Thursday, August 29, 2013

Third Time is (Not!) a Charm

Our indoctrination into Italian bureaucracy continues. This week was about securing our Residence Permit from the Genoa Questura: “General Headquarters of the Internal Police.”


Day 1 (Tues.)
     We made the cross-town trip, ready with the forms, authorization stamps, photos, proof of payment, and related documents. We were also ready with snacks and games for potentially bored children, and a full tank of patience for us.

Result: It seems the Visa for your children was issued in a way that requires additional paperwork. Please return with it tomorrow.  (Hey, at least this involved several handsome, uniformed Italian policemen!)


Frustration Level: Quattro (4)...


Day 2 (Wed.)
     Paperwork in hand, we return to the Questura after a nice lunch, feeling fueled and cautiously optimistic.

Result: When we said "return tomorrow," we meant in the morning. The people who need to review your materials are not here in the afternoon. (Maybe we should have taken a hint from the exasperated guy at the window while we were waiting.)

Frustration Level: Sei (6), and rising...


Day 3 (Thurs.)
      We wake up early, brew the morning macchiato and stretch out our patience muscles. Off we go, stopping outside the building so the girls can offer a fingers-crossed prayer, before we run the now familiar gauntlet to the clerks.



Result (after much deliberation among several administrators): Sorry, but you’ll need to produce these documents with official designation from the State of Oregon. And, you'll also need an authentication stamp from a separate office here in Genoa. Your new appointment with us will be in October.

Frustration Level: Undici (yes, that’s 11!)

Saturday, August 24, 2013

La Buona Cucina


This post is a response to a comment about our blog: "You are in Italy if I'm not mistaken…so, what about the FOOD?!"  

It has actually been a bit hit-or-miss (shocking!), although definitely favoring the "hit" side most often.  

A few of the greatest gustatory hits so far:

Cheese
     In all flavors, styles, sizes and shapes (some more evocative than others!), with many cities and regions specializing in a specific cheese.  
Even the supermarket cheeses are amazing, as evidenced by the drooling C in this photo. (She is also conveniently oblivious to the 30 Euro/kilo price tag on that truffle-infused cheese she is oogling!)

Olive Oil
     We are slowly learning to treat it with the same reverence as Italians. In your average super market the olive oil section is as big as the cereal section in the US, and just as varied. 
It helped that we visited an olive farm and tasted an assortment of oils, complete with learning the rapid, air-infusing “slurp” that’s required…followed by the peppery burn of quality oils in the back of the throat. Who knew that was a good thing?!


Fish
     Since Genoa is a port city, seafood is abundant. Our family is making strides toward eating more fish, including attempts at the tentacled and shelled variety by the girls.

Meat
     Remarkable cured meats, of all types. They make for simple, fresh meals at home too.


Pizza
     Thank goodness for Margherita pizza, since it’s inexpensive and frequently a staple for the girls. (In Italy, it’s a bit like the hamburger in the US – available almost everywhere and consistently of decent quality.) But they are adventurous too, including trying out a mixed-topping pizza sold by the meter! Unfortunately, that experience was tainted by the take-out box for our leftovers, adorned with “Puffi”/Smurfs. We can't escape US marketing!

Bread
     Surprisingly, this is not a strength of Italian cuisine. In most restaurants you are welcomed with a small basket or paper bag containing bland, cold, stale slices of white bread – offered as part of the per-person Coperto - cover charge - that’s added to the bill (and substitutes for a tip). But you also occasionally find a regional specialty that can be extraordinary. In Genoa, it’s “farinata genovese”, which is a chickpea flatbread cooked in a large pizza-like pan, quickly sliced, and served warm. Deliziosa!

Pasta
     Every shape, size and variety you can imagine. We are learning to recognize when it’s properly cooked (always al dente!) more by sight than by timer…but that’s probably a lifelong process.


Gelato
     We've developed a gelato-a-day habit since arriving in Genoa, and we're thankful for the steep streets to help burn off the calories! We have also branched out a bit, adding Granita to our frozen dessert repertoire. There's a spot in Genoa that makes it in the original Sicilian style, using fresh fruit puree and a sugar syrup to produce a semi-frozen slush that's pure joy. Even the occasional brain-freeze is more tolerable.

Artigiano
     The "artisan" food movement is just as active in Europe as in the US, and - just like Portland - farmer's markets are the best place to find a wonderful variety of sights, smells and tastes.



Despite these many decadent delights, there are many nights when we’d do just about anything for a fantastic burrito, or a bowl of kung pao chicken. We've seen no more than a half-dozen non-Italian restaurants in our travels around Genoa, as “ethnic food” just isn't a way of life in Italy.  

Okay, okay, we can still drown our sorrows in Pasta Bolognese and a nice Barolo!



Friday, August 23, 2013

More about "vertical living"

Another observation about life in a city built on extremely steep hillsides: as we saw today, some of the buildings have entry points both at the street level and via the roof! The rooftop is often at the same level as upper pathways & streets in Genoa.  
See photo below, but not if you suffer from vertigo!





Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Peering Pets

An observation from the girls, who are missing their daily visits with dogs and cats back in Portland: while we sometimes encounter pets here in Genoa, vertical living means that most are looking down from their balconies or windows.


(Although in the case of the large German Shepherd, we were okay with a bit of distance!)

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Ferragosto!

We set out for a week of adventuring during the Italian holiday time of Ferragosto.  (We have been happy to adopt this Italian tradition, derived from Feriae Augusti -- Augustus' rest -- which is a celebration introduced by the emperor Augustus in 18 BC.)

The first part of the week was spent playing with our friends from San Francisco, as they wrapped up a summer-long sabbatical. 


We stayed at Agriturismo Tenuta Le Sorgive, complete with vineyards, barn animals, swimming and archery.




Bambi didn't stand a chance!




Then it was on to a visit with J's cousins in the remarkable castle town of Bardi, and the nearby villages.





We stayed in a turn-of-the-(last)-century cottage belonging to one of the cousins, and took in the rich history of the home and the unique life of the tiny town of Crederola that's now only populated during the summer and especially Ferragosto.





Our stay included a visit from a gelato truck one afternoon, that also sells frozen food to the remote homes. (The girls stuck with Popsicles and ice cream, despite our insistence that frozen piselli -- peas -- would be a novel choice!)



With heavenly blessings on our rental car, we returned safely to Genoa, feeling a bit more Italian and ready to start fully settling into our new city!



Sunday, August 11, 2013

Ascending, Descending

Keeping with the theme of the prior post, we have been pursuing Ups and Downs these last few days, literally.

There's always the routine of getting to or from our apartment, during which we'll discover new pathways, alleys and stairways that connect us to other parts of our neighborhood and the nearby Old City of Genoa:



A visit to a potential language school also started with an elevator ride straight out of Willy Wonka:





One afternoon we took a funicular (really more of a "diagonal train") up into the hills above Genoa, hiking along a trail lined with wildflowers and enjoying amazing views:







And we ended one evening with a ride up the historic art nouveau elevator to Castelletto and the piazza near our apartment, to find a moonlit view down into the harbor. In the elevator lobby there is a quote from an Italian poet: "...when I decide to go there, to heaven / I’ll go there taking the Castelletto elevator."  We can see why!







Thursday, August 8, 2013

Upside, Downside

A few of the conundrums of La Vita Italia thus far:


The wisdom of stores closing for afternoon siestas, August holidays, or for just about any other reason the proprietor might require a break…
…but not when you really need carta igienica!


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The omnipresent napkins at gelaterias, cafes and restaurants…


…but made out of a material that feels a bit like wax paper, and is just as nonabsorbent.

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The logic and potential efficiency of queuing up at the post office and government agencies with a numbered ticket system, so you can hang out and wait to be called…


…but wait, and wait, and wait, and wait!

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The presence of ancient, public urinals along some of the narrow streets…


…but how about a door??!

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The lack of "modern" conveniences like Ziploc bags…


…but the inspiration to reduce our consumption and also reuse whenever/whatever we can.

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The lack of privacy when apartment buildings are nested so closely together along the hills in Genoa…


…but the girls observing a rooftop sunbather one afternoon gave them an idea for their own spa experience!

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And, the dilemma of where to find the best macchiato…


…but…hmmmmm…no downside to this one!


















Monday, August 5, 2013

Genoally Doing Great

We arrived into Genoa on Friday and have started to adjust to our new surroundings.  

Many things are requiring adaptability:

The concept of a "street" in Genoa...

Vertical Living!

The hike to our apartment...and then up the 5 flights of stairs...

Doing laundry...while fighting acrophobia! 

Sharing a bedroom...

...or not!

 Battling the apartment heat...



Many, many things are also amazing!


Blowing bubbles and watching them drift down the street.

Forced fitness!


And incredible views from the Piazza above our apartment.