POT NOODLE HORN
17th Mar 2007, 18:46
Im off to Bergamo soon to be based, if theres any FR pilots out there reading this any help would be grateful regarding living etc....:ok:
PM if you wish
HORN
cavortingcheetah
18th Mar 2007, 11:24
:cool:
Not an FR pilot but did, not so long ago, work a winter contract for a certain wizard airline which has, one thinks, rather gone down the Hobbit hole.
If you decide to live in town, the Alta Citta is the place to be. Rented property is hard to find and if you don't speak Italian, you might find it difficult. There was an estate agent in a street behind the Excelsior San Marco hotel where the owner spoke French and where she knew enough people living in the Alta Citta to be able to find furnished rooms from time to time.
The drive from town to the aiport is, as usual, a function of terrible traffic and a lot of pilots used to stay at 'agricoles'(?) sort of bed and breakfast farm houses. There should be something on the internet about these and all reports of those of which one heard were good.
Here you are:
http://www.agriturist.it/
Do not be lured into going and living by the lakes without careful examination of the traffic. While it is very beautiful out there, twenty kilometres can take an hour or so to drive.
As one remembers, most of the service garages were on the other side of the highway from the airport. You got there through a tiny tunnel on the airport side. This made any vehicle servicing very easy. (Mercedes in particular were very obliging about driving one back and forth. You will, dare one say it, need a car, preferably a left hand drive. There was a left hand drive centre near Basingstoke which, if you do not already have one, might provide motorised transport from banger to beauty.
Bergamo was wonderful and breakfast on the balcony at the Excelsior on a Sunday morning was always a great treat. Lots of places gave discounts to air crew, especially 'Commandantes'. The Italians having, at least then, a reasonable respect for those of us who fly aeroplanes. Be sure to wear your overcoat with the collar turned up and suitably expensive dark glasses.
Hope you have a wonderul time!
A word of caution, if one may make quite so bold. As you must know, Orio al Serio (Bergamo) is one of the three (?) airports serving Milan, the others being Malpensa and Linate ? If you are living in Bergamo you will find it a considerable nuisance if FR expect you to get to and from any of these other fields on the basis that you are 'based' at Milan. The point is obvious enough but others have fallen into this little trap and encountered almost insurmountable commuting problems.
Good luck though, one of the nicest cities to live in the whole of Italy.:ok: