Buying a Sound Rig and Moving to Italy

Alain Lumina · January 11th, 2009, 07:06 PM

Vasco;

Thanks for the well wishes. Any advice for what types of projects might be available, anything different about technical and social expectations in Italy regarding doing sound?

One thing I'm guessing is there may be more work in Rome than anywhere else as it's a bigger city. E vera?

I'd be willing to work for free for a while, perque non ho cittidinanza fino dalcuni mesi.

Lumina

Vasco Dones · January 12th, 2009, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alain Lumina

Any advice for what types of projects might be available, anything different about technical and social expectations in Italy regarding doing sound?

One thing I'm guessing is there may be more work in Rome than anywhere else as it's a bigger city. E vera?

Sorry, Alain, I really don't know.
As somebody else wrote on this thread, your best bet might be to put your English and your writing skills at work - and check, before leaving, whether there is something you can do for the US market (aren't all Americans crazy about Tuscany and such?).

Rome? Yeah, big city! , and that's where you'll find Cinecittà. And RAI. And a mind-boggling degree of entropy.
Milan? Other big city, and there you'll have Berlusconi's TV channels. (Slightly less entropy, more fog...)
But again: your main asset will be your language, I think. Really. And your passport ("American? From California? WOW!")

You know what? I suspect you're gonna have the helluva lotta fun - work or no work...
ciao!

Vasco

Jim Andrada · January 12th, 2009, 10:49 PM

No comparison - Rome is at the southern end of northern Italy - or maybe in the center of Italy.

My Italian friends (in Umbria) aways say that "South of Rome begins Africa". Which is an exaggeration of course.

But there's no comparison between the businesslike/European city of Milan and the "just north of Africa" city of Rome.

The further south one goes in Italy, the higher the unemployment rate gets and the more laid back the attitudes. And maybe the food gets better as well!

In fairness - I have friends in Rome and even friends in Naples and on the Adriatic coast, and they're all great places in their own ways. But for work/business, I think you'll find that Milano is the place.

Alain Lumina · January 12th, 2009, 11:30 PM

"and check, before leaving, whether there is something you can do for the US market (aren't all Americans crazy about Tuscany and such?"

True, some Americans--Whenever i mention Italy they coo and look dizzy; they can't wait to go there.

I am thinking of setting up a sort of scout or errand business , where I go and videotape potential properties for American buyers, with complete videos of the nearby towns, surrounding countryside, in depth interviews of Locals/Expats who live there, evaluation of how good a fit the region would be.

I've already got a domain name : yourmaninitaly dot com

A small but select group ( ahem, like me) of Americans are going to want to retire
somewhere where people take off more than three days a year.

No fun please, I'm American. ;)

Vasco Dones · January 13th, 2009, 02:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alain Lumina

"... people take off more than three days a year.

The problem: people do, ALITALIA doesn't :-)

(just kiddin', of course)

Jim Andrada · January 13th, 2009, 03:48 AM

Even when they do take off, they leave the baggage behind.

If you change planes in Milan, you should allow about 3 or 4 days for your baggage to catch up to you in Rome or wherever.

My wife and I flew from San Francisco to Rome via Frankfurt and Milan and of course the bags didn't make it. Four days later in a little (60 people) town in Umbria the bags showed up. Our friends said it was about an average baggage delay on Alitalia

Ken Campbell · January 13th, 2009, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Andrada

My wife and I flew from San Francisco to Rome via Frankfurt and Milan and of course the bags didn't make it. Four days later in a little (60 people) town in Umbria the bags showed up. Our friends said it was about an average baggage delay on Alitalia

You were lucky, I sometimes see the Malpensa bag handlers on the news being arrested for stealing luggage. They show the video of it and everything. Better not to put things of value in checked bags. Then there was the Rome cafe owner who charged a poor Chinese guy's credit card €1000 for a beer. Tourists should be really careful in this country!

Alain, I take it you are really serious about this! I think you'll enjoy the challenge and will end up with a rewarding experience. Just don't burn your bridges to the US.

Jim Andrada · January 13th, 2009, 12:04 PM

To say nothing about the Gypsy kids who come up to you in pairs and while one of them tries to show you something in a newspaper, the other is lightening your pockets.

And our friends in Naples say that despite the bad rap the city gets for street crime you don't really need to worry about having things stolen as long as you leave your watches, cameras, jewelry, purses, false teeth, eyeglasses, fillings, implants, etc at home. Locked in a big safe!

We spent some time in Castelfidardo near Ancona on the Adriatic one year touring accordion factories We had dinner with the manager of one of the companies and his family and he asked us a hypothetical question - what would you do if you were in Naples and just after the light turned green someone on a bicycle raced across the intersection in front of you? I said I'd slam on the brakes. He said that would be a good idea because the guy was probably riding my bicycle.

In spite of which it's a great place, and in the small towns people don't even seem to lock their doors when they go out. My wife left her belt pack with her passport, US Green Card, money, etc on a train when we got off in Bologna, and just as the train started to pull out, one of the guys who had been in the compartment with us jumped off, ran up to us, handed her the untouched pack, and leaped back onto the moving train.

And did I mention the great food?

Pietro Jona · January 14th, 2009, 02:57 AM

As for escaping the 8 years of Bush, Italy is the fifty-first state of the USA..

Alain Lumina · January 19th, 2009, 03:44 PM

If I get there with say a Sound Design 302, and fail utterly, would I be able to sell it at a profit? Or at last break even? A 702T

Thanks

January 11th, 2009, 07:06 PM	#16
Alain Lumina Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Fort Dick California ( Far North) Posts: 59	Still studying Italian Vasco; Thanks for the well wishes. Any advice for what types of projects might be available, anything different about technical and social expectations in Italy regarding doing sound? One thing I'm guessing is there may be more work in Rome than anywhere else as it's a bigger city. E vera? I'd be willing to work for free for a while, perque non ho cittidinanza fino dalcuni mesi. Lumina

January 19th, 2009, 03:44 PM	#25
Alain Lumina Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Fort Dick California ( Far North) Posts: 59	Bringing Pro Equipment to Italy If I get there with say a Sound Design 302, and fail utterly, would I be able to sell it at a profit? Or at last break even? A 702T Thanks

January 12th, 2009, 10:49 PM	#18
Jim Andrada Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 2,211	No comparison - Rome is at the southern end of northern Italy - or maybe in the center of Italy. My Italian friends (in Umbria) aways say that "South of Rome begins Africa". Which is an exaggeration of course. But there's no comparison between the businesslike/European city of Milan and the "just north of Africa" city of Rome. The further south one goes in Italy, the higher the unemployment rate gets and the more laid back the attitudes. And maybe the food gets better as well! In fairness - I have friends in Rome and even friends in Naples and on the Adriatic coast, and they're all great places in their own ways. But for work/business, I think you'll find that Milano is the place.

January 12th, 2009, 11:30 PM	#19
Alain Lumina Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Fort Dick California ( Far North) Posts: 59	"and check, before leaving, whether there is something you can do for the US market (aren't all Americans crazy about Tuscany and such?" True, some Americans--Whenever i mention Italy they coo and look dizzy; they can't wait to go there. I am thinking of setting up a sort of scout or errand business , where I go and videotape potential properties for American buyers, with complete videos of the nearby towns, surrounding countryside, in depth interviews of Locals/Expats who live there, evaluation of how good a fit the region would be. I've already got a domain name : yourmaninitaly dot com A small but select group ( ahem, like me) of Americans are going to want to retire somewhere where people take off more than three days a year. No fun please, I'm American. ;)

January 13th, 2009, 03:48 AM	#21
Jim Andrada Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 2,211	Even when they do take off, they leave the baggage behind. If you change planes in Milan, you should allow about 3 or 4 days for your baggage to catch up to you in Rome or wherever. My wife and I flew from San Francisco to Rome via Frankfurt and Milan and of course the bags didn't make it. Four days later in a little (60 people) town in Umbria the bags showed up. Our friends said it was about an average baggage delay on Alitalia

January 13th, 2009, 12:04 PM	#23
Jim Andrada Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 2,211	To say nothing about the Gypsy kids who come up to you in pairs and while one of them tries to show you something in a newspaper, the other is lightening your pockets. And our friends in Naples say that despite the bad rap the city gets for street crime you don't really need to worry about having things stolen as long as you leave your watches, cameras, jewelry, purses, false teeth, eyeglasses, fillings, implants, etc at home. Locked in a big safe! We spent some time in Castelfidardo near Ancona on the Adriatic one year touring accordion factories We had dinner with the manager of one of the companies and his family and he asked us a hypothetical question - what would you do if you were in Naples and just after the light turned green someone on a bicycle raced across the intersection in front of you? I said I'd slam on the brakes. He said that would be a good idea because the guy was probably riding my bicycle. In spite of which it's a great place, and in the small towns people don't even seem to lock their doors when they go out. My wife left her belt pack with her passport, US Green Card, money, etc on a train when we got off in Bologna, and just as the train started to pull out, one of the guys who had been in the compartment with us jumped off, ran up to us, handed her the untouched pack, and leaped back onto the moving train. And did I mention the great food?

January 14th, 2009, 02:57 AM	#24
Pietro Jona Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: italy Posts: 172	As for escaping the 8 years of Bush, Italy is the fifty-first state of the USA..