You will all be happy to know that the Salemi council is finally getting ready to allocate the 1 euro properties. When the information is made public you will be amongst the first to find out. Register to this site to receive the latest updates or watch this blog via RSS or read more at SALEMI

Here at MIPC we have proven experience of working in Southern Italy. We assist clients identify, buy and restore property in Italy. MIPC is also involved with the town of Salemi, in Sicily, where they are offering sicilian property from 1 euro. OK the property in salemi, sicily are in need of extensive work, but you do genuinally get the plot of land to build on.

Offering properties at a cheap price by the local italian council is an idea launched by the mayor of Salemi. With budget air travel into Sicily via Trapani TPS or into Calabria via Lamezia Terme  for San Basile (SUF) the south of Italy is experiencing a boom in tourism. Property prices are cheap, its a great time to pick up a holiday house in Italy. MIPC can advise accordingly.

In fact there are many towns in southern Italy where you can buy a bargain property to restore. MIPC run an Italian construction firm in southern Italy, where we restore italian property, build holiday villas in Italy, we speak English and Italian and have hands on local expereince. MIPC will offer you a free consultation for your restoration project in Italy.

For further details regarding San BAsile email MIPC using the EMAIL tab above. San Basile, Calabria property.

Some are open so check below.

Closure is foreseen from 08:00 till 14:00 today sunday 9/5/10…..to be updated later.

YES its CONFIRMED THE ITALIAN AIRPORTS HAVE REOPENED AS FROM 14:00 local time today.

The italian airports affected are:

Milano Malpensa (MPX), Milano Linate, Bergamo Orio al Serio(BGY) , Brescia (VBS), Verona, Turin(TRN), Cuneo(CUF), Genoa(GOA), Parma(PMF), Bologna(BLQ), Pisa(PSA).

South of Pisa airports in the immediate vicinty are reported open, such as Rimini(RMI).

In the North East Venice(VCE) and Trieste(TSF) are reported as open.

Hoping you have a good holiday in Italy.

1000 miles

Mille Miglia fever has returned to Brescia. The annual historic car race from Brescia to Rome and return to Brescia will be returning this evening to a packed crowd as the leaders start to arrive. I’ve visited the event over many years and it is well worth a visit this evening to see the italian car rally if you are in the area on holiday in Italy in your italian property.

A short history lesson:

The process of the unification of Italy is known as the Italian Risorgimento. Back in 1860 in Italy there 4 states namely the Austrians in Venetia, the Papal States, the new expanded Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. In April 1860, separate insurrections began in Messina and Palermo in Sicily, both of which demonstrated a history of opposing Neapolitan rule. On May 6, 1860, Garibaldi and his cadre of about a thousand Italian “red shirts” volunteers (called I Mille), steamed from Quarto near Genoa, and after a stop in Talamone on May 11 landed near Marsala on the west coast of Sicily to “liberate” southern Italy and Sicily from the centuries old rule of the Bourbon kings from Spain.  Near Salemi, Garibaldi’s army attracted scattered bands of rebels, and the combined forces defeated the opposing army at Calatafimi on May 13. Within three days, the invading force had swelled to 4,000 men. On May 14, Garibaldi proclaimed himself dictator of Sicily, in the name of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy. In less than a month, and against all odds, they had seized Palermo. The defeat of the 20,000-strong Bourbon army in Palermo sent a shiver up the spine of Italy and through the Bourbon monarchy in Naples, setting the stage for the unification of Italy and ultimately leading to the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy (March 17, 1861) in Turin, Piedmonte.

The 150 year celebrations started this May 6th and will conclude next year 2011 with 150 years of the Kingdom of Italy. Even Ferrari has created a special logo which appears as from today on the F10s of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso: the three stripes of the Italian flag placed over the dates 1861>2011 are the symbol of the inter-ministerial committee to celebrate the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Italian Unity.

The head of State, President Giorgio Napolitano, was on the defensive when he travelled to Genoa this week to honour the Thousand. “To celebrate the unity of Italy is not a waste of time or money,” he declared. He urged Italians to show “a stronger sense of Italy and of being Italian”, following the leader of the The Northern League, Umberto Bossi’s comments calling the celebrations “useless things.” The party’s newspaper demanded rhetorically, “The unity of Italy – what’s there to celebrate?” and described the birth of the unitary state as “contrary to nature and history.”

The celebrations will follow the route of Garibaldi. Here in Sicily of particular interest was the THE GARIBALDI TALL SHIPS REGATTA 2010 from Genoa to Trapani.

In Salemi, Napolitano will be visiting on Tuesday 11th May to open the new town hall and new mafia museum which is planned to attract new mafia tourism to Salemi the town of the 1 euro house regeneration project.

There are 2 airports near Venice.

The nearest to Venice and the largest of the 2 is the Venice international airport which is called Venezia Marco Polo, airport code VCE, located 15minutes of Mestre, just across the water from Venice to the mainland.

The smaller airport called “Venezia Treviso” that is Treviso airport code TSF is 30 mins north of Venice. This airport is used by the budget airlines like Ryanair.

Please don’t confuse the 2 it could spoil your onward travel to Venice.

Treviso airport TSF Venice Venezia

Actualy  its quite a cute little airport. Well connected to local Italian transport infrastructure.

In the airport:

Arrivals is on the ground floor. There is a good tourist desk, a caffe bar and the car hire firms only. Oh there is also a Cash machine…good.

Departures take the escalator to the first floor, where there is a shop, little restaurant and waiting lounge before security control.

Beyond security and passport control (Queues are minimal ) there are few services….a bar, book shop and Italian handbag, clothes “Madablu “shop. It appears there are 7 departure gates, sp you can’t get lost here.

Electric socket:

There is an electric socket for your laptop last minute recharge. Before security control and opposite the escalator head towards the restaurant/shop. They are just before you enter on the right and also in the restaurant on the right hand wall.

Arrival and onwards travel.

Generally there is a good bus service but no underground nor train station in the airport.

There are 2 major destinations from Treviso airport. Venice or the Dolomite ski slopes.

To travel onwards to Venice, either use car hire (though its expensive parking in Venice) or take a direct bus to Venice or take a bus to the local railway station and follow onwards by train.Bus tickets can be bought in the arrivals terminal and the buses wait directly outside the airport. Most of the buses, even the direct ones to Venice, stop at Treviso railway station. If you feel brave get off and take the train to Venice. To be honest if it is your first time it is probably easier just to take the bus.

If you are travelling onwards to the Dolomite ski resorts like Cortina, Arrabba, Sella Ronda, Corvara, San Cassiano then hire a car with winter tyres (in winter). Not all car hire firms offer winter tyres in Italy. Online they do not offer the option of winter tyres so i would recommend you call the hire car firm and book winter tyres, which will be necessary from mid November to End of March. If you need to travel over the mountain passes you will need them. If you can not get them here in Treviso try flying into Innsbruck or Munich where in Austria ALL the car hire firms hire the car obligatory with winter tyres.

Rent a Car:

Pick up : All major car hire in Italy companies are present immediately in the arrivals lounge. The car hire car park is a 5 minute walk from the airport. There is no car park shuttle bus. Walk out of the arrivals lounge (out of the airport) and immediately turn left. It is signposted to “Park Rent a car”, head up the sheltered path for 200 metres and then walk up the road directly in front of you for a further 200 metres (unsheltered). You will see all the major car hire on your right. Hertz is inside the warehouse others are parked in the open. It is unmanned. So make sure you car fuel is full and check for car damage before heading off. Unfortunately if there is damage not recorded on the car hire form, then you will have to walk back to the airport terminal to get this recorded. Leaving the car hire car park turn left and then left again which will bring you to the T junction of the main road. Turn right for the A27 motorway, head to the roundabout and follow signs from there. Its 10 minutes to the A27 junction “Treviso Sud”.

Drop off:

Arriving from Venice head north up the A27 or if you are coming from the Dolomites ski slopes (Cortina 2 hours) then heading south get off at junction “Treviso Sud”. Treviso airport is 10 minutes from the motorway. Get some fuel at any of the petrol stations on the dual carriageway heading to the airport. Should you get to the airport and still need to full up, with the airport on your left then drive past it and 2 minutes up the road on the right there is the cheap petrol station. Euro 1,33 /litre today.  Turn back to the airport and the car hire drop off is the first car park sign on the right. Enter then turn right again to find yourself where you picked up the car. Easy. Remember there is no car park shuttle bus so you need to walk to the airport. Maybe you should drop of family and luggage first then go and drop off your car hire in Italy!!

Monday 19/4 update : In the UK there is a Cobra meeting to address the international travel issue. All airports in UK closed till tuesday 1pm local time. Ryanair cancelled flights for travel upto wednesday.

If you are travelling America to Italy, go via Rome/Milan, not UK.

Northern Europe airports are all closed. Try to use Spain as your nearest airport to northern europe and then travel onwards by land or sea.

I’m looking at getting the train from Northern England to Sicily. its a 2 day journey….will keep you posted.

Eruzione di un vulcano. Voli per inghilterra cancellato.

Easter in Sicily then consider flying AirBerlin to Palermo PMO airport.

There are connecting flights from :

Palma, Nice (Nizza), Zurich, Stuttgart, Cologne (Koln), Dusseldorf, Munster, Sylt, Hamburg, Hanover, Berlin, Munich (Munchen), Salzburg, Vienna (Wien), Malaga, Algier.

BEckham is on transfer from LA Galaxy in his second season in the italian premiership. Milan beating CHievo 1-0 are now 1 point behind the leaders. After his return to Manchester last week this is probably the start of a sad end to David’s football career…well at least he can rest and enjoy the italian lakes in his house in Italy….auguri.