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This year it’s butterflies

High above the main street in town fat colorful butterflies fly in the breeze. Last year it was umbrellas… I don’t know why yet. Maybe a charity thing, like last year.

At midday, went into town for a cappuccino at my favorite cafe. Huge heads (ugly to my eye) loom all over the piazza. This exhibit goes for another few weeks. Then the cranes will come with different art.

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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.

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Dinner in the mountains

I’ve always been curious. There are restaurants hidden way up in the hills. Who goes to them and how do they work? Well, tonight I went with John and Anna Lia and a Danish couple into the mountains for dinner. We drove up into one small town, Gualdo, only to discover the restaurant was closed. We’d just figure it would be open and had no reservation. But summer is over! After that, we tried another remote mountain village at the end of many tiny twisty roads. Again: restaurant closed.

Finally ended up in a great place, with great food and wine. Whew…

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Settling in

Perfect weather, excellent wine and cheese, a well-written detective story, and a deep sense of contentment. Doesn’t get better than this!

Not unpacked yet. Heading out to Ikea to get a chest of drawers where the drawers actually open and close… My mother’s old furniture is pretty rickety and I’m ready for more usable fixtures.

Here’s what my apartment looks like inside and outside. Plenty of books and plenty of light, with forests and hill towns above. A good space for me.