converting enquiries

[Tizfata]

Hi Pam!
I could not resist, I went looking for the firefighter's letter.
I am sorry for those who don't understand Italian.
"salve scrivo da Palermo, bene che lo sappia, sono un Vigile del Fuoco , vorrei sapere la località esatta della villetta, visto che la prima settimana di settembre sarei interessato a fare
un giro in toscana , terra amata da mia moglie e miei figli. Grazie attento risposta. Cordiali saluti .
( settembre XXX ?. a settimana ? )"
The only thing worth translating is "BENE CHE LEI LO SAPPIA". Pam, help, how would you translate that to let non-Italians to understand the true meaning?
About his job, I had forgot that I wrote him: this summer we had a lovely firefighter's family from Genoa and everybody was very happy about the place.
...And he read about me on SUBITO.IT
Pam, I am sending you by PM another message I received from subito.it from Adriano (according to the ad), Samuele (according to the e-mail address) and Alessandro according to Facebook.com (yes I do check the addresses).
Obviously I will be glad to extend the firefigther's address to those wanting to steal from me this preciuos customer and a copy of the mails from/to Adriano/Samuele/Alessandro.
Please do not hesitate to ask!

[lushsandwich]

hi jenroy
are you saying italians book through od etc?
sandwich

[Jenroy]

Hi Lushsandwich,

Our booking came via Homelidays and are now responding to a French enquiry from the same source.

[pambon]

The only thing worth translating is "BENE CHE LEI LO SAPPIA". Pam, help, how would you translate that to let non-Italians to understand the true meaning?

I would translate it as: I think you should know that I am a fire-fighter.

Perhaps he's a 'piromane' - a pyromaniac

[Giulia]

I only had one booking from one Italian extended family from Naples/ Bologna ( they met half way and spent a long week end at the house) and they were lovely.
Where do you advertise to get Italian enquiries?
Giulia

[pambon]

Hi Giulia, I think most advertise on Homelidays and subito.it. Personally I would be wary of those answering to ads on subito.it

But, as I said that's my personal opinion

[Don Ciccio]

Well ,I do not agree completely with Tiziana, my experience with my country folks have been horrid, ( escluding Red Cross and friends from Padua), maybe she has been luckier than me.

Yes, I keep well away from southern Italians and many other renters here (both Sicilians and Italians) feel like I do!

I wonder if Tiziana has rented to Sicilians - both those living in Sicily and those living in the north...?

They are lovely people in their own homes but not in other people's homes.........

I know this is a fairly late response, but I only just joined the forum and am having fun reading through old posts.

Indeed, we have rented to great guests... French, Dutch, Swedish, Irish, Brits, Maltese, Norweigian, Australians and Swiss with (touch wood) no real problems... the moment we rented it to one local Sicilian group we arrived at the end of the rental to find holes drilled through walls and a satellite dish and cables installed. They actually asked for it back the next week too!

I was stunned. However, it was an isolated incident

[olive]

"BENE CHE LEI LO SAPPIA"

If there is a trace of menace, wouldn't it be "You'd better know that I'm a fireman" ? In English the intonation would add to the meaning, of course.
If there is a strong menace, "I'm a fireman - and you'd better know it".

Or is there no concealed threat?

Living in the south of France we've had to learn the hidden meanings in words........

[Tizfata]

Olive, I guess the "read between the lines" was something like: "I'm a fireman/carabiniere/policeman/finance inspector, you better give me a very good price as I am used to people spoiling me because of my well respected job". Being an Italian living in Italy, I think I know how to deal with these kind of people. One of my best guests were a (another) fireman family and they never dreamed of asking for anything more!
Ciccio, maybe I did not read well. Your guests installed their own sat dish making holes in your walls!??!!?

[olive]

Tizfata, I'm sure you do know how to deal with these kind of people!
I hadn't thought of the "give me a good price" aspect - which shows that I don't know how to deal with these kind of people. We get diferent kinds of threats in the south of France.......

My comment, btw, was purely related to a possible translation. I wouldn't dream of giving any advice on dealing with Sicilian firemen. (French firemen are easy: just give them a generous Christmas tip when they knock on the door. You'd better!)

[Tizfata]

We get diferent kinds of threats in the south of France.......

Before my mind goes to "The Godfather"... What are you talking about?

[Don Ciccio]

Ciccio, maybe I did not read well. Your guests installed their own sat dish making holes in your walls!??!!?

Yes, you got it right! They drilled holes from the living room out to the exterior for a satellite dish cable, and erected the dish up on the roof and drilled smaller holes in the kitchen wall to put up another exterior light as 'our one wasn't bright enough'.

We have taken security deposits ever since.

[olive]

"Before my mind goes to "The Godfather"...."
I think you could go there, Tizfata.

Our neighbour had an argument with her gardener before Christmas and found a bullet in her cat a short time after.

This IS unusual but I have been "warned" off local property speculators we (an environmental group) take to court for breaching planning rules - "be careful - they are dangerous" etc.

Never a dull moment.

[Tizfata]

Olive!
OMG!

[pambon]

What a mundane life I lead here.......!

Can't, thankfully, compete with any of those 'problems'. (My cats are indoor ones - but that's due to the cars here in spite of it being a residential area AND a no-through road.)