Our residenza (residency) application was formally accepted on the 30th of October.
A 45-day process that should, finger’s crossed, see us become officially resident in the Comune di Modica on the 14th of December 2020.
17 days before the Brexit deadline of the 31st of December.
As stated last month, the process was ‘somewhat fraught’, but we got there in the end!
And, while Alice has made ‘friends’ at the local council and health board, we can now count our insurance agent as one too. Fabrizio even offered to argue with the Comune if there was a problem with them not accepting our health insurance policies.
It f’sure didn’t hurt we discovered he’s a rugby fan!
With our residency application receipt in hand, we applied for our Carte D’identità Elettroniche (Electronic Identity Cards).
We got lucky here, as we managed to charm le signore (the ladies) in the office handling the process, so that at least went smoothly. When I say ‘we’, I mean ‘me’, of course.
They were fascinated by the banter between Alice and me, and that I laughed so often. Obviously, most applicants have no sense of humour then?
Go figure.
Now these cards, unlike for Italian citizens, are only valid here for ID purposes. We won’t be able to travel within the EU using them.
A shame of course, but with both of these documents in hand, we’ll be pretty much set up here.
Looks like we’re successfully managing to weather this ‘blizzard of bureaucracy’!
17 days before the Brexit deadline of the 31st of December.
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| We'll get a visit from these guys |
And, while Alice has made ‘friends’ at the local council and health board, we can now count our insurance agent as one too. Fabrizio even offered to argue with the Comune if there was a problem with them not accepting our health insurance policies.
It f’sure didn’t hurt we discovered he’s a rugby fan!
With our residency application receipt in hand, we applied for our Carte D’identità Elettroniche (Electronic Identity Cards).
We got lucky here, as we managed to charm le signore (the ladies) in the office handling the process, so that at least went smoothly. When I say ‘we’, I mean ‘me’, of course.
They were fascinated by the banter between Alice and me, and that I laughed so often. Obviously, most applicants have no sense of humour then?
Go figure.
Now these cards, unlike for Italian citizens, are only valid here for ID purposes. We won’t be able to travel within the EU using them.
A shame of course, but with both of these documents in hand, we’ll be pretty much set up here.
Looks like we’re successfully managing to weather this ‘blizzard of bureaucracy’!
The Dreaded ‘C-Word’ Part 2
Back in September I wrote that with more restrictions coming in the UK, we were lucky to be moving here.
I talked about ‘good timing’, and how we weren’t hopping from the frying pan into the fire.
However, as at the 25th of November, the 14-day cumulative number of coronavirus cases was 458 per 100,000 in the UK, and 761 in Italy.
Not so good!
We, and the rest of Europe, are now riding the second wave.
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| Me & my NZ mask |
Now I will say lucky here, ‘cause Modica isn’t one of them.
We’re ‘Zona Arancione’ (‘Orange Zone’) which, while it f’sure ain’t fun, is less bad. We can still move freely, as long as we’re masked up, and most businesses are still open.
However, all my beloved cafes, bars and restaurants are closed, and la passeggiata has all but stopped.
I say: Why go out for that traditional evening stroll when you can’t watch the sun going down over a 300-year-old cathedral with an aperitivo in your hand?
The young are bored, and the old men sadly mill about in small groups, all not knowing what to do with themselves, now their favourite haunts are closed.
While life has slowed to a crawl for us, we’re okay though, taking every precaution.
Just getting on with getting on.
Food, Glorious Food
Enough doom ‘n gloom.
Instead, let’s talk about ... food!
A favourite topic among Italians. So much so, that around midday, instead of ‘ciao’ as a goodbye, the locals will wish you ‘un buon pranzo’ (‘a good lunch’).
What we’ve found is that we’re eating better quality here.
Everything bought, in the supermarket or fruit and vege shop, is likely locally-grown, and freshly picked or just out of the ground.
The only ‘downside’: It’s seasonal. For example, we were too late for figs, so will have to wait until next year for those.
I’ve even grown to love salads. I mean, the tomatoes, lettuce, and onions are beyond belief!
Now whether at home or eating out: Everything simply ‘has’ to be bathed in olive oil, and covered in a snowdrift of grated cheese.
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| And pasticcini (pastries) to die for...! |
It’s not like I have any choice, of course!
Let's talk about bread now.
Which you should buy at your local panetteria (bakery) on an almost daily basis. No 'sliced loaves' here, it's baked on the premises, and the varieties seem endless.
Hard, soft, crunchy, salty or sweet: They have it all.
And it’s all so very yummy.
So, I’ll leave you with: "Mangia bene, ridi spesso, ama molto" ("Eat well, laugh often, love a lot").
