Mi Errore

Oh, the joys of learning a new language!  Nick’s Top 5 from 2013:

#5…At the Post Office
     “Per favore, ho bisogno un frescobaldi.” Clearly a sign of a hangover when you ask for a winery (among other uses of the often-heard Frescobaldi name), instead of a stamp (francobollo).

#4…At the Fruit Stand
      “Anche, tre pesce per favore.” The vendor's puzzled expression alerts you to having asked for “3 fish” (pesce) to be added your order, instead of 3 peaches (pesca). The good news is that you more quickly recognize this mistake…when you repeat the error several times over the next month!

#3…At the Meat Market
     Explaining in your caveman Italian that for dinner you’d like to make simple American-style hamburgers, and asking for a “mezza-kilo di cane macinata.” You think you notice a hint of a smile from the otherwise curmudgeonly butcher, who kindly gives you ground beef (carne) instead of the ground dog (cane) you requested. 

#2…At the Bar
     Casually flicking away something under your eye while talking with the bartender, who asks why you think he’s “up to something?!” A bar brawl is avoided when realizing that your gesture was inadvertently similar to the one used in Italy to suggest that someone is scheming.  


And #1…At the Bakery
     Many simple English words need only an “-e” or “-a” or "-o" added to translate into Italian: error is errore; carrot is carota; American is Americano. So, it seems perfectly reasonable to point to the delicious looking fig pastry at the bakery, while asking for “una biscotta di figa.” But this is a mistake you only make once, when learning that "figa" means you've actually just asked for a (term for female genitalia that wouldn't be used in polite conversation) cookie. Stupido Americano!

Happy Holidays!

Cheesy Creche

Combining two of Italy’s most dominant themes at a local supermarket, for a perfect Parmeggiano Presepio (parmesan crèche). Delizioso!

Holiday Hairdos

The typical haircut experience in Genoa could be an entire chapter in a book. Hole-in-the-wall salons are tucked into nearly every narrow street in the historic center, many of them appearing to have occupied the same spot -- and with the same décor -- since at least the 1800s! No appointments are taken, and you just have to hope that you drop by when the salon is open, the utilities are working, and the line is small. 



Such was our luck this last week, with the additional good fortune of a friendly father-and-daughter team who cut the girls’ hair. It was a(nother) unique experience, and with adorable results!

More Gratitude!

Our indoctrination into Italian bureaucracy finally came to a close, roughly 4 months after we described our early frustrations in this post. That inauspicious beginning was only a small step in what proved to be an epic journey to obtain our 1-year “Residence Permit”. 

Here are the Top 10 stops on our continued itinerary:

1. Navigating US bureaucracy to accommodate the surprise request for the girls' birth certificates, including international accreditation. Then having those birth certificates translated and officially stamped plus certified at another Italian government agency. Returning to the Questura (the Italian "General Headquarters of the Internal Police") to deliver those documents, and again test the girls' patience with the hours-long process.

2. Going through a finger and palm-printing session, while meeting and mingling with people from all over the world.

3. Receiving a form instructing us (sans kids) to attend a 2-hour session on "Italian Civic Formation and Civil Lifestyle in Italy"! Finding our way across town to attend the session in a former school building. Checking in with the staff and learning that the "session" was actually a multi-day, 10-hour course. (Apparently they have been attempting to change the mistaken information on the form for over a year, but the Questura software is too antiquated to allow for editing.) 

4. Scrambling to arrange childcare, while settling in for the “course”: which turned out to be watching dozens of painful, parody-worthy video segments (see sample below), designed to educate us on every aspect of the Italian constitution and government system. (As well as induce somnolence!)

5. The fact that the computer kept crashing was a source of slight comic relief, as we tried to help the IT guy explain to the administrator that the computers have inadequate memory to run the videos. The college students from India and Pakistan (needing the same Permit) did their best to feign interest, but ultimately succumbed to slumber! 

6. We decided to “cut class” for Day 2 (kids, don’t use us as role models!), since we couldn't arrange a second round of childcare help - an excuse both true and convenient. The administrators didn't have a way to handle our partial attendance and were unsure of the consequences, so we returned home to listen to Manu Chao’s 90’s hit “Clandestino”! 

7. Four weeks and fourteen inquiries later, we learned that our application had been processed and we returned to the Questura to pick up our Permits. However, we first needed to check a sheet of printed ID numbers posted inside an old kiosk on the street, to confirm our approval. Fortunately, we were listed. Unfortunately, that only meant we could get an appointment to return again in 3 days to retrieve our actual documents and permits. 

8. Back to the Questura to join the throng of people in the same situation, where we were given number 186 in the queue.

9. Waiting 2 ½ hours (including through a brief hail storm - a sign from the heavens?!), to have our finger prints cross-checked and then be given our 1-year Residency Permits! The girls didn't need to accompany us this time, and when we handed them their ID cards their first question was, “are the Questura visits finally done?!” YES…or at least we hope so!

10. And, finally, what we've learned is the customary last stop on any journey through Italian bureaucracy: opening a bottle of prosecco! 


In fairness, an Italian friend who went through a similar process in Portland pointed out that it's more efficient in the US, but no less daunting or bureaucratic. For us it was also humbling to go through a small slice of the immigration experience, both as a point of reference for what our ancestors went through a hundred-plus years ago (although in the opposite direction, under much more difficult circumstances), and for the challenges of contemporary immigrants. In this season of gratitude, it's another powerful reminder that our hardships really aren't that hard.

TuscAhhhhhhhny!

We spent a long weekend in Tuscany, meeting up with Uncle D (who joined us from Naples). As with all things Tuscan, we were treated to a feast for both eyes and stomachs.

Volterra:

     Our first stop in Tuscany, and our first fancy Italian dinner since arriving into Italy - made even fancier thanks to T!

                   

Siena:

     Spectacular sights, and an equally spectacular truffle-laden pasta. 

San Gimignano:

      Views and vittles combined, including a dessert feast for and of the eyes; a sweet finish to our weekend!

 

Thanksgivukkah

This Hannukah feels special not only because of where we are celebrating, but also due to the overlap with Thanksgiving. In fact, we learned that it will be more than 75,000 years before Hanukkah again falls on Thanksgiving Thursday: 11/28/79811! 

Thanks to the one synagogue in Genoa we were able to pick up Hanukkah candles, even if Smurf-adorned chocolate coins had to replace the standard gold variety. That was a source of amusement for the girls, but certainly hasn't diminished their enjoyment of the holiday, or the chocolate!

Ringraziamento

We have been helping to teach English in the girls' classrooms, designing simple lessons that emphasize vocabulary and pronunciation. For the students, it's a chance to hear native English speakers, as well as a change of pace from formal lesson plans. For us, it's a chance to support the school and get to know the kids. And for the girls, it's a fun way to use their English, and also a time when they feel like experts!

In the 5th grade classroom we've been building on their studies of affirmative and negative forms (e.g., can and can't). But this month we also had some fun with a camp song. Well, as you'll see in the video clip, we actually just stood back and let C take over! (Her rendition of this call-and-response "Moose Drinking Juice" song is now enthusiastically requested to close out each English lesson.)

In the 2nd grade classroom we did our best to recount the Thanksgiving (Ringraziamento) story this week, since it is unfamiliar to Italians. Fortunately, we had T to help teach the parts of the meal, lead a song, and demonstrate the making of a hand-traced turkey -- which was a huge hit!

Even if Thanksgiving will be an afterthought for our family this year, it's nice to be reminded of the many things for which we celebrate ringraziamento. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Tesori di Torino

The girls are studying ancient civilizations as part of their school work, and we made the short train trip to Turin last weekend so we could visit the famous Egyptian Museum. (Okay, okay…Turin is also famous for a chocolate drink - the bicerin - that is layered with espresso then topped with heavy cream, which might have slightly influence our travel planning!) As it turned out, there were a number of other treasures (tesori) awaiting in Turin, making for a wonderful weekend.

The Egyptian Museum is remarkable, although – like many museums displaying foreign riches – it does require overlooking the way in which many of the items were likely acquired. In this case, those “acquisitions” number over 30,000 artifacts, with the fraction on display covering everything from talismans to temples. In fact, one room features an entire temple chamber that was carved into bedrock in Egypt, extracted in 1966 just prior to being submerged by the Aswan Damn project, and then relocated to Turin. Knowing that a trip to Cairo is unlikely due to the unrest there, this was the next best thing:

The experience also helped to further stretch the timeline in which we view our place in history. In the US, the timeline is relatively short. Here in Genoa, we have daily encounters with Roman-era artifacts, such as the aqueduct which spans an alleyway next to our apartment. Then in the Egyptian Museum, we could see and sense the continuity across more than 5,000 years, especially the commonalities of religious and spiritual traditions – noting that the stone Temple was later used as a Church. (In the photo collage above, you can see a Christian cross and star carved into the scene of King Thutmosi III, which adorns the Temple's walls.) 

All of that deep thinking made us thirsty, and we enjoyed the first of several rounds of hot chocolate and bicerin. In fact, the bowls of hot chocolate that arrived for the girls lead to hours of chocolate-fueled fun!
  

The next day we visited The Mole Antonelliana, and jumped forward several millennia from ancient Egypt to mid-1800’s Turin. The Mole is a major landmark building in Italy (it is the tallest brick building in the world and was used as the ‘06 Turin Winter Olympics’ emblem). It was originally designed as a synagogue and is now home to the Museo Nazionale del Cinema. In addition to providing amazing views of the city, the massive open atrium houses interactive film exhibits and projected displays. Plus, there’s a 10-story suspended elevator that is equal parts horror film and thriller!  

Yes, we needed to soothe our stomachs with hot chocolate after that experience!

Our last day in Turin was a day of walking and exploring, including jumping to contemporary history when visiting Santuario della Consolata (the Church of Our Lady of Consolation) and seeing the hundreds of framed drawings of incidents in which people were saved from harm by holy intervention. The depictions of the moments in which people miraculously survived are all marked with "G.R." -- "Grazia Ricevuta" or "Grace Received."
         

We expressed our gratitude with – you guessed it – hot chocolate! But this was no ordinary bicerin, since we went to The Caffè Al Bicerin.  

The Caffe was founded in 1763 and is thought to be the birthplace of the drink. While we’re not experts (yet), their bicerin was fabulous and ensured that we happily left Turin with a pleasantly persistent cocoa buzz!

Cardiologist's Dream

We continue to have unique food experiences during this adventure, which will undoubtedly be the subject of a future blog post.  But this one might take the cake: in fact, it’s a “cake” made with layers of gorgonzola, mascarpone, and walnuts! (Just typing those ingredients is triggering angina…plus salivation.)  

The Italians could be paying down the national debt if they restricted, regulated and taxed this cheese-based crack!

Wormhole

Source: flickr, fede0253

Genoa’s Centro Storico (Historic Center) is the largest medieval district in Europe, and consists of a maze of narrow, pedestrian only, winding alleyways (caruggi in the local dialect) formed by interlocked ancient buildings and walls. In most places it is so dense that only a tiny band of sky is visible. 

This is the heart of Genoa, and is also our favorite place to go exploring. Turning a corner or entering a doorway often reveals a surprising discovery, some of which are so stunning that they earn the title "wormhole" from us (similar to the Sci-Fi notion of a wormhole connecting widely separated regions of space and time). Dramatic as that may sound, it’s the best way to describe moments like the one we had this week. 

Adjacent to a main walkway in the Centro Storico is a small, graffiti-stained alley - one of the many we use regularly. Next to some dumpsters there is a nondescript door we often pass by, connected to the modest exterior of an old church (among the dozens of churches in the area). On this particular afternoon we noticed that the door happened to be open and we wandered in. Or, more accurately, we wandered into a wormhole...

We had entered the 9th century Basilica of San Siro, rebuilt in the 12th century, and restored in the 20th century to the original, magnificent Romanesque style. We also further validated our wormhole concept, and we will continue to enter (nearly) every open doorway we find!

Verona and Venice

We have pledged to travel outside of Genoa at least once a month, and a long weekend meant we had time to visit the Northeast of Italy. Our Oregon friends and their boys are living in Verona for 6 months, making for added fun on this trip. And, more children also means more to "see", since kids always bring an expansive view of what deserves our attention.

On a day trip to Venice, postcard-perfect views were breathtaking around every corner.

But the kids were equally amazed by cats, birds, and lions (possibly setting a record for the most children gathered on a St Mark's Square lion).

And in Verona, we took in the grand wonders of the city, from castles to Juliet's "home".

Along the way, the kids appreciated the small wonders too: stone pathways containing embedded fossil shells, or grooves from Roman-era chariot traffic; 600 year-old graffiti etched into church frescoes (Mattea spotting a note from 1390); or even the simple pleasure of a Sicilian-style snack!

Heading home after this wonder-full trip is worthy of a Shakespeare quote: "parting is such sweet sorrow." Now, we have to decide where next month's adventure should take us...