D.B.er

I have a 3 month contract in MXP with Livingston starting on 1 June. I would be grateful for any tips to make life easier.
For example: What is the best mobile phone account to go for. I will need to call Hong Kong and UK as well as local calls to Milan from within Italy and Europe.
Initially I am booked into "La Perla" which I am told is where many pilots stay. Is this suitable for when my family come to visit in the school holidays? I have a wife and 2 teenage children. If not does anyone know of accommodationthat might be suitable for about 2 weeks during school holidays in July and August?
I MIGHT be able to offer a swap as I have a large house in Scotland, and a large house in Hong Kong.
Is it possible to get tickets for the opera at SHORT notice (as I do not expect a very stable roster).
Any other tips to make life easier or more enjoyable will be gratefully received.
Thanks for your help
Iain

Blue Panorama

La Perla is a good start. Great food, nice people and stunning location. Family not so well catered for as some rooms are very small and it is in a quiet village. August everything shuts down or goes into go slow mode (did you think things could be slower?) so be ware of that. Plenty of places accomodating tourists around the lake but prices will be high for the summer as that is when everyone goes. Try searching the net before you go as in some places Italian is the only language. Milan centre is about an hour away from La Perla. I have no experience of the opera so cannot comment there.

It is a beautiful corner of the world with really nice people very nice wines and great food so make the most of it and get into life the Italian way for a while.

D.B.er

Thanks Blue, that is reassuring news on La Perla. Do you know anything about Italian Mobile contracts? Meanwhile I had better finish packing!
Iain

GEENY

And leave the SARS behind.....

Blue Panorama

I use Omnitel. They are tied in with Vodaphone and give good coverage. While out of Italy you can SMS and receive calls with the pay as you go deal but not make make calls. Plenty of places for top up cards but expect a lot of unsolicited sms from Omnitel with offers in Italian. Contracts near impossible unless you have an address to send bills too, so PAYG best option.

GEENY

To get the SIM card one needs to produce "codice fiscale"(usually).It's like a "hello" to the italian taxman.Does one wish to do that?

Henry VIII

Hi DB,
pls chk your private mail.
Tks & by
Henry

Sorry DB,
for private mail I mind private message via pprune.
by

KingArthur

There's a magazine for expats in Milan and surrounding area, easymilano, which has a website http://www.easymilano.it/. You can find useful addresses there.

cabiatir

Hi Db er!
welcome to Italy..I hope your stay will be a good one!
To call home may I suggest to use prepaid cards? You can buy them in most newstands or "tabaccherie" and they offer the cheapest rates around. Can be used from any public or fixed phone as well as cell phones (but in this case the rate is higher but still a lot more convenient than regular rates). To give an example a 5 euro prepaid card used from a fixed phone allows about 150 min conversation to Malaysia (in my case since I ve friends there).
Well I hope you'll find the information helpful. See you!

Blue Panorama

You will get your codice fisicale very soon after arrival anyway but I got my SIM card without it. A copy of my passport was all that was needed.

In general, expect everyone to be very helpful and accommodating to you with things like this.

quixeven

Blue Panorama wrote:
Ciao,

I've been using Omnitel for about two and a half years now, and I would certainly recommend it. What's cool about Omnitel is that you know exactly what you're spending directly on your cell phone, something other operators don't allow you to do (you've got to call a toll-free number that will tell you your remaining credit).
I've probably been lucky, but I've only received a couple of ads via sms so far
And about calling from outside Italy...until about a year ago, you couldn't make calls indeed, but I've been to CPH last October and it let me do it...although I had to dial a complicated code, and the prices were far from being cheap Actually I think it all depends on the card you'll buy, so you'd better check that when you go and buy it.

Hope this helps,

Nicola

C-47

Hi D.B.e.r.,

first of all welcome to Italy: hope you'll have a nice stay!

Just a short note about the Opera infos.

I am quite familiar with that so I can give you some good advice.

You can book almost any kind of ticket using a popular website (www.ticketone.it): you can get tickets of concerts, football matches, and opera also.

The only Opera theatre which does not use Ticketone is, of course, the most famous: Teatro alla Scala.

Also, bear in mind that La Scala Theatre is actually under major repairs and for this reason it has been moved to another theatre built last year in a new residential area. That's not bad (there's a little screen for each seat so that you can see more particulars and read also the subtitles of the opera which you're listening).

La Scala has a web site but it is not exately for those who need to get a ticket at the last minute like you. I'd rather suggest you to go directly to the main ticket office.

If you're operating from MXP just take the Malpensa Express train to Milan Cadorna Station: from there you have to take the subway (tube): take the red line and get off at Duomo station. Inside the station (the mezzanine) there's the main ticket office.
I believe this is the easiest way to get what you want.

Hope it helps...

Good luck with your job with Livingston and..please, if you see that there's any right seat available, let us know!

CIAO !

D.B.er

Thank you everyone for the friendly advice. All very helpful. Regarding private messages it will be several days before I can reply as I am terribly busy and jet lagged at the moment. Will do so when I get a few moments
Ciao
Iain