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.

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!!

Further to recent investigations regarding using a UK limited liability company with registered branches in Italy or setting up an independent Italian corporate identity i would like to further discuss the Italian limited liability company known in Italy as SRL (Società a responsabilità limitata), literally translated as “company with limited responsibility.” And similar to a UK ltd company.

For those of you considering DIY restoration of your Italian property, there are certain options. Forget just simply doing a DIY, unless you are a builder, because as soon as you require any trade to enter your property in Italy you need to “employ” them. You can do this as an individual (persona fisica) or as a self employed company (ditta individuale) or as a ltd company.  Simple DIY paying cash to your workers for serious restoration jobs in Italy is not simple in fact it is illegal. MIPC as Italian Property Consultants exist for this reason. I would advise you to set up an Italian limited company for that complex DIY project SIMPLY to protect your personnel assets from any unfortunate 3^rd party claims.

Beyond this article there is a further Italian corporate structure known as SPA (Società per Azioni) which is more like a UK PLC and is used by organisations to be quoted on the Italian stock exchange by large corporate businesses in Italy. The S.p.A. (similar to a Joint Stock Company) is the most regulated of the two major limited liability companies requiring a full-blown board of directors and board of auditors, as well as higher minimum capital requirements (i.e. 120.000,00 euros). The regulations set forth in the Italian Civil Code (”ICC”) for the S.p.A. also apply to the S.r.l., unless stated otherwise.

Here i will not go into the formalities but more the issues you should be aware of if you are in the phase of considering setting up and SRL in Italy.

Italian SRL:

An Italian SRL is similar to a small UK ltd company, the type of UK Ltd company you set up to have limited liability and when you are running the business yourself or with a few other shareholders/partners. In Italy the SRL does not actually have shareholders but you hold quotas, in the bigger picture the concept is the same, just its important to know that they are not shares. There are no requirements for management by a board of directors. Also in most cases, small S.r.l.’s can do without a board of auditors provided there be at least one director (Sole Director).

How to create an SRL in Italy:

In the UK there are many off the shelf ready made UK Ltd companies which for a small fee you can become the shareholder and sole director and company secretary. Personally i have always used  Hanover Company Services in the UK, cheap efficient and professional to either buy an off the shelf ltd company or create a new Ltd UK company. The memorandums of associations are very generic and basically you can use the corporate structure to trade in most activities.

In Italy it is different and not so easy.

You must follow the following steps and costs;

1: Determine the articles of association (statuto) and specify all the trades you wish to operate in. Add as many as you possibly can think of, in which your business in the future may wish to operate in, as any future changes involve a visit to the notary (minimum 2000 euros). Get a professional (normally your commercialista, that’s the Italian accountant that everyone has in this country !!) to check that your statuto covers every possible sub section of a trade that exists in Italy. There are more than you think !!!! … be specific in your requirements to ensure you cover that minor trading section that you assumed obviously was covered  but with the Italian law it isn’t. !!!!! You have been warned.

2: Obtain an Italian fiscal code for yourself. You need this as the person creating/owning the SRL.  You can use your non Italian address if you don’t have a house in Italy.

3: You need an Italian address for the future SRL in Italy. Either use your Italian property address, either owned or rented or ask a friend to use their address. I haven’t got around to studying virtual Italian PO boxes just yet or service companies offering this option at their address, but i will. If necessary use your Italian accountant’s/lawyer’s address with their approval.

4: Fix an appointment with a notary to create and register the new SRL and ask for a quote for the expenses. This can vary from 2000 euros  upwards.

5: Deposit the minimum nominal capital of the SRL 10,000 euros in the new “temporary” Italian company bank account at your preferred Italian bank. This is a strange concept in that you need to pay the nominal capital into the “temporary” company bank account, which actually doesn’t exist, as the bank cannot create the account until the notary has actually registered the company. But we are in Italy and the system works. Use a trusted Italian bank. I actually asked the bank but who has ownership of my nominal capital until the notary has registered the company and you, the bank,  have transferred the deposit into the then new company account…answer…”its in the system”….just accept it …..it’s official and works.

6: if you are a sole director & sole quoteholder and also the future company secretary (delegato amministrativo) then you must deposit 100% of the nominal capital. If there is more than 1 person involved then you only need to deposit 25%. Here’s some small personnel advice….In Italy the best small companies are made of an odd number of quoteholders and i would advise you to ensure that they are less then 3 share/quoteholders  J !!!! Is that clear !!!

7: With the relevant nominal capital paid to the bank, take the receipt to the notary. He will register the company in accordance with your statuto and then you have the act of registration, in Italian the atto di registrazione.  Deposit a copy of the atto with the bank to ensure your money is deposited in your new Italian company bank account.

8: Get your accountant to register the new company with the local chambers of commerce (camera di commercio) and with the REC registro ditte. Also get them to apply for your VAT (IVA)number (obligatrory for any Italian company indentity.)

9: With an SRL you will be obliged to follow the company accounts filing and tax returns. All Italian company accounts follow the calendar year to 31/12. Company corporation tax returns are due.  National and local company taxes will be due. Individual tax returns too.

10: The company must register with INPS and INAIL to pay employee taxes and social security taxes.

11: Your accountant with their services or their preferred wages burueau (consulente di lavoro) will also prepare wage slips (buste paghe).

Further SRL taxes and employee issues will be discussed in a separate article.

If you are considering a DIY Italian restoration in your house in italy or looking to buy Italian property MIPC are happy to advise as an Italian property consultant.

There are 2 airports in/near Venice. Please note which you need to return home from as otherwise you may find yourself in the wrong departure lounge

Closest to Venice is the Marco Polo Airport (VCE) , 15 minutes east of Mestre, used by major airlines.

Nearby is Treviso airport (TSF) also referred to as Venice by certain low cost airlines likes Ryanair, which is 30 minutes north east of Venice.

Either is great for visiting Venice. Both are also used for skiing in Italy in the Italian Dolomite ski region for resorts such as Cortina, Arabba, Selva di Cadore, Corvara, Colfosco, Alleghe.

Here is a brief outline about Venice Marco Polo Airport VCE located at Viale G Galilei 30/1, 30173 Tessera, Venezia, Italy.

Venice in Italian is Venezia. If you are travelling onwards by foot to Venice centre i would highly recommend taking one of the boats from the airport to Venice, tickets available in the airport, it kick starts that romantic weekend in Venice.

Venice airport (VCE) official website.

Outline: Modern large airport, with all principal facilities including car hire, taxis, bus service, restaurants, tax free shops and even boat-taxi bookings if you are staying in the heart of Venice..

Consider yourself fortunate if you arrive or depart on a clear day, when views from the air can be breathtaking. You’ll see the Dolomites, the Adriatic, and the Venetian Lagoon. You’ll see land that’s submerged at high tide, suggesting a Northern Italian version of Atlantis. And if you’re on the right side of the plane, you’ll see the city of Venice itself, with instantly recognizable landmarks like the Campanile di San Marco and the Grand Canal.

Airport layout :

Groudfloor : arrivals    1^st floor : departures     Top floor: restaurant bar

If you arrive early for departure I would highly recommend the bar on the top floor as it has fantastic views across the water to Venice.

Public Transport:

Bus: There are scheduled bus services to Padua, Mestre and Venice. Venice-Mestre railway station is connected to the airport by the ATVO Fly Bus and the ACTV bus 15. Bus 5 also runs to Piazzale Roma. Bus information is available from ATVO (tel: (04)  2138 3672) and ACTV (tel: (04) 1272 2111).
Taxi: Traditional taxis are available from Radiotaxi (tel: (04) 1595 2080). Taxis to Padua and shared taxis area also available.
Water: Alilaguna (tel: (04) 1240 1701) runs waterboat services between the airport docks and Venice, Murano and Lido. A 24-hour motorboat service is available from Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia (tel: (04) 1522 2303).

Car hire:

All major car hire firms are present. The hire cars are parked a 3 minute walk from the airport exit. Walk under the gangways to go directly to the cars, there is no shuttle to the hire car park.

There is a petrol station as you enter into the airport grounds for that last minute top up to deliver your hire car full of petrol avoiding charges.

How to get to the airport : The airport is very well signposted from all major motorways. Just make sure if you are arriving from the north not to exit the motorway too early at Treviso as you will end up at Treviso airport TSF. Continue towards Venice and then the airport signs take you to VCE Venice Marco Polo airport.

Accomodation : Endless choice on line. If you are looking for property in Venice, MIPC your Italian Property Consultant have some interesting apartments for sale just off the Grand Canal, though they are expensive luxury Italian property.

MADE is the international event for Projects Architecture and Building which takes place at the Milan Rho exhibition centre from 3rd – 6th February 2010 in Italy.

How to get to Milan Rho exhibition centre ? : Rho is here NW Milan centre. Nearest airport is Milan Malpensa MXP, though unless you are travelling by taxi or car (40 minutes) its a little difficult to get from MXP to Rho. I would advise Milan Linate (LIN) if your travelling by foot, as from here you can easily travel into Milan central railway station(30 mins) and then get the MM1 (red) tube line directly to “Rho-Fiera” (40 mins-last stop). Follow this link to the official Rho exhibition centre Milan Italy website for further details. You could also travel to Bergamo airport (BGY), hire a car in Italy and then take the A4 into Milan and then the A8(E62) and then you will see signs for FieraMilano and Rho-Fiera (1.5hrs).

Italian Property Consultant MIPC is actively involved in property restorations in Italy and collaborates with Italian Architects, Geometras (an Italian hybrid of project managers) and Italian construction firms. MIPC will be visiting MADE in Milan Italy for networking and to keep up to date with new building techniques, ecological products and the latest bio-architecture designs. We are also particularly interested in the “Borghi & Centri Storici” which focuses on the restoration and the improvement of Italian historical centres, like Salemi, as a new “made in Italy” product, within a framework of sustainable development.

If you too are considering to build a house in Italy or a restoration project in Italy then maybe you should consider a visit to MADE and we can meet up, if so contact MIPC your Italian property consultant.

ps Some of you may have searched italy TV license not Italian TV licence.

island for sale sardegna

Serpentara 2 miles off the South East coast of Sardegna is for sale. Located in the province of Cagliari in the far south east corner near the town of Villasimius, see google maps.  South of Villasimius heading towards the Punta Santa Caterina is the island of Isola dei Cavoli, further east and a little north is the island of Serpentera, 2 miles off the coast of Sardegna see google maps , which translated means Serpent named after the shape of the island coast line.  134 hectares of land in Italy with 1 old building known as the La Torre di San Luigi (circa 1700), that’s Saint Luigi’s old tower / lighthouse in Italy and a 2^nd world war buncker on the coast. There is no planning permission to build your luxury Italian beachside property, nor a lovely villa set in the Italian island in Italy overlooking the sea…. as a matter of fact the island is part of an Italian nature reserve a the protected area of Capo Carbonara.

The property was owned by an Italian estate agent which has gone bankrupt and only today the liquidators offered the property in an Italian property auction, but no one offered the asking price of 600,000 euros . The local council of Villasimius unfortunately couldn’t raise sufficient funds. There are online groups creating an Italian property syndicate but they too failed to raise funds. So this is the 3^rd time the sardegna island as not reached the auction reserve price.

Are you interested in making an offer for a paradise island, set in the natural coastline of Sardegna. If so contact MIPC quickly before the Regione Sardegna , that’s the regional government, make an offer.

Italian property auctions are a high risk experience for a non Italian buyer of property in Italy. There are some great bargains available, but most bargains are “sold” prior to the auction. It is known in certain areas of southern Italy for the bankrupt party to turn up after the auction and claim back their property. Always take professional advice from an Italian property consultant.