Earlier this month Jávea was in the news for all the wrong reasons as forest fires threatened its outskirts. Sometimes it’s only when it might be lost that we appreciate what we have, so now Javea is safe again, let’s look afresh at the appeal of this fashionable Spanish beach, says Richard Way
A regional renaming in south-east France has put the Catalan nose out of joint. But you can’t keep a Catalan down for long, they’ll probably turn the event into a party. We live close to the Spanish border in an area sometimes known as Catalonia, which straddles both sides of the border. There are around 450,000 French Catalans, largely based around the city of Perpignan which was a strong fortress in medieval times. The Catalans are a proud people, with their own language; a rough mix of French and Spanish.
The Spanish tax authority’s use of drones and satellites has netted an extra 1.25 billion euros. Now it is extending the programme throughout the whole country and the Balearics. Don’t be caught out, make that declaration! The Spanish tax authority, called the Hacienda, is resorting to hi-tech methods to discover buildings which have not been declared for tax purposes. Since the end of 2014 they have found 1.69 million undeclared or illegal properties and they’re looking for more.
When you go to live in Italy you may wonder how you’ll get over the culture shock. Learn these five easy lessons to living like an Italian, however, and you’ll never want to queue, get drunk or wear socks with sandals again
