Dear Friends,
I am sending this little letter to people who might be interested. If you
are not, just let me know.
Registering as a Alien in Italy
As you may know when I last wrote to this issue, I was about to make my
4th visit to the local immigration office (at police station) to register.
I had discovered that the official sign up list outside the station was of
no use. Well on my 4th visit I discovered that in fact the aliens
registering used this list to control the order in which they allowed people
to enter the station to sign the official appointment list.
So I got smart. I went a 1 am this morning and signed the unofficial list
outside the station. I was number 6. When I arrived at 7:30 am to get in
line to sign the official list inside, I discovered that the list I had
signed was nowhere to be found. Instead there was another list with 28
names on it, not mine. I complained to the police officer inside. I don’t
know if her put me higher on the official list, but I was the last person in
at 11:30 to talk to immigration officer. But we have a new law in Italy
that aliens must be fingerprinted (you may know that it took three sets of
fingerprints from me in USA before FBI had set good enough to do my
clearance for a visa). Then don’t get this done fast. At 3:0 I finally was
taken in for fingerprinting. I got my temporary permit to stay. I’ll get a
permanent one before November 30. I have no idea how long the line will be
to get it or what list I’ll have to sign. The idea of sending this (or any
important document) in the mail has never dawned on the Italians.
What’s Important in Italy
Three things –style, beauty, and food. The number of clothing stores, shoe
stores, beauty parlors (and similar establishments) and restaurants and bars
with food is unbelievable. A shopalholic would go crazy here. A person
with a shoe fetish (there are such types of sexual deviants) would be well
advised to come here and take any job he could get, no matter how lowly.
Bike Riding
The good news –there are level roads to ride on. Unfortunately these pass
though a succession of uninteresting towns. There are beautiful roads to
ride –they go up, up, up. I climbed 8 miles on Saturday with hardly a break
in the upward slope. The views from top are spectacular. I also stop to pick
chestnuts off the road that I cook for dessert for supper.
A Visit to the Fortress
Last Sunday in Tuscany there were free guided tours at fortresses and
castles. I went to the fortress in Pistoia. The tour was in Italian.
Understood some. I certainly understood when the guide made the motion of
throwing something over the think walls and said “boiling water” in Italian.
The folks there told me to come back and to bring my friends who visit for
a tour. I didn’t have the heart to point out that the tour would be even
more incomprehensible to my friends who don’t know the phrase for boiling
water.
Watching a Quiz Show
I watch a nightly quiz show which is not vastly different than those in USA
with one difference. At points in the the show they bring out a troop of
scantily dressed dancing girls who do the same routine every night. One
night they introduced the woman who choreographs this routine. Let me tell
you it doesn’t take a Martha Gramham or a George Ballanchin to plan this
routine. Now Ed Sullivan used to have the June Taylor dancers, but at least
Ed had a variety show where dancers fit in. As I recall the June Taylor
dancers wore a lot more clothes.
Energy Efficiency
Because energy costs more here, the people are much better at conserving it.
When you enter an apartment house, you turn on a switch that turns on the
hall lights. They stay on for about 30 seconds and then go off
automatically.
Going to the Movies
When I went the first time I had already paid when I noticed the senior
citizens discount listed. I was prepared the second time and asked for the
discount. I was told it does not apply on weekends. I’m waiting to find
out for what reason it won’t apply next time I go. I saw “Callas Forever” a
new Zeferrelli film that was shot in English but dubbed (as are all foreign
films) into Italian. I was surprised how much of it I understood in
Italian. In everyday life you don’t have to know the trapassato remoto and
other obscure Italian tenses. I recommend it highly (it will probably only
come to art houses in USA). Imagine how good it might be when one
understands all the dialog.
Tuscan Bread
The worst element of the Tuscan diet. It is made without salt because at
sometime in the past, salt was not available. I don’t think the fact that
salt was in short supply in 1450 is a reason to omit it today. I can get
other styles of bread which are quite good.
More later