You may have bought a house hiding a treasure and you don’t know! When buying a house in Italy, it is a good idea to do a proper inspection of the property just to be sure of what you are getting yourself into beforehand. Ok, we already know this. But inspection is not just for purposes of identifying any possible shortcomings but also seeking to establish if there are any valuable hidden architectural...

Outdoor party season has finally returned! Make sure your house party will be the best in your neighbourhood thanks to these 9 ideas. Make Your Cooler the Coolest Forget filling up your freezer with ice makers and save space for some Vodka. Buy a bag of balloons and fill them up with water. Freeze them over night and place the balloons in your cooler. Bonus: After the ice melts you have ammo for a water balloon fight! More info here.

Many people dream about packing up and starting a new life abroad, imagining a better quality of life, with more time for oneself and beloved ones. Italy is still one of the favourite retiring locations, thanks to its nice climate, historic places to visit every day and good food. But what are you supposed to do to retire in Italy? Here is a brief guide, that will clear your mind about the process of...

The calm before the storm: UK investors urged to invest overseas following Conservatives' slender majority 'Now is the time to think more globally'. This is the message to investors of UK assets by the boss of one of the world's largest independent financial advisory organisations, following early predictions of the Conservatives' effective majority. deVere Group's founder and chief executive, Nigel...

We know that moving from your home country to Italy may be quite stressing up and we want to help you with some good tips to save time, money and, yes, some hair-pulling – in the process! 1. Plan which items you’d like to bring with you at least 6 months in advance and check how much it would cost to replace the items that you are not taking. 2. Plan your packing dates with your removal company at...

Cortona is one of the most charming towns in Tuscany and it is crowded all year around; the streets are full of fashionable art and antique shops; people wearing their designer clothes are having an aperitif in a classy bar, while waiting for the latest exclusive event. After all, Cortona itself, from its dominating position 500 metres above the sea level, seems to be saying “hey, Val di Chiana, I am the...

Italy's fragmented past saw the Country divided into dozens of tiny independent states, bequeathed in a plethora of small urban settlements which offered the neighbouring countryside a place of aggregation and trade closer than the capital city. Many towns and villages, the so called borghi, still bear the signs of their turbulent history in their interesting buildings and monuments which are a testimony...

If the housing market in 2014 gave concrete signs of recovery, in 2015 the increase of transactions will continue, although prices seem to be still falling. Stability will be reached over the next two years. What happened in 2014 The year that we have just left behind, showed concrete signs of recovery for the Italian real estate market. After years of negative trends, the transactions increased by 3.6%....

It is hard to determine the impact Expo Milano 2015 World’s Fair has on the ongoing recovery (albeit, slow) in Milan's real estate market. Despite different perceptions, real estate brokers agree that the turmoil due to upcoming World’s Fair in Milan in May has contributed to boosting a sector that has experienced years of severe crisis. The main signs at the national level come as usual from big...

These tools may not be on the market yet, but someday they'll change your life. WHAT’S IN MY FRIDGE? That’s the question we all probably ask every day. This prototype smart fridge will read the RFID of the products and will let you know what’s in your fridge, without opening the door and wasting energy. THE MILKMAID: MILK MADE SMART Unsure if your milk is still good to drink? The Milkmaid promises...