November 7, 2018 It took us 24 hours, door to door, to arrive here in Mazzarelli from Seattle. And it will take 3 times that long to get over jet lag. Why do I love it here in Italy? Well, it’s not because of RED TAPE: Driver’s license: We must have an Italian license if we stay here longer than 90 days. This requires “residency” which we obtained a few years ago, and the renewal of our “permesso di soggiorno,” which we allowed to lapse. We’ve started the renewal procedure, involving plenty of paperwork and personal appearance at the police station in Perugia, the big city 45 minutes away by car. I dread these police station visits because the lines are always really, really long, with no place to sit and stone faced government employees. We are immigrants here in Italy. We add to the economy. At the “questura” (police station) all immigrants are treated alike. At least there is not a wall, not yet anyway. Here are the topics I plan to explore on this blog: Quirks in the village. Friends here. Human interest stories, some happy, some sad. Dante’s “inferno.” The French connection. Groups.My new neighbor (3 months old, Giacomo.).
