Zucchine, or courgettes, with mint is one of my favourite combinations and you find it a lot in Puglian dishes, like my favourite zucchine alla poverella. They say that the use of mint is due to the influence of Saracen … Continue reading
Many dream of a little, or even large, place in the sun. Owning a holiday home for your own exclusive use comes with it’s own problems though. It always seems as if at least the first few days of any … Continue reading
As a child I must have passed through Brindisi numerous times; as a family we used to drive down from Rome and get the car ferry to Greece. At the end of a long drive there was little inclination to explore … Continue reading
This is the first property newsletter in a very long time – mainly because I have been rushed off my feet finding and restoring properties for people! I now have more help, however, and will try and make it at … Continue reading
Before I came to live in Nardò, I had been backwards and forwards from Monopoli for about six months. I certainly fell in love with the place and thought it extremely beautiful (see Nardo who knew for pictures and description of … Continue reading
I recently received a phone call from someone asking for my opinion about a property they were considering purchasing. I spent a long time talking to them, although they are not an existing client, or likely to become one, because, potentially they were about to make a big mistake. Almost half the property they were considering purchasing appeared as deposito or agricultural storage on the land registry. Their agent had told them this was for tax purposes and wasn’t a problem.They were also told they should be able to extend the property by 20%. It is not that simple. Continue reading
Many years ago, when such a thing didn’t exist, I started up a magazine for parents. I had my first son very young, none of my friends were even thinking about starting a family, and I found it difficult to find the information I needed – bear in mind this was also before you could just look things up on the internet. The magazine became a kind of ‘word of mouth’ in print. Readers could recommend anything from schools, to toys, to babysitting services, or even plumbers, and we would include them alongside articles on children’s health, education and so forth. From being a kitchen table job, where I had to teach myself page layout software and do everything myself the magazine grew very quickly, ending up as a glossy monthly, on sale everywhere before eventually being sold on as a business. Continue reading
Tucked away, just behind the main piazza in Nardo’ is Palazzo La Rosa. Despite the very central location, it is in a quiet square, reachable by car and with parking outside, which is unusual in the Centro Storico. Nardo’ itself is … Continue reading
The brief was clear: Jim was looking for a three bedroomed house, with a large garden, close to shops and services and as close as possible to the sea. Maximum budget 216,000 € (160,000 pounds) including any work, which should be … Continue reading
This is slightly different from the last property newsletter in that there are very few properties in it because I haven’t been on many general property viewing trips yet this year – January has been taken up helping people on … Continue reading