Progress

From the city of Bari, it is easy to visit both Matera and Alberobello.  I like having a guide at historical sites, so I searched online and got lucky with a wonderful guide through "Tours by Locals". Giorgio met me at my hotel and we proceeded first to Matera, which is about an hour away.  En route, I learned about the history of Bari, which includes complicated Mafia connections.  The south of Italy does not have the wealth and prestige as the north, and life was/is run a bit differently!  

Matera is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the many in Italy. It is in the region of Basilicata, next to Puglia. You may recall that in 2019, Matera was named the European Cultural Capital.  And years before that, it was the setting of Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion of Christ". Matera is an area of "Sassi" or cave dwellings.  The oldest dwellings are eight thousand years old, opposite the more "modern" dwellings.  They are divided by a ravine, which was once a river.   

The Sassi of Matera are regarded as "one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world." The area was occupied by many different groups.  By the 1800's, Matera had extreme poverty, poor sanitation and disease.  In the 1950's, it was called "the shame of Italy" and the townspeople were forced to evacuate to modern housing in the "new" Matera.  For years, the dwellings were abandoned until the 1980's when the town became a historical tourist attraction.  Now, there are hotels, restaurants, shops and artist studios. 

There are several empty caves that are open to visitors.  One has been reconstructed to show what life might have looked like when the caves were inhabited.  There was a small kitchen and table.  Animals were housed inside the cave to provide heat.  The matrimonial bed has the toilet nearby and a loft above for children.  We can imagine that there was no privacy at all!! 

After lunch in the modern section of Matera, we got back on the road to reach Alberobello.  The guide pointed out the change in the landscape when we crossed from Basilicata into Puglia.  The olive groves returned in abundance.  

Alberobello is the home of the famous "trulli" and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We arrived first into the inhabited area of Alberobello. My guide, Giorgio, stopped to say hello to a family living in a trullo. The wife of the couple showed me her garden. Outside her door she had a table with fresh figs, at no charge, and I helped myself.  Mamma mia- delicioso! 

There were trulli that were open to walk through and imagine life in the round home with the conical roof. My guide explained that the original design of the roof was a way to avoid taxes.  The workers for the feudal lord Count Acquaviva lived in Alberobello, but he didn't want it to be considered a "town". So,  the stones on the roof were not joined with mortar, and when the keystone was removed, the roof would collapse. Thus, the building was no longer considered a house and so the area was not officially a town.  This was changed in 1797, and now each roof is permanent.  

A long post for a long and wonderful day!  I am always glad to see respect given to old ways of life. People live with what they know and what they are given, until something happens to improve their lives.  Even then, someone might like some of the old ways best of all. 

Heading South

With rain in the forecast and no activities in Florence, I decided to chase the sun and head south, all the way to the "heel of the boot" in fact.  My first stop was in Bari to see the "old town" and from there visit the villages of Matera and Alberobello.  Then, I planned to continue further south to Lecce. 

In order to reach Bari by train, I first went north to Bologna, and then along the coast to Bari.  The train ride is picturesque, with views of the hills and then the coast for many miles.  Since the trains are still running at 50% capacity, travel feels safe and relaxing.  

While the narrow streets of the "old town" do have souvenir stands, there is also a sense of real life-- small coffee shops, butchers, fruit and vegetable stands, non-touristy panino spots.  One church was setting up for a wedding. There were elderly out doing the shopping and stopping to talk.  There was an odd calmness between all the twisting streets.  

In the evening, the old town filled with youngsters on scooters, teenagers, adults and families.  It was exciting!  I had an aperitivo while looking at the sea, then walked to Piazza Mercantile (around the corner!) and enjoyed outdoor dining at a wonderful restaurant.  I was overjoyed at the sight of the bread basket alone!

In the picture, the restaurant tables are under the large umbrellas.  To the right, was a woman selling squares of freshly fried polenta.  (On my tour the next day, the guide said that she is there every day.) 

The region of Puglia is well known for seafood, burrata, focaccia, and taralli.  There would be plenty of all of that in the days ahead!  

Permesso Update

In previous posts, I explained the lengthy process to apply for a visa and then obtain a "permesso di soggiorno", or permission to stay, in Italy.  Here's an update.

My original appointment of March 17 was cancelled due to the lockdown in Italy and subsequently changed three more times.  This change required two additional health insurance policies- short term from July 30 to September 17, then long term for one additional year, ending July 31, 2021.

On September 17, my scheduled time to arrive at the questura was 10:40.  The person who is working with me went early and arrived at 6:40am and got on line.  At 7:30 she called me to ask if I could arrive by 8:00 instead of our agreed 8:30, because the police officer said there were many people working and the line was moving quickly.  This was good news! 

Shortly after I arrived, my number was called.  I had a folder of documents about my apartment, financial resources and health insurance.  I had all the back-up material from my application in New York City.  The only papers that were requested were for my private health insurance, and my four passport photos. (We had filed other papers upon my arrival in Florence.) By 9:00am, the first step was finished.

The next task was to get fingerprinted.  I was assured that this happened only one time, and then I would not need to be fingerprinted again in all of Europe.  Since the first task went quickly, we assumed the second part would go quickly as well, especially since I had a low number and would be in the second group to be called.  However, the wait was nearly three hours.  Bathrooms were locked.  There were a few places to sit down.  The windows were open, but there were no fans and certainly no air conditioning.  This is an immigration center and police headquarters in a large, cement block of a building. Since the Covid situation, people were required to line up outside instead of inside, which helped.

The fingerprinting itself took less than two minutes.  

After that, we said our goodbyes.  I went to have lunch and Ulrike went home to rest since she had to return with a client in the afternoon.  Maybe in a month, most likely two months, I'll return to get my residence card.  Hopefully, it won't already be expired, which happens in some cases.  

I walked a bit before deciding to have lunch at the well-known Trattoria Sergio Gozzi, in the San Lorenzo neighborhood, near the Central Market, since 1915.  They are famous for their bistecca, but I couldn't resist ravioli. 

Happy Memories

Readers of my blog have asked me to include some photos of myself!  Well, this isn't all that easy since I am often exploring on my own.  However, my neighbor and friend, Ursula, emailed me photos of our trip together that coincided with my birthday and Sergio's birthday.  You can see that we are alive and well! Amidst the chaos, frustration and sadness, I have also been blessed with happy memories.  

Pre-lunch aperitivo enjoyed in Calcata, (in Viterbo) Italy.

Sergio and I are strolling around.

Outside the Basilica di Sant' Elia.

Our trio at Villa Farnese, Caprarola, 1500's 

Note- I also tried to include other photos that I took, especially of the interiors, but the formats were not compatible and the alignment was incorrect.  Sorry! 

Happy Anniversary

One year ago today I woke up for the first time in my apartment in Florence.  When I walked out of the door, through my neighborhood and reached the Arno River, I was amazed that I was here; some days, I still feel that way. To mark this anniversary, I decided to complete early morning "grocery shopping" in a few of my favorite spots, instead of going to the nearby supermarket.

My first stop was two blocks away at the fruit and vegetable vendor who sets up his food everyday at the side of the ancient door of San Frediano.  I bought peaches, apples, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, one red and one yellow pepper. The vendor gave me a stem of grapes, saying "Buon Appetito". And, before I paid, he asked if I needed basil or parsley.  The herbs are always gratis.  On my return, I stopped for fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, a multi-grain roll and schiacciata (similar to foccacia). I limit my consumption of prosciutto, but today is a special occasion!

Fruit, wine, bread, pizza

After putting away the perishables, I walked to Carduccio to get a cappuccino.  I sat and read a few articles about the wildfires in California. Then, to Enoteca Millesimi for a bottle of wine to share with friends. I included a few minutes of quiet in the church at Piazza Santo Spirito. My final stop was at S.forno Panificio to see the specials of the day.  I selected a slice of fig cake and small piece of pizza, even though I had already purchased food for lunch.  The pace of daily life can be very enjoyable!   

Cappella Frescobaldi, inside the church at Santo Spirito

How am I feeling about this year abroad?  This question has a complicated answer.  The start of the year held great promise, and many of my plans were realized.  I traveled in Italy, joined organizations, made new friends. I shopped locally and visited every museum. My kids came to visit for the holidays and we were all in Barcelona together to bring in the new year. By mid- January, I felt homesick, and made a plan to return to the US to visit friends and family.  I was excited!  Friends were coming to visit in the spring. All was well! Then, we received news of my mother's illness and the start of the pandemic.  Needless to say, everything changed.  

I left Italy on Friday, 13 March and returned on Friday, 29 May.  My time back home was not what I hoped. Kindness from friends helped me to deal with my mother's illness. She did not live long after my arrival; though through a grand grace, I was with her when she died. I stayed on in Florida for several weeks, then booked flights to visit my children. Eventually, I returned to Florence. My neighbors and apartment owners helped to ease my quarantine, and after two weeks, I set out to re-explore the city and reconnect with a few people.  On the one hand, much was the same, and on the other hand life felt very different. What are my goals now? Since then, my days have been up and down. I took a few trips which I enjoyed.  Travel with my neighbors is always wonderful.  In between, days can be lonely. Visitors from the United States are still not allowed in Italy.  When will this improve... chissa'... who knows? My appointment for "permission to stay" was changed four times and is now on 17 September.  A residence card will allow me to stay in Florence for another year. This second year in Italy, unlike the first year, is filled with questions and no answers.  

Laundry Day