cooking holidays in Italy which are “from farm to table”: taking you to see where the fresh, local organic food we buy is grown and using it to cook traditional Tuscan and Italian recipes: fresh pastas, hearty salads, the perfect risotto and delectable desserts."
    • Tuscany Cooking Max&Me – "Practical cookery courses at our home in the heart of the Florence hills for people who are passionate about culinary art, who want to rediscover age-old flavours and the typical products of Tuscany and Liguria"
    • Tuscan Women Cook – "Learn to cook Tuscan style from the source, the local Tuscan women. Using recipes and techniques passed down over the generations, these delightful women cook with what they find fresh each day at the market."
U.S. EMBASSY AND CONSULATES – IN ENGLISH, ITALIAN
WI-FI (Wireless Fidelity)
  • Wi-Fi Hotspot Directory: Italy – Source: JiWire – "helps you locate free and paid WiFi hotspot networks, secure your wireless Internet connections, and learn how to use Wi-Fi products and wireless broadband services."
MISCELLANEOUS
* = Blog entry has been updated.

The above links are current. If anyone has any suggestions for other sites, please feel free to post your comment and I'll update this blog entry. For your specific interest, please search the web for further information using Google .

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

If you are looking for real estate or rental information, I would suggest that you look under the section labeled "MISCELLANEOUS" above or search the Internet. There are too many web sites to list individually.

What you will find above is information for individuals: living in the Toscana (Tuscany) region of Italy, spending some time in that region or planning to come to this region of Italy. There is a wealth of information on and about Toscana on the web. This blog entry is not intended to be all inclusive but a sampling of some of the wonders, joys and sights of the Regione Toscana.

I am sure there are more books, blogs and other information on Toscana (Tuscany) region of Italy. When I move to Toscana in mid-September, 2007, I will be updating these two blog entries as I discover and learn about them. More to follow....

That's it for Tuesday, 26 June 2007: martedì, 26 giugno 2007.

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 saying, author unknown.

"Meglio essere invidiati che compiatiti."
"Better to be envied than pitied."

Please read my wife's blog about our life in Italy:

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: 17 March 2009)
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Friday, June 22, 2007

Info on Italian Film Festivals

Here are some links on Italian Film Festivals:

ITALIAN FILM FESTIVALS
MISCELLANEOUS
* = Blog entry has been updated.

The above links are current. If anyone has any suggestions for other sites, please feel free to post your comment and I'll update this blog entry. For your specific interest, please search the web for further information using Google .


That's it for Friday, 22 June 2007: venerdì, 22 giugno 2007.

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.

"Uno sciocco può fare più domande che sette uomini saggi possono rispondere a."
"A fool can ask more questions than seven wise men can answer."
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Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Info on the Toscana (Tuscany) Region of Italy - Part 1

(LAST EDITED/UPDATED: 17 March 2009)

Here are some links on the Toscana (Tuscany) Region of Italy - Part 1:

INFORMATION
  • Regione Toscana – In Italian Only– sito web ufficiale – Capital: Firenze (Florence) – Located in central Italy (west coast), it borders the regions of Emila Romagna, Lazio, Liguria, Marche and Umbria and its coast is on the Ligurian Sea.
    • intoscana.it – "Official Tuscany Web Site " – In Chinese, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish
  • See Tuscany – "a land of quiet coves and wild mountains, sleepy towns and dynamic cities. There's a lot going on, and it's very easy to miss out on something spectacular.... Unless you're well informed. You'll find all sorts of information and advice here, including: ..."
  • Tuscany – Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
  • Welcome To Tuscany! – Source: In Italy Online
  • The AngloFILE – "The local business directory with 1,910 listings of English-speaking businesses and services in Tuscany" – Source: AngloINFO Tuscany – "Life in Tuscany, in English!"
AIRPORT INFORMATION
ARTICLES
AUTOSTRADA
 COMMENTS/OBSERVATIONS
COMUNE INFORMATION
EMERGENCY NUMBERS
EVENTS AND FESTIVALS (festa or sagra)
FOOD AND GROCERY STORES
  • LISTS
    • Business - Grocery shopping – Source: intoscana.it – "Official Tuscany Web Site " – In Chinese, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish
    • Hyper, Super and Minimarkets – Source: Tuscany Net
    • NOTE: The lists above and the following section titled, "GROCERY STORES" are for medium to large chain food retailers in Tuscany and Italy. They are not an "alimentari" which is a small neighborhood grocery store (mom and pop) operation.
  • GROCERY STORES: (medium to large)
    • Carrefour Italia – In Italian Only – Subsidiary of Carrefour
      • On the main page, please click on the "Carrefour" logo at the bottom of the page and then on the next screen, please click on "Dove Siamo" (Where we are) on the dark blue information bar. On the next screen, position your cursor over the Toscana (Tuscany region) and click once. Please position your cursor over the flashing "Carrefour" logo for the address, map location, hours of operation, driving directions, etc. of the Carrefour store in that city.
    • Conad – In Italian Only
      • On the main page, please click on "Scegli la tua provincia" (You choose your province)
    • Coop, IperCoop (Coop Italia) – In Italian Only
      • On the main page, please click on "Scegli la tua provincia" (You choose your province)
    • Esselunga – Primarily in Italian with some pages in English
      • On the main page, please click on "Punti vendita" and then click on "Dove trovarci, quando siamo aperti" (Where to find to us, when we are open)
    • EuroSpin Group – "is the largest Italian group in the discount food channel."
      • On the main page, please click on "DOVE SIAMO" (Where we are). On the next screen, position your cursor over the Toscana (Tuscany region) and click once. Please position your cursor over the city on the Toscana region map and click once for the address, hours of operation, map location, driving directions, etc. of the store in that city.
    • GS – (GS Supermercati, Superstore GS, Iperstore GS and GS Spesaidea) – supermarkets and hyperstores – In Italian Only – Subsidiary of Carrefour
      • On the main page, please click on "TROVACI" (Find Us) on the dark red information bar. On the next screen, under "DOVE SIAMO" (Where we are), enter information about your location and press "TROVA" (Find).
    • Pam – In Italian Only
      • On the main page, please click on "dove siamo" (Where we are)
    • Penny Markt – In Italian Only
      • On main page, please click on Negozi (Stores)
    • Gusto sidis, sidisMini, sidis, MaxiSidis, superSidis , Ipersidis, IPERSHOP, Pantamarket (Midal S.p.a Distribuzione Alimentari) – In Italian Only
    • CEDI SISA CENTRO NORD – part of SISA – In Italian Only
      • On the main page, please click on "Supermercati" (Supermarkets). On the next screen, with the words "Punti Vendita" on it. under the word "PROVINCIA", please select the Italian province you want to go to and press "Conferma" (Confirmation). When the name of the store appears on the next screen, click on the red button with the words "Vai a Scheda" on it, the address and phone numbers for the store will appear on the screen.
    • SMA – In Italian Only
      • On the main page, please click on "I nostri Supermercati" (Our Supermarkets). On the next screen, position your cursor over the word "Toscana" (Tuscany region) and click once. Please position your cursor over the name of the province on the Toscana region map and click once for the address, hours of operation, etc. of the store in that province.
FOOD AND WINES
 KIDS
MAPS
MARKET DAYS
NOT A MAP
  • 360° – "A new way to explore Tuscany" – Source: Italy Travel Guides Ltd
SHOPPING
TOURISM/TRAVEL GUIDES
WEATHER
MISCELLANEOUS
 * = Blog entry has been updated.

The above links are current. If anyone has any suggestions for other sites, please feel free to post your comment and I'll update this blog entry. For your specific interest, please search the web for further information using Google

If you are looking for tourist information, I would suggest that you go to the guide book of your choice. I have provided just a few links about tourism. What you will find above is information for individuals: living in the Toscana (Tuscany) region of Italy, spending some time in that region or planning to come to this region of Italy.

To keep this blog entry from becoming too long, I have broken it up into two parts. Next Tuesday, 26 June, Part 2 will be available with further information about the Toscana (Tuscany) region of Italy.

That's it for Tuesday, 19 June 2007: martedì, 19 giugno 2007.

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 a Neopolitian saying, author unknown.

"Nun sputa e' n'aria, ca 'nfaccia te torna."
"Don't spit at the sky, because it will come back to you."

Please read my wife's blog about our life in Italy:

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: 17 March 2009)
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