The northern Italian village of Bormida has hit the headlines because its council is offering €2,000 to anybody who wants to come and live there.
The idea is to boost the population of the village, where rents can be as low as €50 a month. I, for one, am tempted — particularly given Bormida’s close proximity to the borders with Monaco and France, and to the beautiful port of Savona, where Costa Cruises has a terminal.
The French are arrogant, the English are miserable, Scots are tight with their money, Australians are boorish drunks, Italians are dangerously passionate, Americans are loud know-it-alls …
If you agree with any of these statements, then you’re guilty of buying into stereotypes. While it’s true that stereotypes develop from a grain of truth or experience, they too often get exaggerated and disguise a very important fact about humanity.
Marseille is magnificent, but if you’re arriving by cruise ship, you’ll need to negotiate, by vehicle, through a huge industrial pot complex before you get to the heart of this city.
The city embraces a smaller harbour, where pleasure craft mingle with fishing vessels, and anglers bring in their catch for direct sale. Continue reading Marseille? Magnifique!
