The Apartment Search

Buying any home is never an easy task. However it felt especially difficult in Bologna despite not having tried to buy a home anywhere else. 

I suppose nowadays almost everything can be done on the internet, however it seemed like looking for  apartments that were for sale was only done on the internet since it was the fastest way to see what was available, where, for how much, and with photos. And I'm not even sure if  personal realty agents exist. 

We looked on large sites like immobiliare.it or casa.it but we also looked on smaller specific sites like abitare bologna and santo stefano immobiliare however most of these listings where also on the large sites anyway. It is incredible what is out there and for sale and at what price. If you're ever curious just take a look. We looked, and searched, and hunted and about one possibility would pop up over every three months or so. 

So we tried to book a few appointments together to have a better idea of what our options are and see more homes.  After each visit the representative would usually ask what kind of home we're looking for. They'd take note and write it down and they said they'd keep their eye out. However, from dozens of visits, only two agencies contacted us with other options that more or less matched our criteria. So we had no help from an expert who would help us with the search process. 

Our "dream house" just wasn't possible. First of all, there weren't many options that matched what we wanted and second, if there was something it was waaay out of our budget. So we knew we had to let something go. 

Finally, after over a year of looking we saw a publication online that looked interesting. It was on the other side of town and it didn't have a terrace but it did have 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a studio, wood floor, an open living/kitchen space, and it was on the 5th floor with an elevator. However it was still over our budget. But we decided to take a look at it anyway. 

We visited it, and we both loved it! It was a beautiful place, with high ceilings, and our ideal kitchen even with an island! So we went back and had a second look just to be sure we really liked it. Then we called up the in-laws to come and see it too to get their opinion. They thought it was a great place too! Unfortunately there was still the problem of the price. But one must know that everything in Italy is negotiable. When you go house hunting you can expect to drop the price at least 5%. 

We said we wanted to put in an offer on the house about 10% less than the asking price. We stated our price and the representative said that the owner wouldn't even accept an offer that low. So we played the Italian game and waited and pretended to not show interest for a week. Sure enough we received a phone call saying the rep spoke to the owner and would take a look at our offer. Just a few days later we got the final phone call saying it's a deal! 

We arranged for everyone to meet about 6 weeks later to sign the papers and close the deal. From then on we had the keys to our new home! 

Thankfully we gave notice immediately to our landlord of the place we were renting in which we had to give a 3 month notice before moving out. We notified him at the beginning of February and at the end of April we were hauling car loads on over to the new place to get settled in! 

We've Moved! Goodbye Galvani

If you haven't heard yet, we've bought a house and we've moved! 

We had been looking for a place since we've been married so essentially two years and the housing market is no easy maze to walk in Italy. 

Houses aka apartments are very very expensive compared to the States. It was hard for me to look at homes and know that there could be something 5 times as big in Minneapolis for a quarter of the price. However that is in Minnesota and not Bologna, Italy. 

 Since I've been living in Italy, we've lived on the South side of the city. Bologna is essentially a circle with the train station at the north and the bolognese hills at the south. First we were in Via Castiglione and then we moved just a few blocks north to Via Cartoleria. This side of the town is called Zona Galvani. It is a really beautiful area but also rather expensive. 

This part of town is considered part of the historical center and it still has quite a medieval feel to it. We would have liked to continue living on that side of town but it's just too expensive. So now we're on the complete exact opposite side of the city near the train station. This area is called Zona Marconi. 

After living in the same neighborhood for two years you really start to feel like you belong there. There are definitely something I will miss: 

This pink church which we lived next to for a year, right under the bell tower. Even though the bells ring every half hour even through the night you become used to them and they are really helpful while you're getting ready in the morning or having a private lesson. 

Literally the best gelato shop in probably all of Italy- La Sorbetteria Castiglione. I think we definitely took for granted having such a delicious gelateria so close by. 

Not only was there an amazing gelatria there is also a delicious bakery- Regina di Quadri. We've ordered their incredible mille foglie cake more than once and have had our fair share of croissants.And also while walking to the bus stop early in the morning for work and smelling the waft of freshly baked goods. 

 Saying that I live near Porta Castiglione 

Which is right next to Giardini Margherita, the largest gardens in Bologna. This was definitely nice for going walking with friends and for taking Macchia. 

And living in a historically rich, beautiful part of town

However all of Bologna is beautiful and so I'm sure we'll soon find the places we really enjoy on this side of town. Our neighbor is the owner of the bar on the corner so we've already had breakfast there a few times and there is also a nice place to grab a piadina and sit out in the sun to eat around the corner. 

I'll write and put pictures up of our  new place in another post! But for now- Goodbye Galvani! 

Easter

Italy being a Catholic country takes the Easter holiday pretty seriously, but not necessarily the day in itself. All schools are closed for Good Friday along with many shops. Then after Easter, on Monday there is what's called Pasquetta- Little Easter which is also a holiday. So if you're lucky you'll get a nice 4 day weekend. 

We had wanted to take a road trip through Switzerland and France but the weather forecasted rain and so we decided to use the time here to work on moving into our new house. 

They aren't big on the Easter Bunny and they don't hide eggs but they do like their chocolate. They have large giant chocolate eggs that have a little gift inside. 

We bought a Kinder Easter egg early and opened it. The gift inside was a donkey bracelet which to be honest was disappointing. After going to church in Bologna and then driving down to Poggibonsi to have lunch with the in-laws we were gifted another giant Easter egg. Some people are lucky and get lots of eggs which I suppose is similar to an Easter basket, however I have no idea how these kids eat so much chocolate! It's hard to finish one egg between 2 people! I snapped this photo from the house of one of my private lessons. There are 9 eggs plus a chocolate bunny.  

This past week Luca also played his last 5 on 5 soccer game. Him and his friends have formed a team and they play once a week. This year they were practically un-defeated and made it to the playoffs. I went to see him play for the first time with this team, but unfortunately they lost in a shoot out. Luca is the goalie so it wasn't so much fun seeing them lose, but it was definitely an improvement from the last season!  

Spring

As I've mentioned a few times now, Spring is in full swing! The weather has taken a turn for the better and next week it'll even get up to 75º! It's been so beautiful with all the trees blossoming. I've tried to take some pictures, but it never really captures the beauty all around. 

A couple weeks ago we drove on up to Villa Ghigi up Zona San Mamolo. We brought macchia with us and it was nice just meandering around the large park and macchia really liked it because there were a whole bunch of other dogs to meet! 

Luca found an organic, local fruit and vegetable delivery service. It's called Il Biologico Bologna. In Italian biologico means organic. You can see what produce they're offering and which farm it comes from. It's not all necessarily local from Bologna or the Emilia Romagna region, but it comes from Italy. You can choose how many kilos you want to order and if you want 1/4 fruit and 3/4 vegetables or any combination. They give you the option to leave out 3 items that you don't like or want and you request a few too. 

We asked for 4 kilos worth of produce 1/3 fruit and 2/3 vegetables. If you become a member they deliver it to your house, otherwise you can pick it up at one of the delivery locations. It was 15 euros and once we picked up our order we decided that it's rather on the pricey side. The fruit was delicious but we received some leafy green vegetable that we can't identify and three fennel that we don't really like so that was unfortunate. We're not sure if we'll get more produce from this organization again. 

My birthday came and went and we decided to celebrate at a new restaurant/bar that recently opened. It's called BAGS and it's at the end of Via d'Azeglio. It used to be a bar that offered a great aperitivo because of its nice buffet but it closed down and this new american-style local opened instead. I celebrated with friends on a friday evening. Unfortunately there was mix up in reserving a table and so we had to stand at the bar, but it was alright. I was taken aback as I was also showered with gifts which was completely unexpected. 

 Then on the morning of my birthday Luca took me back there to have their american breakfast! It was hard to choose between eggs and bacon, french toast, or pancakes but I decided to go with the pancakes!

Luca was going to make me a cake, but I had wanted an american style birthday cake, but he claims he only knows how to make italian style cakes and so instead he got an amazingly delicious mille foglie from the famous bakery Regina dei Quadri. 

I had a wonderful long birthday weekend and I felt very loved! 

I haven't able to add to the blog as much since I've started working more. I also started and after school activity for 3-5 year olds. It was expected that around 20 children would enroll so we'd have just an hour. It turned out that 62 students enrolled! 

Tid Bits #2

It's March and lots of changes are on their way. 

First of all, Spring is on it's way. This week the temperatures got up to the low 60's with lots of sun. Everyone is feeling the change in the weather and the streets and parks have exploded with people. 

The other week Luca and I were out shopping and it had been raining. When we walked out of the store where we were - the sun had come out. I knew there had to be a rainbow around somewhere. Sure enough after we got in the car and turned the corner there was a big rainbow. As were driving back home the rainbow just kept getting bigger and bigger. I  think it was the biggest rainbow I have ever seen. I don't know how you can see a rainbow and not be reminded of God's promise.

 A student at the elementary school brought in a special treat for his classmates. They were fruit flavored gummy candies. He offered me one and so I tried it and it was so good.  It was above and beyond my expectations for a fruit candy. I have been tempted ever since to buy some at the grocery store but always resisted. The other day I couldn't resist and yes, they are one of the best candies I have ever had. (To be honest I ate the whole bag in two days!) They have different flavors packaged together and the best is grapefruit and peach. 

 March 8th is International Women's Day. In Italy there is the tradition of giving women a little bouquet or mimosas. The beautiful yellow flower pictured below. The days leading up to March 8th you'll see mimosas appearing in shop windows and flower shops and there is even a special cake they make that looks like these fluffy pom pom like flower. 

We don't really recognize this day in the United States so it doesn't seem like an important "festa" holiday. But I have the feeling that many Italian women see this kind of like Valentines Day. ALL the ladies are walking around with little bouquets of flowers so if you don't get one you feel left out, not recognized. 

 I told Luca I would like some flowers but we were out all day running around, doing errands, and so I knew that he didn't have time to get flowers. However, at the last minute in the car driving back, there were men selling them in the street at the red lights and Luca bought me a bouquet. We later stopped at a bakery  and inquired about a mimosa cake but after learning that it would cost 33 euros we decided against it. 

It's been incredibly nice being able to drive to work now. I save around 40 minutes on my commute compared to when I have to take the bus. 

Our puppy is growing and is becoming braver each day. We started taking her outside to the gardens and every time we take her out, the braver she is at home. After a week now of walking her outside she's happy to go out, wags her tail, and loves meeting other dogs. We took her to the vet and she did surprisingly well. A week ago we would have to drag her everywhere, now she's roaming around independently! 

Standing outside the vet 

One of the first trips to the gardens. So scared with her tail behind her legs! 

Italian Driver's License

Yay! I passed my driving test and now have my Italian driver's license! 

I knew that eventually I would want to drive here since I'm living and building my life here. At first it wasn't so important since most of my life revolved around the center of Bologna. Work was within walking distance along with the grocery store, the doctor, and really any other place I would need to go. Not to mention that the bus system here works really well (except when they go on strike which is at least once a month).

But at some point having a valid license would be helpful and probably necessary. So we went and inquired at a few different driving schools. The first thing to clarify was if my American license would have any validity. Unfortunately it didn't. It was as if I didn't even have a license so I would need to start from zero. I had to take both the written test, six behind the wheel lessons with an instructor, and then the final driving test. 

Getting your driver's license in Italy costs much more than in the United States. I remember in high school taking the theory during the school day as another class and only 3 lessons with an instructor so everything was already cheaper. Here all driving schools are private. Each school asks a different price and you can find groupon deals but in the end you'll end up paying around 700/800euros. Along with paying the driving school, for the theory exam, the driving exam, and the driving lessons you must also pay some taxes through the post office and get two separate doctor visits. And if you fail a part of the exam you unfortunately have to pay again to take it which is around 200 euros. 

So I enrolled in a school and received my books. One book with all the rules and in and outs of driving and the second with just quizzes. Of course having gotten my license when I was 16 I already knew how to drive but I needed to learn the terminology, the new road signs that we don't have in the US, and also mostly master how the quiz works. In fact, the book for the quizzes is twice as thick as the driving manual. I didn't attend any classes and instead just did quiz after quiz after quiz. Out of 40  true/false questions you can get four wrong. 

Some questions were so ridiculous such as: 

" Obese people don't need to wear seat belts" 

"The crosswalk stoplight is for an escalator"

"Helping an injured person could save their life"

"A person's license can be revoked if he loses his morals"  

Or they're ridiculously hard because they ask specific questions regarding trailers, weight, and speed. Along with having to know rules for scooters and the weights, speeds, and license classification for all other vehicles. For example:

"The BE license allows you to drive trucks made up of an authorized maximum mass of 3,500 kilograms with an attached trailer that has a mass up to 3,500 kilograms." 

"The B license allows you to drive a scooter if you're at least 21 years old and the scooter has an input higher than 15kW"

"With the A2 license you can drive a scooter with or without a side car with an input up to 35kW with a power to weight ratio not more than 0.2kW/kg given that there isn't another version of the same model that has developed double the maximum power" 

I enrolled in September and in early November I told the driving school I wanted to book my theory exam. I had to wait until mid-January to take the exam which of course was frustrating.  You take the theory exam at the Department of Transportation and it's for the whole county of Bologna which means there are a lot of people and there was of course a waiting list.

Thankfully I passed the theory exam the first time around. I was extremely nervous knowing how difficult the exam is and not wanting to have to wait another month or even longer and more so not pay another 200 euros! I don't know how many questions I got wrong since it was all electronic/touch screen. But it didn't really matter, as long as I passed! A week later I received the "foglia rosa" (driver's permit).

Afterwards I immediately started going to my six behind the wheel lessons. Thankfully the instructor understood that I already knew how to drive and so he took me to the area where they test you and so I felt pretty confident knowing where the one-ways were, and the do not enters, and any other tricks that might get you on the exam.

You have to wait a month to take the driving part of the exam from taking the theory part. The first available date for the exam was in the last week of February. There were five of us taking the test. I was third in line. It was nerve-racking having to wait in the bar for my turn and seeing the first person come back - passed, the second - passed, and then it was my turn.

The instructor sits next to you in the front and the examiner in the back. The examiner mumbled when she gave directions and so I missed her first instruction to start the car and had to ask her to please repeat which of course made me more nervous than I already was. You need to drive for 20-25 minutes straight. Within a matter of no time we were back to the starting point after doing corner backing parking, merging onto the highway, and driving around some roundabouts and side streets. It felt super fast and when I was back the other two girls that were waiting said it also went fast. I later found out that the examiner only had me drive about 12-15 minutes since it was obvious I knew what I was doing. 

You receive your license on the spot if you pass. The examiner passed me my license and asked me to check to see if my name and birthdate were correct. I was shaking so much that I could barely even read the card, but it was all ok!

It feels incredibly good to finally be able to legally drive in Italy. Since September it has felt like a long time coming and I had hoped to have this all over with before Christmas, but of course that was very optimistic for Italian timing. But now it's over with and I'll always have my license.