Odd goings-on in Liguria

If you don't live in this area this whole subject may be of little interest, though you may like to read on anyway and be amused by the antics of ex-pats. If you do live here and make use of AngloINFO you will almost certainly recognize at least a few of the characters and events I describe.

Back in 2006 I retired early and moved to the outskirts of Apricale, a pretty mountain village a dozen or so kilometers inland from Bordighera, at the western end of Liguria. As it turned out the move was not wise; the combination of my suddenly having no work and my wife being thrown into an unfamiliar environment proved too much for our relationship, whose strength had derived much from my being employed for my whole working life. The difference between our needs suddenly became all too evident, with catastrophic results. Within a year we had separated, and the house went back up for sale. I moved to Torri, a small village on the outskirts of Ventimiglia, and she back to England. The story so far is tragically not unusual. Moving abroad is difficult, as is retirment. Putting the two together is often a recipe for disaster, through too often we only know these things with hindsight. In the short time I've been here I've seen more than one other relationship come to a sticky end, and among my acquaintances there is more than one couple who I would not be surprised to see separated before too long. One such couple were neighbours in Apricale, the only other full-time English residents of the town that I know of. A more ill-matched pair would be difficult to imagine, and although they'd been together for nearly two decades the end was approaching, just as it was for me. When she left him he refused to concede that he was in any way at fault and embarked on a campaign of retribution, both against her and against me, who he blames for the situation. This has taken place both at a physical level and on the Internet, and it's the latter that's the main subject here. His grudge against me has had repercussions along the whole of Liguria, as I shall explain. This person, who I shall call David, regards the Internet as a tool to exploit and attack others. On the following pages I'll explain some of the tricks he uses and what to look out for. Continue A story Back to home page