For anyone who's ever thought about buying a house in Italy...
Apr 26th, 2021, 12:47 AM
#1
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For anyone who's ever thought about buying a house in Italy...
Got a spare euro? Burning to renovate a house? This one's for you!
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/artic...ses/index.html
Lavandula
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/artic...ses/index.html
Lavandula
Apr 26th, 2021, 12:41 PM
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There are a lot of winemakers in Sicily that are far from corrupt. When was the last time you were there?
I was always wary of this program, but there is a link to another article in the posted article where this is actually working out for some people.
I was always wary of this program, but there is a link to another article in the posted article where this is actually working out for some people.
Apr 26th, 2021, 01:28 PM
#7
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Apart from the fact that I don't speak Italian, St. Cirq, I would not enter a scheme like this, no need for aggression. I have no capacity to entirely rebuild a ruined house in another country, it's merely here to stimulate conversation - and just maybe it's someone else's thing. Let alone the fact that it's all happening during Covid (I can't leave Australia anyway)...
Lavandula
Lavandula
Apr 26th, 2021, 10:44 PM
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Apart from the fact that I don't speak Italian, St. Cirq, I would not enter a scheme like this, no need for aggression. I have no capacity to entirely rebuild a ruined house in another country, it's merely here to stimulate conversation - and just maybe it's someone else's thing. Let alone the fact that it's all happening during Covid (I can't leave Australia anyway)...
Lavandula
Lavandula
Apr 27th, 2021, 12:56 AM
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Such posts are the main reason because prejudices about anglo-saxons are more and more common all over the world. It really seems this pompous bunch thinks that the Godfather is a documentary about Sicily and not a metaphor about the USA.
I shouldn't be surprised since this is the same "guy" who wrote on Fodors in 2019:
Even if you put aside the blatant racism against Africans and Italians in a single sentence, the two books (written by Tobias and Dickie) this "guy" quoted are universally seen as two ridiculous examples of carelessness and shallowness. At least Dickie admitted it and wrote a sort of "part 2", but Tobias... Only the Guardian could keep on publishing him as "an expert".
I can't imagine a single Italian journalist (or French, or German... pick a country with no superiority complex) writing a book about the Troubles one year after his/her first English lesson, but Tobias did it about the fascist bombs in Italy in the 70s. And Britons take him seriously! Only in UK.
All Sicilians younger than 80 are bilingual, we do not need to hire a translator to fill the tax form or watch TV.
The Sicilian accent, on the other hand, could be a real problem. Just like the Tuscan accent when you are in Florence, the Umbrian one in Perugia and the beloved Apulian accent in Lecce. At least we speak a classic Italian without too many mistakes when using the right tense.
I shouldn't be surprised since this is the same "guy" who wrote on Fodors in 2019:
Both books place Italy at the lower end of African countries in terms of ethical governance.
I can't imagine a single Italian journalist (or French, or German... pick a country with no superiority complex) writing a book about the Troubles one year after his/her first English lesson, but Tobias did it about the fascist bombs in Italy in the 70s. And Britons take him seriously! Only in UK.
The Sicilian accent, on the other hand, could be a real problem. Just like the Tuscan accent when you are in Florence, the Umbrian one in Perugia and the beloved Apulian accent in Lecce. At least we speak a classic Italian without too many mistakes when using the right tense.
Last edited by Falcio; Apr 27th, 2021 at 01:03 AM.
Apr 27th, 2021, 01:28 AM
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Falcio, it was a bit of a joke, was just trying to lighten up the thread a bit. I have a lot of friends in Sicily and they are the most wonderful people. I do not know any one corrupt and they would be dismayed to read that opinion. For the Sicilian accent - it is definitely hard! I thought it was more of its own language than a dialect. I did not mean to offend.
Apr 27th, 2021, 07:23 AM
#12
Crickey yes the accent from Sicily is tricky. One of my friends and teacher from near Etna went on a course to Liverpool. Talk about a mixing of "shs" and "ths".
Falcio, it is good you hold up a mirror to us, it helps me at least.
Falcio, it is good you hold up a mirror to us, it helps me at least.
Apr 27th, 2021, 07:55 AM
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Falcio
Are you attracted to me or stalking me? You're quoting what I wrote 2 years ago, which unless you're writing my biography, is just plain creepy.
To correct your racial stereotype I'm Celtic not Anglo Saxon, if you had the faintest idea of our history then you would know how insulting that is.
Google it.
You may learn something.
Are you attracted to me or stalking me? You're quoting what I wrote 2 years ago, which unless you're writing my biography, is just plain creepy.
To correct your racial stereotype I'm Celtic not Anglo Saxon, if you had the faintest idea of our history then you would know how insulting that is.
Google it.
You may learn something.
Apr 27th, 2021, 02:12 PM
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Hi Falcio, I see that this has been a bad day for Italy at least in Belgium (a university has been advertising its courses with a phrase relating to the 'Ngdrangheta, now swiftly pulled off air) and there has been a large uprising of Belgian Italians against the racial slur. I understand why you are looking at us, it is a timely reminder that small things can be offensive and contribute to a larger movement. If I have offended, apologies. Likewise I don't think British Caicos meant any offence and he certainly would not have known about that Belgian context. British Caicos, I also hope you are OK and not offended, there is currently a lot of sensitivity in the air which you could not have been aware of. I only happened on it yesterday looking at De Standaard.
Lavandula
Lavandula
Apr 27th, 2021, 10:16 PM
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No. I wasn't intending to insult anyone or put anyone off visiting Sicily.
The post about the e1 houses wasn't that serious and neither was my comment about corruption. Both based on fact but light hearted. On the four trips we have made to Sicily, we've had some of the best food on our travels, seen some stunning sights and met some interesting and very humble people. However, on every trip we came across sights and experiences which back up the perception and reporting that Sicily has a general business which differs to that of other areas of Europe.
In Belgium, I'm not sure how references to organised crime can be seen as a racial slur. Or are we disputing that organised crime ever existed in Southern Italy?
The post about the e1 houses wasn't that serious and neither was my comment about corruption. Both based on fact but light hearted. On the four trips we have made to Sicily, we've had some of the best food on our travels, seen some stunning sights and met some interesting and very humble people. However, on every trip we came across sights and experiences which back up the perception and reporting that Sicily has a general business which differs to that of other areas of Europe.
In Belgium, I'm not sure how references to organised crime can be seen as a racial slur. Or are we disputing that organised crime ever existed in Southern Italy?
Apr 27th, 2021, 10:59 PM
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The references to the 'Ndrangheta were made in the context of advertising language courses at the KU Leuven in bus stop signage (along the lines of 'Because you don't order 'Ndrangheta for dessert'). Offense is always in the eye of the beholder, and a number of people complained about the campaign (one of a number of slogans) and I think it just gained momentum. When the uni worked out it was offending people they were swift to pull the ad. There is a large Italian-background community in Belgium, and I think consciousness of organised crime is currently high in the community anyway because of the recent arrests in Italy. No-one wants to affirm the association between Italy and organised crime, at least not in the Italian diaspora, because all it does is strengthen stereotypes. I am not going to comment more on that, not the least because it's not really part of my portfolio of knowledge; I just happened to read what was in the paper in the last few days.
Lavandula
Lavandula
Apr 27th, 2021, 11:21 PM
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