Day of Bureaucracy

Today was my day to try to process my “Permesso di Soggiorno.” I’ve got the visa in my passport, now I need to get local permission. Dreading going to the police and dealing with it all. I was in a funk all day, but in the end it was okay:

• 3 visits to the post office (they provide the forms and submit it and give you an appt with the police two weeks later).
• 2 visits to the police to get help with the forms.
• 2 visits to the Tabacchi to get the right “marca da bollo” (official stamps).

Spent all day on it, wrapping up when the post office closed at 19:05. And now I wait…but I’m hopeful. Should get sorted in a few weeks.

Meanwhile, I had to kill time for a bit in-between police visits, so I drove around Viareggio, a port city with canals. Later in the afternoon, I managed a short bike ride up a nearby valley, past some river art and half a cow.

I celebrated sending off the package with a Campari in the piazza.