Third Time Lucky

Michael & I went to Perugia yesterday for the third time to work on his permesso di soggiorno.  By now, we're pros at getting there and back; it's so tough, given that there's an early bus that leaves from the Piazza Jacopone.  That means that we walk out our door and onto the bus.

Up we got and were in the bus at 6:35.  It left at 6:36 and duly arrived at Perugia's main train station at 7:37.  On to the mini metro, and away we went to the Questura!  I'll come back to the mini metro later.  We were about 6th in line outside the Questura, braving the cold to get our coveted number...they hand out 25 per day, and if you don't get a number you won't be seen.

At 8:06, they started handing out tickets, beginning at 37; we had number 42.  Upon receiving our number, we filed into the room that resembles an ancient ticket booth: a broad glass panel with speaking holes and slots below for passing money/items through to the other side.  Number 37 was called after the bureaucrat's first coffee break (around 8:30 or so, I'm guessing).  And we waited.  And waited.  By 9:52, they had just called 38.  This is not an exaggeration.  What you have to understand is that, while the people whose turn it was were talking to the govt agent, there were also other people (members of the public at large) talking over his/her shoulder to the agent (who sometimes ignored them studiously and other times interrupted what she was doing to deal with them).

At 10:30, our number was called -- aren't you impressed?  I was afraid it would take all day, and then Michael was suggesting that they'd close at 1 for lunch and if we hadn't been seen we'd be out of luck!  It's a good thing my knitting was helping keep my blood pressure low...

She processed and stamped and looked at and smiled on and otherwise shuffled the 97 pieces of paperwork that were required to apply.  Several of these included statements that said that the Comune of Todi has my data on file at its offices.  Never mind that in order to receive my identity card, which I have, they have to have said data on file. Um, really?  And, no, originals won't do -- they have to have copies of everything.

After this, she smiled up at us, and when I asked if we were all set, she suddenly gasped and said that Michael needed to have his fingerprints taken.  Around the building we went (which is one of the most hideous examples of 1950s architecture, by the way), and to the fingerprinting office.  I ambled in and was sharply told to wait outside.  Um...it was about 38 degrees, but sure, whatever.  After all, we need to protect people's privacy, and wouldn't want to embarrass them by seeing them have their fingerprints taken -- after the complete lack of privacy in the other office, this struck me as ludicrous! When we were finally allowed into the overheated office, the pair in there was actually very friendly and nice.  As Michael said -- a possibly typical bureaucratic setup: a guy lounging and a woman doing all the actual work...

And then we were the proud owners of a receipt of application for a permesso di soggiorno!  The actual permesso, you ask?  Well, we're to call in a couple of months to see if it's available.  At that point, we return to Perugia, provide Michael's fingerprints, and come home triumphant!  I'm not holding my breath, though.

The Mini Metro

The mini metro is the highlight of any visit to Perugia, according to me.  I think it is the cutest ever.  It consists of one tiny car that appears rather tall for its width or length.  Using fun-fair technology (bumpers and cables) it toodles between stations on a very regular basis (every 2 minutes, I'd guess).  The stations are small and spare, but clean, and the cars are in beautiful condition.  It goes up and down hills with joyous abandon -- unthinkable in any kind of regular metro system -- and is very quiet.  The most adorable part, though, is how it turns around at the end: there's a little turntable with a pair of tracks on it at each end.  The car goes onto the turntable, and is swung around as on a lazy susan, and of it goes again!  So sweet, I had to get a video to share with you.

Inside, showing the ENTIRE car

The track and part of the station (to the right)

Another car approaching

I liked the dog leash warning

Love,

Alexandra