A Simple Dinner

Congratulations to us! We finished all paperwork (for now) that are required of us in Italy! Yes, Italian bureaucracy is slooooooooow but the officials are friendly (enough) to help us. The trick is to arrive at the offices when they first open in the morning to avoid crowds... we waited 30 minutes at the tax office to obtain 'codice fiscale' (Financial Code which is needed to pay bills, rent a place, apply for a bank account... anything that has to do with $$$). 'Permesso di soggiorno' (Permit to Stay) takes about 2 hours to have someone helping us filling it out, then making copies of this and that, and finally mailing them at a postal office. In addition, we signed the apartment contract and are now also proud owners of Italian cell phone numbers.

We also tried to eat at 'home'. The food in the photo may seem simple but they are NOT! Don't get me started on the sweet sweet cherry tomatoes! They are from Piazza Della Repubblica (which makes our farmer's markets look pathetic) with dozens and dozens of fresh produce and fruit stands. A basket (as pictured) which is enough for us to eat for 3 meals only costs $2!!! What about the Fontina cheese? Well, it's from a local cheese shop and the old lady owner looks like in her 90s. She was so nice to let us try 3 different cheeses and kept trying to tell us something fantastic about them (while all we could do was smile and purchase). Oh, and not to mention the fresh out-the-oven baguette (we went back to the bakery again for some yummy apple strudel). And prosciutto!! Oh prosciutto!! Everything was (is) fresh with excellent quality. A simple dinner yet truly one of the best meals in our lives!