Little dogs

One of the things I noticed soon after moving to Ascoli Piceno was that the dogs we see generally are small. In New Mexico most people had big dogs and most of these were kept outside to scare off potential intruders, including other dogs. Here dogs seem to be a fashion accessory, part of “la bella figura”. This time of year the dogs have on little sweaters or coats and are always on a leash. Many times it seems that they are being dragged by their owner who is too busy chatting on the cell phone or their companion. With the crush of la passeggiata these dogs seem to have that nervous look that they will get stepped on in the crush of feet.

These dogs however seem to have much better training than many dogs I would see in the US. I rarely see them barking at each other as they may pass in the piazza. At the entrance to a store you may see a dog sitting by the door without a leash patiently waiting for their owner to come out. Granted with the limited grass in the centro you do need to keep your eyes open for where you step as many owners fail to clean-up after their pooches.

Ascoli Piceno - Patron Saint

Sant Emidio

The Patron Saint of Ascoli Piceno is Sant Emidio who was the city’s first bishop in the late third century. The legend is that Sant Emidio was such an effective evangelist that the Romans had him beheaded, after which the saint is said to have miraculously picked up his head and carried it to a nearby Christian cemetery for a proper burial. There is a small temple, Tempietto di Sant Emidio Rosso, where he was beheaded, and the grotto where he carried his head has been turned into a fine example of Baroque architecture, Chiesa di Sant Emidio alle Grotte.
Sant Emidio has also been considered the city’s protector against earthquakes since 1703, when earthquakes destroyed many cities in central Italy but Ascoli Piceno was untouched. Many paintings from this time period depict the saint holding up the towers of the city. There is also a story that at the end of World War II when the Germans were fleeing Ascoli they were intent on destroying all of the bridges to the city but that there was an earthquake that frightened them and they fled without finishing this task; an earthquake attributed to Sant Emidio to save the last remaining bridge. In Ascoli Piceno there are many places to visit related to or named after the saint: Duomo di Sant Emidio with the Crypto di Sant Emidio beneath the Duomo, the Tempietto di Sant Emidio Rosso and Chiesa di Sant Emidio alle Grotte already mentioned above, the Fonte di Sant Emidio, and nearby Mount Ascension where tradition states that a Roman Prefect’s daughter who was baptized by the saint leaped to her death to avoid troops sent by her father.

The feast day of Sant Emidio is August 5, the day he was beheaded in 303 AD.

For tours of Ascoli Piceno visit Panorama Italy.

Piazza di Polizia

This morning when we were walking back from indulging in our morning caffe and cornetti a helicopter kept circling over the centro storico with the distinct blue and white of the Polizia. When we lived near Albuquerque, NM it was not uncommon for us to see and hear various planes, jets and helicopter (both civilian and military) as there was an airport and major air force base located on the south end of town. Here in Ascoli Piceno we rarely hear aircraft noises so this helicopter was unusual and it had everyone looking up as it circled.As we passed Piazza del Popolo we saw what the commotion was all about – the piazza was full of Polizia. There were close to twenty different vehicles including a bus, several vans, off-road vehicles, motorcycles, bomb sniffing robots and a Lamborghini – all bearing the brand of the Polizia. Unknown to us, they were having an exhibition of polizia services, or more accurately a promotion for recruiting purposes. The center of attention was the Lamborghini, which was being swarmed by local teenagers all wanting to get a closer look and drooling over this slick pursuit vehicle.When we were at the pasticceria for our caffe this morning we looked through the newspaper and saw no mention of this display which had to be pre-planned. There must be some secret pipe-line for knowing when events are going to occur, as many just seem to pop-up and, unless we are out and about, we would never know of their existence.

il Carnevale

Carnevale Ascolano 2007

Ascoli Piceno celebrates il Carnevale in a big way with a definite family orientation. The city’s grand showcase, Piazza del Popolo, is turned into a huge ballroom with chandeliers suspended high above the travertine floor. When we lived in the United States I was familiar with il Carnevale in Venezia with the colorful masks and costumes, as well as the debauchery that seemed to be represented by Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Brazil. Here in Ascoli it is all about the kids having fun and the adults making fun of each other.

Il Carnevale started last Thursday with kids from the local schools dressing in matching costumes and marching from Piazza Arringo to Piazza del Popolo, where each group took a turn performing a skit for the gathered populace –it was reported in the newspapers to have involved 16,000 school children. The piazza was full of kids of all ages chasing each other and just enjoying themselves. This was followed by another day Friday with kids in costumes and a theatrical show in Piazza del Popolo put on for their benefit, complete with flying acrobatics suspended from balloons. Saturday was yet another day for the kids, this time the teenagers playing soccer with brooms in Piazza del Popolo. Confetti was everywhere, and spray cans of Sily String and a foam gunk were popular with the younger set.

Sunday started the time for the adults to have their fun in mascherine, or costume. Small stages started to pop-up along the edges of the piazze and the streets in-between, and we knew something was up. Sunday night Piazza Arringo and Piazza del Popolo were packed with a mix of people masquerading and those just wanting to gawk, (we were among the gawkers). These costumes are not “off the rack” outfits, as whole families dress alike or there will be groups of friends who dress to make fun of local politicians or political events, both recent and past. They are not just static costumes but many are theatrical presentations which draw crowds to watch the performance. Some groups roam the streets looking for unsuspecting gawkers to draw into their charade.

Monday was a break for the adults while the ragazzi enjoyed an afternoon concert session in Piazza del Popolo with twelve local bands performing. It was interesting to see the number of older folks who came out to see what all the noise from the heavy metal groups was all about, and yet still seemed to enjoy themselves.

Tuesday was the final night of il Carnevale before Ash Wednesday with many of the same outfits as Sunday, but also some new additions. For the adults, it seemed that men dressing in drag was a popular theme, or perhaps the women are too shy to participate. We saw several representations of the sindaco, or mayor, as well as the local police and one of il Papa (the Pope) and his entourage. This first experience to witness il Carnevale in such a playful atmosphere was a delight for us.

For tours of Ascoli Piceno visit Panorama Italy.
You can view more on the city’s web-site for il Carnivale: il carnevale di ascoli.

Moka or caffe

When Italians make caffe' at home they commonly make moka. This is coffee that is made on the stove top using a moka pot, which now comes in a varying array of styles and colors as well as electric models.

These are rather simple contraptions with a base for the water, a filter cup to put the ground coffee in and a screw on top where the caffe' percolates into. You can control the strength of the caffe' by how much coffee you put into the filter. These are generally always metal, perhaps with a ceramic top. The beauty of the moka is that they last almost forever as there are no moving or electrical parts and there is a wide range of replacement parts (gaskets or handles) available at many stores.

We have a selection in our apartment as there is one size for having company, one for our day to day use and one if we just want one cup. I also bought one that has the spouts that was advertised as making ‘real espresso’ with the crema but as with much advertising it was a bust.

One important point about a moka pot is that many Italians will cringe at having their pot washed, rinse it out yes, but as with a good seasoned skillet you don’t want your moka to be sparkling clean.

Being the caffe snob that I am moka still does not replace the real thing that I can get down at one of my favorite bars.

Ascoli Piceno - Tower City

Ascoli Piceno - Cento Torri

Ascoli Piceno boasts to having close to one hundred towers in the centro storico. Many of these are hard to locate as they have been incorporated into buildings or made into bell towers for churches and public buildings, while others are obvious above the skyline. We seem to discover a new one each week as we will be walking in town and notice a building which is obviously a converted tower.

These were a common item in the middle ages, sort of a status symbol to see what noble family could have the biggest tower. They also provided some defensive look-out purposes. The history of Ascoli Piceno claims that there had been as many as two hundred towers at one time but that in 1242 Frederic II made the city cut down half of these.

Most of these towers are of travertine stone and primarily in the western half of the centro storico. Unfortunately none of these have been opened to the public, which would provide a wonderful view of the city.

For tours of Ascoli Piceno visit Panorama Italy.

Auto tax and inspection fee

Bollo auto e revisione auto

It seems that each time we see our friends Giorgio and Francesca from Roma that it costs us money related to our car. Giorgio and Francesca were gracious enough to help us obtain a car, or more exactly we located a car and gave them the cash to buy the car (see 08/13/2006 post).

They were here about a week ago and advised us there were some things we needed to attend to for the car. One of these was the bollo auto or car tax. This was easily done at the local tabaccheria where I showed them the title documents and they showed me the tax bill: 160 euros. According to Giorgio this just went up recently and is dependent on the age and engine size, the older or the bigger the higher the tax.

I was also instructed to obtain a revisione auto or car inspection. Giorgio was careful to tell me that I should do this at a meccanico that is trustworthy as they might try to take me the foreigner for unneeded repairs. It was suggested I ask our landlord, Guerrino, who is a car aficionado, who he would recommend. I asked Guerrino the other day about this and instead of telling me where to go, which I probably wouldn’t understand; he drove me there on Sunday morning. All I had to do was go back and have the car checked at my leisure.

I went back this afternoon for the revisione auto which is actually a combined emissions test and safety check. This was interesting to me since New Mexico, where we moved from, had no safety inspections and only the county where Albuquerque is located has emission controls. Fortunately our car passed easily and I handed over another 40 euros for this sticker to go on the title papers.

We love to see Giorgio and Francesca but hopefully next time there won’t be any new car related expenses.

"Wanted"

Today we went to Pasticceria Guido for our morning pastry and cafe and saw a "wanted" poster with our picture. Guido always has decorations on their walls and the newest one they did is of a large scene of Monument Valley in Utah with photos they have taken of customers printed on "wanted" posters. The le ragazze behind the counter were quick to point us to our photos which they had taken a couple weeks ago (which I had forgotten about).

Fortunately this is not a reflection of our recent issues with obtaining our residenza.

* (Feb 13) Good idea Jane. We didn't have the camera with us yesterday but went back this morning and made spectacles of ourselves by taking some photos.


Photo of the two of us. "Wanted also in Texas" Ma!? We're from New Mexico!


Monument Valley

Ascoli Piceno - Porta Tufilla

Ascoli Piceno – Porta Tufilla

Porta Tufilla is a medieval gate along the Fume Tronto on the north side of Ascoli Piceno. The porta got its name from the tuff on which it is built, this is a type of rock formation.

As with many historical structures in Italia this porta has been modified since its inception and it current reconstruction dates from the 16th century.

For tours of Ascoli Piceno visit Panorama Italy.

Italy Property Preview

Italy Property Preview

I spent sixteen years working in the insurance claims business in the US before quitting my job so we could pursue our dream of living in Italy. My focus was on the assessment of damage to homes, everything from a water leak to total burn-downs as a result of uncontrolled forest fires. Throughout my sixteen-year career I gained a wealth of knowledge in what to look for, in both obvious as well as hidden problems with structures, and found myself many times pointing out things to property owners that they had never seen before, despite their living in that house daily. I always thought this experience would be helpful outside of the insurance business.

Before we made the move to Italy we would browse the various web-sites selling property in Italy and always wondered just what the properties really looked like. Was it next to a factory; would you have to drive everyday just to get a coffee and pastry? Was the low price offered a reflection of something obviously wrong with the property that was not being disclosed by the agency? The small photos and brief descriptions the agents provide left a lot of questions unanswered.

Doing a quick web search will bring up a lot of companies that will sell you property in Italy, finance a purchase, help you to rebuild a rustico or even act as your broker in the purchase. All of these companies have a vested interest in the sale of properties; no sale and they will not be making any money. But what I haven’t found are any companies that will provide an unbiased view of a property, especially from the view of a non-Italian. Independent inspections that are a must in any real estate transaction in the US are not the norm here.

Before leaving the US we discussed potential business ideas with friends and family and one idea that many felt was a good fit for my skills was a company that would provide inspection of properties before the sale to potential buyers of property here in Italy. This would be a critical-eye view of the important issues regarding the structures – is it earthquake-damaged, sited above a train tunnel, suffering a sagging roof – but also regarding the amenities for the area, such as access to the property, proximity to services, lay of the landscape, etc. With the web-site design assistance of Pauline Kenny comes Italy Property Preview, officially launched this week.

www.italypropertypreview.com

This is an internet-based enterprise focused on providing an unbiased critical-eye view of a property for a potential buyer before a large commitment of time, travel and money is expended. A detailed inspection report complete with photos will be provided to the potential buyer to assist them in making informed decisions. This approach will help the buyer to have a look at the property beyond the rose colored view associated with any purchase, especially property in “bella Italia”.

Check out the website; spread the word!

Bureaucratic frustration

Burocrazia

Yesterday we spent the morning trying to get some answers for some outstanding paperwork we have. First we went to the Questura which is where the permesso di soggiorno (PdiS) are issued. Our PdiS was issued by Provincia di Roma where we lived for our first four months in Italia (see 12/21/2006 post). Now that we are living in the Provincia di Ascoli Piceno we need to have our PdiS reflect that. Based on information from other expats we thought this may be a rather simple process, an easy change of address…ma no.

At the Questura the lady behind the window advised us that we would need to obtain the new packets that are available at the Ufficio Postale as of December, to change our address. After we stepped away from the window and discussed what we were told we felt it imperative to double check that this is the process just to change our address, not to renew or obtain a new PdiS. This is important to us as, after waiting seven months for our PdiS from Roma which is good until November 2008, we don’t want to mess with that validity date. After waiting for others who came in after us we were able to clarify that yes we still need to use the packet for a change of address.

After that I convinced Valerie we should go by the Ufficio Anagrafe where we had applied for our residenza (see 1/16/2007 post) to check on that status. The man we dealt with before told us we did need our birth and marriage certificates translated and had another lady retrieve our file. This lady, with a sorry look on her face, escorted us to a back office where another lady was sitting behind a large desk. This was obviously the one in charge of issuing the residenza, I will call her “La burocraza”.

La burocraza said we would need the PdiS changed to Ascoli Piceno if that was where we were getting residency but asked what “elective resident” meant on the visto. We had to explain to this Italian bureaucrat that this is the visto Italy issues for those who can’t work or aren’t going to school and since we aren’t from an EU country it is very difficult to obtain a work permit. She did make a call to verify that we would need to use the Ufficio Postale packet to change our PdiS.

La burocraza then said that yes our birth and marriage certificates require a translation and apostille to verify their validity. We asked where to obtain the translation as the US Embassy does not provide this service, though puzzled that the embassy would not do this she explained we can get a list at the Tribunale (fortunately this is 2 minutes from our apartment). While we were there she referenced her official-looking state guide to verify that these were the steps we would need to complete before our residenza could be issued.

We will have to request the apostille from state agencies in the US that issued our birth and marriage certificates. Think of an apostille as an international form of a notary stamp, US notary or government seals just don’t pass the test.

Obviously this was not the simple task I had hoped we could accomplish in a morning and Valerie felt the frustration of dealing with bureaucrats speaking fast in Italian. Afterwards we could only shake our heads and clearly understand why Italy has such a problem with illegal immigration: the bureaucracy makes it so difficult for those like us who want to do things the right way.