The Carnival in Umbria

The word carnival, said carnevale in Umbria, comes from the Latin carnem levare, an expression used in the middle ages which marked the beginning of the lent fast.

Origins of Carnival
A time of the year during which one was not allowed to eat meat (carne in Latin). But like many other festivals of our calendar, it derives from an ancient roman cult the Saturnalia, a pagan rite of fertility which was celebrated in honour of the god Saturn. During those celebrations everything was allowed, even disguising and changing rules. Carnival was modified substantially because of its magic and ritual nature with Christianity, but it was still tolerated by the clergy. During the 15th and 16th century some traditions were recaptured and the use of masks and fancy dress spread all over the country.

A charity evening in Todi

Todi (Pg). A charity evening to raise funds for Médicins sans Frontières has been organised by the Todi branch of Avis, THE NATIONAL BLOOD DONORS ASSOCIATION and the Todi town council for January 20th and 21st at the Teatro Comunale, with the title “Ritmi dal mondo. Dalla Black Music al Latino americano”. At 9.15pm on the 20th and at 5.30pm on the 21st.

Cheap flights, expensive property - by Nic Cicutti

January 04 2007

Everywhere a Brit goes, expect a house and rental price boom to follow -
even abroad. That, at least, appears to be the impression given by a
succession of statistics published in the past year or so. The latest, by
a large UK estate agent and rental firm which acts on behalf of overseas
property owners, has found that second homes abroad which are located near
airports served by low-cost airlines are nearly 40% more valuable than
others. ( Perugia / Stanstead opened just 2 weeks ago and the prices haven’t risen, in the Upper Tiber Valley of Umbria, this year…………..yet!)

The survey questioned 12,000 owners of overseas property and found
that the average price of a property served by a low-cost airline is 39%
higher than those near an airport without a low-cost airline carrier.

The survey also found that properties served by low-cost airlines also had higher average rents than
those without. The additional rent was as much as 30% for properties within
10-20 miles of airports.

At one level, the figures quoted above are hardly contentious. They back
research earlier last year by
a foreign currency exchange firm, which found that homes in south west
France near Bergerac Airport - a popular Ryanair and Flybe destination - had
risen by 157% since 2001.

Request free brochures about investing in overseas property and the key attraction, it is emphasized again and again, is the availability of
cheap regular flights from the UK, offering the potential for significant
rental yield and capital appreciation as a result.

Purchasing a property abroad "anchors" the buyer. If you buy a home near
Bergerac airport, it stands to reason that you are more likely to be flying
out there several times a year.

Demographics suggest that more and more people from the UK would like to
live abroad. A survey by the insurer Prudential in 2004 found that up to
14.7 million pre-retired Brits wanted to make the move and retire abroad.
Although about half of them admitted that they were unlikely to achieve
their ambition that still leaves 7.5 million who are actively considering
the notion.

There are now 95 low-cost carriers serving airports within Europe. Their passengers
are Germans, Italians, Spanish, Dutch and French people, all flying to
similar locations in each others' countries.

……………….so, if you’re really set on buying something in sunny Umbria, don’t leave it too late, have a look now on www.propertiesumbria.com, be quick, I can hear another RyanAir jet coming in!



……………..and for rentals, and accommodation don’t forget www.lapreghiera.com and www.villamoscatelli.com.