TRAVEL

 

 

Residenza

 

 

 

“Where you are is who you are. The further inside you the place moves, the more your identity is intertwined with it. Never casual, the choice of place is the choice of something you crave.”

― Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun

 

Someone said to me the other day “are you sure you’re not Italian?” We had been discussing food, flavours and approaches to cooking. I took his remark as a compliment.

A tourist can visit a place, for a vacation or even a short while. A toe dip. But many will carry their culture with them.

Unyieldingly X (insert nationality)

We have never wanted to be spectators. We have always made local friends and tried to learn the local language and customs. To integrate. That’s been easier to do in some countries than others.

Of course to be able to stay anywhere, there are visas or permits to obtain. In Italy, it’s important to get the Residency Certificato di Residenza. And so we went to the comune building (local council).

There was a bit of chat. This was interrupted by a ‘crazy man’. Pazzo! His vehicle screeched as he speedily drove into the comune car park and parked up. He approached, shouting, banged on the door repeatedly and when no-one answered he picked up a refuse bin and threw it at the thick, wooden doors.

Everyone was a little startled at the man’s actions. The kind comune lady looked at us, a mix of bemusement and embarrassment and asked us to return “a domani”.

So we returned the next day. We had all the relevant documents but had neglected to buy the ‘boleti’; shiny endorsement stamps which are affixed to anything official. And so we headed back down the hill. Another 10 kms round trip. We went to go to a tabbacchi to buy the sparkly stamps.

We returned to the office. And our certificates were produced immediately. We looked at the official certificates and having done all of this for ourselves, in a new language, we felt some sense of achievement. It was fleeting.

Post ‘Brexit’, there was now a new complication, an added level of bureaucracy; More hoops to jump through. More forms to fill. More sparkly stamps required.

Since the U.K’s referendum, thousands of British people living in European countries, have been unsure of their rights and status in a European country. As part of ‘Brexit’, the U.K’s government pledged to end the free movement rights. Now that the U.K is no longer an E.U country, where does that leave you, with a non E.U passport in an E.U country? It potentially affects more than 800,00 Brits abroad.

What will it be like, to be British and living in Europe, after all of this? No one knows.

We took the forms away; ‘Richesta di rilascio dell’attestazione de iscrizione anagrafica a cittadino brittanico gia iscritto in anagrafe’. A special form, with a long name, just for British people in Italia. No one from any other nation has to do this. PKP was particularly sore about the whole thing. He has lived in Greece and Spain before, without any of these hassles. But that was in a time when British passport holders enjoyed freedom of movement to live and work in E.U countries. Things have changed.

We drove another round trip, via the tabacchi, and bought the four boletti required for the new forms. I sat that evening and translated the two sides of the form from Italian to English. It became clear that we needed more documents; proof of a health policy and proof of funds. We promptly procured both.

On the fourth visit up the hill to our commune, the various documents and stamps were collected and were submitted. And we were given a specific date and time to return, to collect our finalised papers.

Just two days later we were back, staring at the glass window in anticipation. And we were presented with our endorsed ‘Richesta di rilascio dell’attestazione de iscrizione anagrafica a cittadino brittanico gia iscritto in anagrafe’, on the comune’s letter headed paper.

It was all official.

Under the withdrawal agreement, because all of this was achieved before the end of 2020, our right to live in Italy in the future is protected.

And this represents a first for us, as this chapter in our life is open ended.

Previously, each and every visa or residency has been linked to our work. An exit date is staring you in the face from day one. You are a temporary resident.

You might feel like you are living in a place, when you have bills to pay and a local I.D card. But our accommodation was always provided with our jobs and leaving was always pending. I wonder, has that ‘temporary residence’ had an effect for us? On some level, does a part of you not fully invest in being in a place, because ultimately you know that in a couple of years, you will leave?

For us this is the first time in over a decade, that we can call somewhere home, officially.

Have you become an official resident of another country this year?

 

© Maggie M /Mother City Time