Pizza, Pasta and Bread...Oh My!

Here are a few of the popular restraunts in Aviano! Now, I am new here myself so I'm going to need some help here!Some of my favorites in Aviano are...

San Giorgios Spaghetti House
Type: Italian/ Pizza
Viale San Giorgio, 34.
33081 AVIANO (PN)
Tel. 0434 651482
Hours:
Open for lunch and dinner
Closed Tuesdays

Casa Bianca
Type: Italian/ Pizza
Viale San Giorgio, 19
33081 Aviano Pordenone
Tel: 0434 661532
Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday 11:30 - 2:30 / 5:30 - 11:00
Closed Monday

Befed
Type: Roasted Chicken
Costa Avenue, 6 / B
Aviano, PN
Tel: 0434 661 025
Hours: Mon, Wed, Thurs 18:00 to 01:00 - Closed Tuesdays
Friday and Saturday 18:00 - 02:00

Vecchios
Cuisine: Pizza
Piazza Plebiscito, 7
33070 Polcenigo, Italy
Tel: (+39) 043474013
Not sure what day they are closed...

New Pizza by Mario
(Beside Hotel Olivia)
Closed Sundays
I do not know the number but this is our FAVORITE place! Mario is so friendly!

There are soooooo many more places to chow down at but I just listed the ones I have been to and enjoyed! Please comment with your favorite dinner spot! Happy eating...

What to Bring!

Before moving a lot of people told us..."DON'T BRING THIS, DON'T BRING THAT!" I was actually worried about bringng our couch because so many people acted like we would have no room in our house. I thought the homes were going to be super tiny but I haven't seen a super tiny place yet! Our place is 1200 sq. ft which is PLENTY of room for my hubby and I! If you have a larger family you can find some places that are larger so don't freak out!

Before moving a lot of people told us..."It will be easy to find a great car there!" "Wait to buy a new car once your there..so many options!"  Okay..if you are looking for a 15-20 year old, standard, BMW then YES you have TONS of options! And these cars are great for back and forth to work and running around town but if you plan on needing or wanting a newer more reliable car I would suggust making sure you have that before you come. It's not impossible find a newer, automatic car here but it takes looking at the classifieds every day and jumping on it if something comes up.

We were lucky enough to find two great cars that fit us here but if I had known what I know now I would have just bought a car in the states (I was in the market for a better car anyway so I left my old car behind) it just would have been nice to have choices, ya know? :)

Now it's time for a POLL...comment with your answer.
What is one thing you left behind at your last base that you wish you would have brought?

Calling the States

Here are a few options that you can use to keep in touch with family and friends in the states.

Skype- We use Skype! Now, Skype to Skype can be fussy sometimes so we bought a one year subscription where we can unlimitly call any cell or landline. This cost $50 for the entire year. You can also buy Skype credit whenever you need it. It costs 2 cents a minute.There are lots of options with Skype so check it out yourself at Skype.com

Magic Jack- I don't know much about Magic Jack but I do have several friends that use it and like it a lot.

Here is what my friend stated about Magic Jack "We use Magicjack... costs $20.00 for a full year call. Talk as long as you want, no computer required only a phone jack. Easier than any other way to call back to the states and beyond."

Magic Jack

Vonage- I also have friends that use Vonage and like it. Vonage.com

If you have an iphone (or smart phone) you can use apps like Whatsapp, Heytell...and many others to text, send videos and pics, and voice message back and forth. The perosn in the states just has to have the same app.

I'm sure there many options out there that I have not mentioned so leave a comment and share what you use.

Base Run Down

If you have not yet moved to Aviano you may get a little confused when you hear others talk about Area 1, Area 2, Area F, ect. P.S. There is a bus system that goes to the different parts of the base if you ever need a ride from one to the other. I have used it many times before we had a car when we first got here.
The link below tells what each part of base has to offer. :)

Millitary Installations

Electricity...

Before coming to Italy I didn't know what a 220 plug looked like let alone the vocab for it all! So, let's start there...

Adaptor: A device that lets you insert a plug into a different socket: these are small, cheap and safe.

*It is IMPORTANT that before you plug something in to look and see what the devices voltage is! If it says something like "100-240V, 50/60 Hz", it will work with the right plugs.- Wikipedia (You can get the little adapter from the BX or Airmans Attic)

 By the way: Most computers are adaptable and you just have to use the adapter. But ALWAYS check  first!

Transformer: I do not really understand the actual definition so I will say it in my own words..

Pretty much a transformer is what you use to make a 110V device work here in Italy without blowing it up! :)

"If you are using a 110V appliance at 220V-240V, you can also use a transformer" -Wikipedia

Lamps! All you have to do to use your 110 lamps is put a 220v bulb in them and use an ADAPTER to plug it in.

Check out this link to read more on electricity! Wiki Travel: Electrical Systems

Also heads up to newcomers who have never lived in Europe...

I  didn't know it was so easy to blow the fuse in my house by baking and washing clothes at the same time! Heaven forbid we multi-task while doing house work! Every house is different and this is something you will get used. It will take trail and error to figure out what you can and can't run at the same time in your home. The first month of living in our house I blew the breaker at least 3-4 times a week. Now it's a rare occasion :)

Laundry...

So..one of the hardest things I had to get used to doing differently was WASHING CLOTHES! Since the washer you are given here from the base only holds about 3-4 towels and the dryer takes hours to finish drying I have come up with a system that has really helped me! I got one of those racks for clothes to hang out to dry...you can use it outside but I just leave it in my laundry room since I have room. Mine came from the SME store in Pordenone.

Normally I wash a load then dry the load and so on...not here. I wash clothes back to back (because I cannot run the washer and dryer at the same time or I blow the electric fuse). I wash, wash, wash and wash some more. Then I lay out what I don't want in the dryer and then the other stuff goes in the dryer. My dryer gets so hot and makes the room so warm that it makes the hanging clothes dry faster. So far this is the plan that works for me. Now, if you do a load a day you won't have much trouble but sometimes it just gets backed up fast! Some of you may have different methods...please share! And some people just don't mess with the ole' washer/dryer and haul their loads to the laundry mat on base.

Ciao!

Ciao Ya'll! I created this blog to share some info about what it's like living in Italia and what the new spouses can prepare for.

I'm just going to go ahead and throw this out there... the first few weeks maybe months (okay..most likely months) you will probobly hate living here. BUT, once you have found your home, settled in, unpacked, made friends and get involved with stuff going on in the community and on base you will really start to feel at home! I know from my own experiances that this is TRUE!

Hopefully from this blog you will learn new and helpful things, be able to share your own experiances, and learn the Italian way of life a little easier than just trial and error all on your own.

Please comment or email me with ideas and things that need to be shared with the newbies!
Nick.Hope.McDonald@gmail.com