What a calvario, Cheryl! All very familiar 🤦♀️ No wonder Dante wrote Inferno; Italy has always abounded with labyrinth-like hell circles, literally and metaphorically.
Haha, yes, and many other things of beauty! Btw, I recommended you to someone recently, I think on a northern Italy genealogy site. Hope they contact you!
Clearly, the bureaucratic bullshit I am involved in has been arranged to train me for worse to come. I don't know why, when or how the worse might eventuate, but I live in Italy and .... it's always something. At the moment, my wife and I are trying to complete the sale of a house we "bought" 20 months ago. Lovely little requirement came up a few days ago: submit the "libretti" for the two caldaie that were installed 22 years ago so that the Region - not the city which has already extracted its pound or two of flesh - can issue a piece of paper that may - may - enable the Notaio to seal the deal. But compared to your ordeal...a piece of cake. This country has no vergona.
What a nightmare. Holy moly. And I know this is only one of many experiences like this when trying to reside in Italy. Oy. It makes me really second guess my desire to try and find a way to live there!
Honestly, I had zero complaints about any bureaucratic stuff for the first four years I lived here. It seems Covid wreaked some kind of universal destruction that goes far beyond health issues. Obviously, for some of us the struggle is worth it; for others, maybe not.
Gawd Cheryl, I feel for you. I have lived this. I lived this more times than I ever wanted to.
I started out with nerves of steel and armed with a strong level of Italian. But still, after going through this with the permesso, and a hundred other things, and then buying and renovating an apartment by myself. Gawd, the bureaucracy of that, and the sexism, and the workers who created floods in my apartment and tried to hide them from me, and the irate neighbors, and me trying to re-do jobs that were done wrong because I had no recourse to make workers fix shit. And then piles of mind-boggling bureaucracy again.
Rinse, repeat.
Holy Cannoli, it was too much. My nerves were shot to Dante's Inferno.
Thanks for commiserating, Chandi, though I'm sorry you've been in my shoes. And just so you know, I'm adding "holy cannoli" to my cache of exclamations. Love it!
Add this to the list of obstacles. For my original Permesso appointment, my scheduled pick-up of card 10 months later, my renewal appointment AND my current pick-up the computer spits out the office in Vasto. And every time i trot to Vasto only to be told that Casalanguida is actually under Lanciano. But i don't have an appointment for Lanciano. And you can't make an appointment on line for Lanciano without an Italian passport number (or at least as far as I can figure out) so I have to go on 'open' Friday and wait for hours, on all but the last time i had to go on multiple Fridays cuz they only see people till noon...) and convince them that my paperwork is in fact here even though i have no appointment because they sent me to Vasto and sure enough there it is....... Maybe someone could look into this and fix the glitch.....no? OK. Currently my Permesso card is hopefully waiting for me in Lanciano, even though i had an appointment in Vasto the morning of my Patente exam, which, considering i knew the permesso wasn't actually really there, took priority and i took the exam rather than waste my time going to Vasto. (and passed!!!) So Friday guess where I'm off to AGAIN!!!
I liked your comment for moral support, but geez, what's to like? They're really outdoing themselves, aren't they? Fix the glitch? In our dreams! But at least you have open hours. Perugia has none. In bocca al lupo, may this Friday be the one!
Oh Cheryl, you made my day! We are in the process of gathering all of our required (and then some) documents got our Questura appointments next month. I say, appointments, because even though we applied together as husband and wife, same day, same place, same time, of course they sent us appointments 8 days apart. Joy. Our original appt was October '23. A glitch( surprise surprise) changed it to August '24.
Meanwhile, we've purchased and moved into a house which is being slowly renovated. (Of course this means we have to tell them our address has changed since our original application. ).
I am a bit anxious but refuse to get too nervous about this whole process. It is what it is and, God willing, we'll eventually get through it all and look back one day with a glass of vino in hand and have a good laugh over it.
God bless you and your wonderful way with words! Have a terrific time with your son in Malta and please, please don't stop writing!!!
Thank you so much, Peg. It helps to hear when what I write resonates; so often writers feel like we're shouting into the void. I hope your appointments go well and your permessi are soon in hand. Congrats on the house, how exciting!
Well, DAMN. That story made me want to lie down in a cool dark room with a cold compress on my forehead....Hope things all work out, cousin! Enjoy your time in Malta. :)
Wow, wow,wow, makes me wonder why anyone would even attempt this. Sounds vaguely familiar to the mass run around we got while we were there and surprise surprise, we are continuing to get from the consulate in Chicago. Then there is our neighbor who obtained his citizenship, which he has no intentions of ever using, even for a visit to Italy, who had his nephew do his translation and got his citizenship no problem. We endured rip off organizations like Smart Move to Italy and the Italian Citizenship Assistance, the name for both should be the intercranial rectal inversion organization. Sorry had to vent.
Whenever I get to thinking I want to live in Italy, I'll come back here to read this.
Hahahahahahaha! Citizenship makes all these nightmares go away, though.
Thank you! 👍
What a calvario, Cheryl! All very familiar 🤦♀️ No wonder Dante wrote Inferno; Italy has always abounded with labyrinth-like hell circles, literally and metaphorically.
Yes, but fortunately there's Paradiso (and prosecco) to make us forget them!
... but we have wonderful landscapes... 😊
Haha, yes, and many other things of beauty! Btw, I recommended you to someone recently, I think on a northern Italy genealogy site. Hope they contact you!
Clearly, the bureaucratic bullshit I am involved in has been arranged to train me for worse to come. I don't know why, when or how the worse might eventuate, but I live in Italy and .... it's always something. At the moment, my wife and I are trying to complete the sale of a house we "bought" 20 months ago. Lovely little requirement came up a few days ago: submit the "libretti" for the two caldaie that were installed 22 years ago so that the Region - not the city which has already extracted its pound or two of flesh - can issue a piece of paper that may - may - enable the Notaio to seal the deal. But compared to your ordeal...a piece of cake. This country has no vergona.
Hope your ordeal ends soon. Forza!
What a nightmare. Holy moly. And I know this is only one of many experiences like this when trying to reside in Italy. Oy. It makes me really second guess my desire to try and find a way to live there!
Honestly, I had zero complaints about any bureaucratic stuff for the first four years I lived here. It seems Covid wreaked some kind of universal destruction that goes far beyond health issues. Obviously, for some of us the struggle is worth it; for others, maybe not.
Poveretta!
Gawd Cheryl, I feel for you. I have lived this. I lived this more times than I ever wanted to.
I started out with nerves of steel and armed with a strong level of Italian. But still, after going through this with the permesso, and a hundred other things, and then buying and renovating an apartment by myself. Gawd, the bureaucracy of that, and the sexism, and the workers who created floods in my apartment and tried to hide them from me, and the irate neighbors, and me trying to re-do jobs that were done wrong because I had no recourse to make workers fix shit. And then piles of mind-boggling bureaucracy again.
Rinse, repeat.
Holy Cannoli, it was too much. My nerves were shot to Dante's Inferno.
Thanks for commiserating, Chandi, though I'm sorry you've been in my shoes. And just so you know, I'm adding "holy cannoli" to my cache of exclamations. Love it!
😅
Keep the stories coming and KNOW these cannot be made up as my cousin is in your shoes also!
These make my week
Thank you so much, Ginger!
You’ve given me my new favorite word, dopodomai! 😂
It's fabulous!
Add this to the list of obstacles. For my original Permesso appointment, my scheduled pick-up of card 10 months later, my renewal appointment AND my current pick-up the computer spits out the office in Vasto. And every time i trot to Vasto only to be told that Casalanguida is actually under Lanciano. But i don't have an appointment for Lanciano. And you can't make an appointment on line for Lanciano without an Italian passport number (or at least as far as I can figure out) so I have to go on 'open' Friday and wait for hours, on all but the last time i had to go on multiple Fridays cuz they only see people till noon...) and convince them that my paperwork is in fact here even though i have no appointment because they sent me to Vasto and sure enough there it is....... Maybe someone could look into this and fix the glitch.....no? OK. Currently my Permesso card is hopefully waiting for me in Lanciano, even though i had an appointment in Vasto the morning of my Patente exam, which, considering i knew the permesso wasn't actually really there, took priority and i took the exam rather than waste my time going to Vasto. (and passed!!!) So Friday guess where I'm off to AGAIN!!!
I liked your comment for moral support, but geez, what's to like? They're really outdoing themselves, aren't they? Fix the glitch? In our dreams! But at least you have open hours. Perugia has none. In bocca al lupo, may this Friday be the one!
Oh Cheryl, you made my day! We are in the process of gathering all of our required (and then some) documents got our Questura appointments next month. I say, appointments, because even though we applied together as husband and wife, same day, same place, same time, of course they sent us appointments 8 days apart. Joy. Our original appt was October '23. A glitch( surprise surprise) changed it to August '24.
Meanwhile, we've purchased and moved into a house which is being slowly renovated. (Of course this means we have to tell them our address has changed since our original application. ).
I am a bit anxious but refuse to get too nervous about this whole process. It is what it is and, God willing, we'll eventually get through it all and look back one day with a glass of vino in hand and have a good laugh over it.
God bless you and your wonderful way with words! Have a terrific time with your son in Malta and please, please don't stop writing!!!
A fan...Peg
Thank you so much, Peg. It helps to hear when what I write resonates; so often writers feel like we're shouting into the void. I hope your appointments go well and your permessi are soon in hand. Congrats on the house, how exciting!
This is my cousin, Peg who just wrote to you!! lol
God bless both of you for being sooo patient, I prefer to just come to Italy on vacation a lot!!!
Not a bad idea!
Yes, I did laugh but also cried a little! Keep on truckin’ Cheryl!
Oh dear. But I get it. Sometimes the road is ridiculously long, isn't it?
One word--Kafkaesque...or maybe two--Gogol.
Your story is making my three year attempt at obtaining by dual citizenship a children's game. Good luck Cheryl .
Thanks, you too. We’re in year five of the citizenship quest. Hope yours ends soon!
Well, DAMN. That story made me want to lie down in a cool dark room with a cold compress on my forehead....Hope things all work out, cousin! Enjoy your time in Malta. :)
Thanks, hope I get there!
Wow, wow,wow, makes me wonder why anyone would even attempt this. Sounds vaguely familiar to the mass run around we got while we were there and surprise surprise, we are continuing to get from the consulate in Chicago. Then there is our neighbor who obtained his citizenship, which he has no intentions of ever using, even for a visit to Italy, who had his nephew do his translation and got his citizenship no problem. We endured rip off organizations like Smart Move to Italy and the Italian Citizenship Assistance, the name for both should be the intercranial rectal inversion organization. Sorry had to vent.