http://villacasale.net
Frequent Questions updated March 2007
1. What are your favorite places in and around Teramo?
Museum of the Abruzzo People in Pescara
Archeological Museum in Teramo
Civitella del Tronto - fortress and museum
La Scala Sacra (Sacred Steps) in Campli
Santuario di San Gabriele (Sanctuary of Saint
Gabriele) in Isola di Gran Sasso
Castelli - ceramics
2. Is smoking allowed?
Best to smoke outside the house on the patio.
Grazie. Keep it legal because the guy two houses
answers to "Poliziotto."
3. Are children allowed?
Heck yeah!
4. Is Paolo our private tour guide?
Au contraire. Paolo has a store to run and looks
after Casale as a sideline. He points you in right
direction and gets someone (usually not Paolo) to
fix small problems. If you buy vino or pasta at his
store his advice improves by 30%. Paolo is not only
very handsome but also extremely popular. I made
the mistake of putting his phone number on this
website. Unfortunately, he and his family could not
handle all the calls from the movie agents who
wanted him to be George Clooney's film. Dedicated
shop owners try to keep their fans happy but must
stay focused on their businesses.
Paolo loves languages and you can teach him a few
new words or phrases. No cursewords per favore.
Best to arrive in Valle San Giovanni when the
grocery store is open, any day but Sunday. Paolo
opens in the morning from 8:00 AM until 1:00 PM all
year round. In the summer he opens from 4:00 PM
until about 8:00 PM. During the dark winter months
he closes about an hour earlier in the evening if
his wife Dina has a nice plate of pasta waiting for
him at his home just around the corner from his market.
5. What does it mean to conserve utilities?
Italian utilities are double or triple those in the
USA. Mind the water, heat, and electricity usage.
Molto importante. Lights off when leaving a room,
minimize use of hair dryers, kind of short showers
and on. When you turn on the faucet keep the lever
all the way to the right if you do not need hot
water. If your spouse fusses you can blame Stefano.
True story. I went down to the Bar 90 to socialize.
By mistake I left one light bulb on. My cousin Aldo
tracked me down with the warning, “Hey, you left
the light on…” With my tail between my legs I
returned and turned it off. Now I turn the lights
off when I am not in a room. Also more romantic. If
your spouse fusses you can blame Stefano.
6. Can you eat well in Abruzzo for “pochi soldi”
(inexpensively)?
Head to an agriturismo. Keep eating while hungry
but stop ordering food when you are full. Usually
pay cash so have some handy. Fabiocchi is close
with great food. Go 3 km on road leading to SS80
and Teramo. When you hit a “T” in the road, instead
of taking left turn to Teramo, go right towards
Frondarola. Fabiocchi is 100 yards (meters) on
left. Best to call ahead (see Nearby Attractions on
this website). Flash - Fabiocchi now serves pizza
also. Molto buono!
Another nearby pizzeria is A Tizzone in Torricella
Sicura. See “Nearby Attractions.” Good pasta at
lunch but pizza is only at dinner. You can try (I
did) to get pizza before the oven is fired up at
8:00 PM but you will likely fail (I did). Some
pizzaioli (pizza makers) don’t take a bribe
(bustarella).
7. Is there a tourist office in Teramo?
Yep. Abruzzo Promozione Turismo, 17 Via Carducci
Giosue', Teramo (TE) 64100 They have nice maps,
information, and free Abruzzo posters.
8. Is the house heated?
Si si!! With our new wood burning stufa "stove" as
of 03/07. You are going to be toasty. Have not
figures out how to toast marshmallows however.
9. What about coffee?
There should (no guarantees) be a bit of coffee and
sugar left over from the previous renter. Hey,
leave some for the next guy! Both available at
Paolo’s store. Hard to find American coffee in
Italy. A reasonable facsimile is just use less
grounds. You can order weaker coffee in a bar by
asking for “caffe lungo” (with shot of water
through the grounds) or “caffe Americano” (extra
hot water added to the prepared coffee). Except on
Mondays, in VSG you can have a caffe with my
cousin, Francesca, the friendly barista, at the Bar 90.
There is a stovetop Italian coffeemaker in the
house. It unscrews into three parts. Fill bottom ¾
with water. Put the coffee container in and fill it
¾ full without pressing the coffee down. Screw top
back on tightly and put onto a medium-low flame.
When you hear a gurgling sound that is not coming
from your stomach, the coffee is ready. Take off
flame. While cleaning the machine better not to
bang the coffee holder to get the old grounds out
because if it gets bent then no more coffee.
10. Where is the nearest place to get some cash?
Branch banks are in Montorio and Torricella Sicura.
Look for Bancomat ATM’s with “Star” or “Cirrus” logo.
11. How about telephone usage?
The house has no telephone. Cellphone information
is on Slowtalk website. WIND chips do not work in
VSG. There is telephone at Bar 90. Francesca will
keep track of things. Or buy prepaid phonecard at a
tabacheria and call “800” number before connecting
to your destination. With a phonecard you will owe
Francesca nothing for the call. The nice thing to
do is to offer her a couple euros, a bacio (kiss)
if her husband Giovanni is not looking, and/or buy
a some Dom Perignon.
12. Does the house have toilet paper and paper towels?
There should be some when you arrive. Serious
worriers should bring one day’s supply. Paolo
stocks these at his store. Please leave some for
the next person. Merci di niveau!!
13. What about the fridge?
Close door & turn the knob to “3” when you arrive.
At departure throw away perishables, turn knob to
off (light will go out). Leave door open.
14. How does the washer work?
Add clothes. To save energy and time, best to wait
until you have a full load.
Open drawer on upper left hand side of machine.
Fill middle section 1/3 to 1/2 way with detergent.
Find the row of three buttons. Push in first button
(start). Ignore second button or push in for half
load. Ignore third button or push in if you want
the machine to stop and wait before completing the
final spin (very annoying).
Set temperature dial to minimum (or 30 degrees)
unless you want to donate your clothes to orphan
children.
Set big dial on right (cycle selector) to "2".
Close door, make sign of cross and machine should
start. If does not you should (gently) re-open and
re-shut the front door (of the machine not the
house). This is most common reason machine does not
run. Door will lock while washer runs.
Open some wine. Two bottles later machine will
stop. One glass later front door (guess which one)
will unlock.
There is clothes rack in kitchen. Clothespins
should be in drawer somewhere. Look for
clotheslines around the shed. To avoid damage, do
not tie the clotheslines to the gutters of the house.
15. Can you buy local olive oil?
Certo (certainly). See the "Nearby Attractions"
section. Check out their race cars while you are
at it.
16. What about flies, mosquitoes, and (oh no!)
flying bugs?
The folks in VSG keep their windows open during the
day with no problem. We put screens on the living
room and two bedroom windows. Be gentle. The
screens are fragile (Managgia!), will break easily
(FIAT=fix it again Tony), and were very expensive
(Costa quanto?).
To use screens. When screen is open, at top of
window you will see a rail. With both hands, pull
down gently on the rail until it is at the bottom
of the window and you hear two clicks. Voila!
To raise, pull down and out gently on the cord
attached to the rail. You will hear two clicks.
Then with two hands guide the screen to the top of
the window. Italian screens and women appreciate a
gentle touch from a strong guy like you.
17. Is Casale air conditioned?
Would cost a gazillion dollars and not necessary
since the walls (but not our wallets) are 18 inches
thick. House is cool in the summer if you follow
one rule – don’t let afternoon sun blast directly
into the rooms! Around lunchtime close the shutters
almost all of the way, keeping them cracked a bit.
This blocks sun, lets in a bit of air. You will be
cooler than Leonardo's 1964 motorino.
18. Where do I check my email or use the internet?
Go to an internet location, also known as
cybercafe, located in Teramo. You can also try the
public library there. At this time there is no
internet connection. Mi dispiace (sorry).
19. Does the house have a terrace?
Certo! Take white folding chairs outside for a
picnic. Pasquale the dog or a neighbor might stop
by. No surcharge for the panorama bella!
02/07 update. Morto, that's over 72 in people
years, etc. He will be missed although his spirit
lives on.
20. Electricity?
Power is 220V/50cycles. American power converters
tend to mess things up (mine sent my neighbors’
TV’s on the fritz until they could figure out who
to fuss at.). The laws of physics say that plugging
a 110V American appliance into 220V socket will
give you .2 seconds of use. 50 cycles means that
even things that have dual voltage (like certain
clocks) will run 5/6 as fast in Italy. You will
have extra time to sleep in the morning but,
according to most theories of relativity, will not
extend your lifespan.
Like most Italian homes, the supply of electricity
is limited. If you try to run a couple big
appliances simultaneously, bye bye power. Avoid
this by conserving electricity and by keeping
things plugged into the wall to a minimum. If the
power fails, first unplug the things that caused
the problem in the first place. Then check the fuse
box by the front door. Finally, you can check with
Paolo who may have a minute to see what’s up or
fetch our cousin, Silvio, to assist.
22. How do we pay?
Cash to Paolo, bankwire (bonifico), American check
(yeah!), postal money order, or credit card (boo!).
No zlotys.
22. Can I rent the house by the month?
Most certainly! It is better to have someone in
the house than to have it sit empty. We have
worked out reasonable monthly prices with several
tenants. We prefer to keep it open for a couple
weeks in April and August so we get a visit or two
for ourselves.
23. When is my reservation confirmed?
Not until Stefano or Paolo or somebody has some
loot in their mitts (denaro nelle loro mani). Will
contact you to confirm. Nonrefundable 50% to
reserve; the rest before arrival.
24. Is there train from Rome to Teramo?
Hard to do because you have to change trains. Most
folks take the (big blue) intercity bus (called a
pullman) from Rome Tiburtina train station to
Teramo bus terminal. Trip lasts about 2.5 hours. Go
to the ARPA website.
25. This is my first trip to Italy. Should I stay
at Casale?
Maybe, but probably for only part of the trip. One
hearty soul made a 11 hour (travel time) day trip
to Venice but the word “pazzo” (3 centesimi short
of a euro) comes to my mind.
26. Did Madonna’s family come from VSG?
No. But they did come the small town of Pacentro,
about an hour away, which is also located in Abruzzo.
27. Is a car necessary?
Not mandatory but perhaps a good idea. VSG has only
350 people with few English lit majors. If you want
to chill and hang with the locals you could survive
without a car. To see the sights you will need some
wheels.
28. What have you heard from previous renters?
Everyone so far has had a good time (tocca
ferro/knock on wood).
30. Is there parking for all?
There is parking on the street. In the past
Pasquale (see above) arranged parking for his
friends. Best not to park your car directly next
to the front door of the chiesa (church) so as to
allow the churchgoers easy access. If you look on
the back of the church door you will see a surprise
and will have a much better understanding of the
mysteries of life. Sorry, no hints, you must seek
out the revelation yourself.
31. Have there ever been evil spirits lurking on
Via del Casale?
Not to the best of our knowledge. The local
townspeople work in collaboration with higher
authorities for protection from evil as well as
blessings from above.
33. What slogan best describes Casale?
We didn't build this house and you are not going to
Italy to add problems to our lives. Take it easy,
enjoy the scenary, everything is already OK.
to be continued …
