Today promised to be a not too exciting day except that I would learn about Italian bureaucracy…the bane of all expats living here!! My very dear friend, Annarita (who speaks little if any English) offered to take me to the electric and gas company to understand my bill, to the HOA Administration (yes, €9 a month) which covers the insurance of the building.
I can’t imagine a fire would get very far, but maybe an earthquake…of which none has been recorded) but I am glad to pay it. And a trip to the Commercialista (accountant) who will email me the property tax for this apartment once she figures it out – which should be no more than €400 a year. Whew! So it was an interesting morning, with 2 trips to the TIM store to find out why my Wi-fi is not working. It is working now!!
What I found is they are very nice people to deal with and anxious to help me understand. Google translate came in handy yet again but I am now understanding more Italian words and that is quite helpful. Although I offered to take Annarita to lunch, she declined. She doesn’t eat lunch..hmmm. But for 2 1/2 hours she drove me to each place and went with me. What a dear and kind person. I hope I would be as kind to a foreigner in my country. As we all know what it is like to go through the local DMV!!!
My kitchen is complete and ready to be installed so I have to get the kitchen ready here. Still some wallpaper to remove and some wall patching. It is so quiet here and I find it quite peaceful. I’ve got half the wallpaper off (it’s a paper backing so not too difficult) and I will probably finish today or tomorrow. The entire kitchen will be relocated to my taverna as perhaps the taverna will become an efficiency apartment but no matter, for now, I am saving the old kitchen. Apparently it is real wood which is not easy to find here. Same thing in Australia. They also utilize particle board with a very hard coating. I don’t cook much so I think I should be just fine. It’s a full kitchen, but with such luscious food in Italy, at very reasonable prices…yes I think my food destination may be outside my own kitchen!!! I have more decorating and a few pieces of furniture to buy, and I am sure I will find plenty of items here.
People wonder how expensive it is to buy a property here and to live here. First, it depends on the property and location. Like in the US. Rome, Milan, Florence and Venice are pretty pricey no matter what size you buy. Taxes will be higher and living expenses higher. Like living in NYC or LA…pricey. The other issue is too many tourists. I find I am not very tolerant and wish to have our little village without. Which will never happen. I thought Rome would be my home but after 2 months of living there in airbnbs, I realized too many people even though I am a city girl. The climate was of great interest to me. I wanted the four seasons but more temperate. And a major train station so I could travel all over Europe with the least hassle. Orte has what I was looking for. Perfect? Of course not, but what is? This morning I slept in, then walked to the produce store for some fruit and big fresh mushrooms (for my pasta) and then a quick stop at the grocery store for yogurt – but what is that? Vino in a box? My eyes deceive me! Hmmmm. I’ll try it. So tonight, an easy primavera pasta and vino Rossi. I don’t have high hopes for the wine, but I’ll try. This town has plenty of wine so I’m always covered!!
Back to the kitchen makeover…the backsplash is so uneven, cannot figure out how to make it flat and level. Not happening without a huge amount of sanding the walls…a mess. So I am patching the backsplash as needed and will paint it a sparkly white. Yes the paint has sparkles in it!! Very cool!! And it’s just paint so can be changed anytime if too bland. That is the news here …. The Strada (street) will take 3 months to complete. They are a month into it and it is looking good. It’s nice to be here.
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