Terremoto in Central Italy

I am sure, by now, you have seen the recent news regarding the terrible earthquake that hit the hill towns of Amatrice, Accumoli, Pescara del Tronto and Arquata del Tronto.

This was the third earthquake we've felt since we've lived in Italy, and we've been hundreds of miles from the epicenter each time. I can tell you, the shaking is scary. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be right in the middle of it. 

At around 3:35 am on Wednesday morning we felt the bed move. It moved. Side to side.  We both said, "What was that?"  On occasion, when a large ship passes by our apartment, we feel some vibrations. We're that close to the water and we're talking large cruise ships. This wasn't that kind of vibration. And because we'd felt the shakes of two previous earthquakes, the last one being the large one in Aquila in April of 2009, we already knew what we were experiencing. 

Mike grabbed the flashlight on the night table, focusing the beam on the chandelier above us. It was swinging in an arc of about 10 inches in each direction. That's some pretty good movement. Fortunately, it is not centered over our bed, or I would have been running! It's an old Murano glass chandelier, a bit over 3 feet in height, constructed of quite heavy glass. And it was swinging merrily above us. We both said "Earthquake" at the same moment. 

The Murano glass chandelier in our bedroom

We didn't panic, we could tell the epicenter was far enough from us. After a couple of minutes, the chandelier settled down. 

I then picked up my phone and checked Facebook. Sure enough, a friend in Cannaregio had posted she felt it also.  I have no idea how I would function without Facebook. Can you imagine, an earthquake of 6.2 magnitude hits, and the first thing I do is check Facebook. What is wrong with me?  

 Shortly after the news feeds reported the location and severity.  We went back to sleep. 

As the morning hours ticked by, the news reports worsened. The numbers crept up. The photos were frightening. I couldn't stop looking at  the news, even though I didn't want to watch.

Amatrice, Italy - photo www.telegraph.co.uk

Weird that the town clock stopped ticking, frozen in time, at 3:36 am.  Weird, also,  that this earthquake happened at the same time of day, within minutes, of the one that hit Aquila a few years earlier.  More sad than weird is that Amatrice was preparing for it's big Festa coming up this weekend, the Sagra dell' Amatriciana, the famous spaghetti dish named after this hilltown. Tourists were already in town for the event.

Last night in my English lesson with my student Francesco we discussed the earthquake. He had just returned to Venice 2 days ago after having been on vacation in the same region. Talk about luck. He'd have been right smack in the middle of the earthquake. Much of our lesson was spent fixing his pronunciation of the word. By the end of the hour, he'd moved from "Hearth-quick" to a much better "earthquake".  I hadn't planned for this to be the topic of our lesson. Funny how things just happen. 

I returned home thinking how lucky we all are. We're still here. Our homes are intact. In the blink of an eye, 200 plus people have lost their lives, and thousands are in makeshift tents wondering what happens next.  And this is just another reminder of how precious life is. My mantra over the last nearly 10 years has been this:  Tomorrow isn't guaranteed. All I know for sure is that I have this moment, and it is up to me to make the best of it. 

If there is a lesson for us out of disasters like this, I think it's this.  Make the most of each day. We don't know if we will have tomorrow. Leave with no regrets. And, love. Love well. Tell the people you love that you love them. 

In Italian, I would tell you all " Ti voglio bene".  Used for family and  close acquaintances, this is a step down from the full blown  I love you, "Ti amo". 

In honor of the people of Amatrice, we're making their signature dish this week. We're using Mario Batali's recipe ( http://www.mariobatali.com/recipes/bucatini-allamatriciana/)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces thinly sliced guanciale pancetta, or good bacon
1 red onion, cut lengthwise in half and then into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
2 cups Basic Tomato Sauce
1 pound Bucatini
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salt.

Meanwhile, in a 10- to 12-inch saute pan, combine the olive oil, guanciale, onion, garlic, and re pepper flakes; set over low heat and cook until the onion is softened and the guanciale has rendered much of its fat, about 12 minutes.

Drain all but 1/4 cup of the fat out of the pan (and set aside to cook you eggs for tomorrow's breakfast). Add the tomato sauce, turn up the heat, and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and allow to bubble for 6 to 7 minutes.

While the sauce simmers, cook the bucatini in the boiling water for about a minute less than the package directions, until still very firm; drain.

Add the pasta to the simmering sauce and toss for about 1 minute to coat. Divide the pasta among four heated bowls and serve immediately, topped with freshly grated pecorino.

Spaghetti all'Amatriciana, photo courtesy lucasardellaejanira.it

During the coming days and months, the people of Amatrice and the surrounding towns affected will need support. The Florentine, a local newspaper in Florence, has compiled an excellent list of  ways we can help, including everything from donating blood to attending events which are making matching donations.  Here's the link. 

http://www.theflorentine.net/news/2016/08/central-italy-earthquake-how-to-help/


Ti Voglio bene.

My new US passport has arrived.... it's a miracle!!!

I am a happy -- and very surprised-- woman. Yes, I am jumping for joy!!!!! My new passport has been delivered by mail today. And regular mail, at that. This is a long story, but one that has to be told. We should all grab a cup of tea to help us get through this one!!!!

Sadly, I suffered the loss of my passport less than 2 weeks after I moved to Venice, back early February 2008. You always hear horror stories about people being ripped off in the train stations, and here it happened to me. In the blink of an eye, my wallet including all my money, my credit cards and identification, my passport, and a brand new Blackberry were lifted from my purse, in the Florence train station. I've traveled safely in Europe for years, and still this happened to me. There are no words that can describe how violated you feel when you are the victim. But worse, there is then the realization that you have no money, not one dime on you. I had no return train ticket, and no means to purchase one. I didn't even have the ability to call my husband. Fortunately, I had relatives meeting me at the station who were incredibly supportive through the whole ordeal. We had to make the police report, call the US consulate in Florence to report the stolen passport, call to my US bank and credit card companies. Everything was replaceable, but what a pain in the butt. Through the whole ordeal I had visions of me having to put a scarf over my head and kneel down to beg for money in the train station in order to get home. Now that was a real nightmare.

I got through the first phase of the process, making all the calls. Next I had to get replacement documents and credit cards, including my passport. I needed to go back to Florence. I really didn't want to set foot anywhere near that train station again anytime soon, but, in order to get the replacement passport, that was required. Nothing is ever easy.

I called the Consulate in Florence to ask what their open hours are, they told me 9-12. That's all they told me. The next monday I got on the train headed back to Florence, took a cab to the Consulate, and discovered they were closed, for Presidents Day. We're in Italy, who celebrates Presidents Day??? This trip was a bust. I went back to Venice.

It turns out you just can't walk into the US consulate anyway, even if you were standing right at the front door, you have to make an appointment. The website says that people from Venice are supposed to go to the Milan consulate. So, instead of going to the closest consulate, the one that is only 2 hours away, I was supposed to go double the distance. I called the Florence consulate and explained what I wanted. They agreed to give me an appointment in Florence instead. Thank you, God.

On the appointed day I arrived in Florence by train, then took a taxi cab to the Consulate. Again. And got turned away for being early. They won't even let you wait outside in front of the building. The guard showed me where a caffe was down the street and told me to come back 5 minutes before my scheduled time.

I did as directed. I went for a cup of tea, and returned at the correct time. My name was cross checked on a clip board, I was let inside the huge front door. Hmmm... this is a bit like getting in to see the Wizard of Oz. My purse and coat went through the x ray machine, I also walked through the machine, and my cell phone was put in a drawer. I was ushered into a waiting area and given forms to fill in. I had everything I had been instructed to bring- 100 dollars in US currency, the police report, a photocopy of my passport (thank goodness I had this), and 2 recent passport size photos. Take a note: If you are over here and this happens to you, make sure you tell someone at the photos store exactly what you want the photos for. US Passport photos are a different size than European passport photos.

The process was painless once I got to the woman behind the thick plexiglass window. She examined all my papers, and told me to sit down and wait again. A few minutes later, a different consulate official came to the window, called my name, had me sign a form, raise my right hand and swear to something. I was given a temporary passport good for 12 months, and an instruction sheet for how to obtain a permanent passport.

To get the permanent passport, you need to return to the Consulate, with the temporary passport and the instruction sheet, anytime before the expiration date on the temporary passport. I heaved a sigh of relief, got myself back to the Florence train station, and put the whole ordeal out of my head, thinking I will deal with the permanent passport some other time. I just wanted this to disappear for awhile.

I had much bigger fish to fry, managing all the legal stuff required for my citizenship, which took months and months. I knew that my US passport expired in February 2009, and had that date in the back of my mind. In December of 2008, my daughter came to visit and we went to Florence. I called the Consulate to see if I could get an appointment while we were there. No. It was the holidays. I made a mental note to call back right after the holidays, as I would need to get this task done before end of February.

In January, our house sold in Baltimore. I needed to get back to the USA pronto to get the house emptied and do the settlement. And this brought up passport issues again. GRRRRR. I thought I could travel on my brand new Italian passport, but upon calling the US Consulate in Florence, I discovered I needed my US passport in order to enter or leave US territory. My temporary passport would expire before I would be done with my business in the US, so I had a huge dilemma. I ended up having to get special permission from the Consulate General in Florence to re-issue another temporary passport. And yes, another trip back to Florence. And another 100 dollars in US currency.

I went back to see the wizard, and this time walked out with a second temporary passport. Not their normal protocol, but they were cutting me some slack. I didn't argue.

I've been back from the US almost a year. You've probably already guessed that I put getting my replacement passport WAYYYY on the back burner until now. Yup. Guess what I found out during all the time that had transpired. Low and behold, all this time there has been a US Consulate office right here in Venice. It's been here for 4 years, and my, oh my, they handle replacement passports. I was bound and determined I was NOT returning to Florence to get this completed this time.

In mid- December, I did some additional research on the US Consulate website and found the email address for this Venice office. I emailed the same day, and got back a response that said to call them. I called, got voicemail. I made 4 phone calls, left messages, and eventually later that day I did get a return phone call. Wow. There actually is a real live US Consulate representative in Venice. I made an appointment for the next week. I gathered the list of things required: the temporary passport- check, the receipt for the 100 dollars US I'd already paid- check, the information document I had been given by the Florence Consulate - check, a stamped self-addressed envelope- check , and 2 current passport photos. They have a photo machine in the office, so for 10 Euros I can get those done on site.

The US Consulate office for Venice is located at the airport, down near the water taxi stands. I took the bus from Piazzale Roma to the airport, walked down to the docks, rang the bell at the Consulate office, and was buzzed in. No x ray machines, no big doors or hoopla waiting for the wizard this time. The woman behind the desk was pleasant, cheerful and very helpful. She took all my stuff, and told me I should probably have my passport no later than January 11. I asked - should I come pick it up?? No need, it will come in the mail. Are you sure? I have had a devil of a time getting things like books, packages, Christmas cards even delivered in any timely manner in the regular Italian mail. She assured me everything would be fine.

Darned if I didn't get an email from the Milan Consulate office last week informing me that my passport was ready. And today it arrived in my mailbox.

This whole experience has been a cross between Mission: Impossible and easing on down the yellow brick road to see the Wizard. There certainly was no "easing" going on anywhere along my path!!! Having lived through this, I am positive I will need the 10 years break before this passport expires and I attempt to tackle this one again. By that time I hope they have a system where they insert some kind of chip under the skin in my arm. Yes, I vote for that. How much could that hurt?

Living the dream - Hang on to your passports!

An alternate title for this post ought to be "Living a nightmare". I have had quite an ordeal with my passport since I arrived in Italy. Here's a lesson learned for you.... do not travel with your passport in your purse!

A week after I arrived, I had to take the train to La Spezia, the town where my mother was born to handle my citizenship papers there. The train ride is about 6 hours, with a change of trains at the Firenze Rifredi station, which is a small station just outside of Florence. That's where my wallet including my passport, a few credit cards, all the cash I had on me, and my new blackberry cell phone were stolen. I went to grab for the phone to let my husband Michael know that I had completed the first leg of the journey and was about to board the next train for La Spezia and that's when I realized my stuff was gone from my purse. This incredible feeling of doom swooped down on me!

I have traveled extensively, and fairly extensively in Italy, and have heard lots of stories about items being stolen, but I had never been the victim before. I had 8 minutes between trains, and there were no police around to even report it to. The only choice I had was to get on the next train. Thank goodness my cousin Carlo was waiting on the other end for me. If it weren't for him, I might have spent that night begging in the train station to come up with some money for a return train ticket back to Venice. I didn't have a nickel, no way to make a phone call even, and no way to get a hotel room or train ticket! Trust me, me begging in the station would not have been a pretty sight.

When I arrived in La Spezia, we immediately made a police report, and contacted the American Embassy in Florence. They said not to worry, I could replace the passport at the embassy in Florence anytime. I also did all the other required calls to my banks and credit cards.


I called the Embassy again the next week to check on their hours of operation. They told me they are open every day from 8:30 -12:30. They also informed me that I needed to bring the police report, 2 passport size pictures, and 100 US dollars. On Monday morning, Feb 18th, I boarded a Eurostar train at 6:40 am headed back to Florence. The train arrived at 10:10, and by 10:30 I was standing in front of a locked door at the Embassy, which by the way, is in a huge palazzo overlooking the Arno river. Great little piece of real estate! On the door is a little notice indicating the Embassy is closed for President's birthday! Do you think they could have mentioned that on the phone when I called to ask about their hours? Yes, we are having fun now!

I called the emergency number on the door ( with my new little Italian telefonino), thinking that perhaps there was a way to get an afternoon appointment the next afternoon, since I'd be back through Florence after visiting La Spezia again. The phone message said that only emergencies like a death or imprisonment would be handled by the Rome office that day.

The next morning I called again, from La Spezia, asking if an afternoon appointment were possible. No way. Come back another morning. On friday of that week, I again hauled myself to the Santa Lucia train station at 6:30 am. This time I had a new passport in my back pocket and was on the train back to Venice by 11 am!

What have I learned??? Lots--- now i carry next to nothing in my purse, and I guard my passport like it was some incredible treasure. While I know it can easily be replaced, I also know the drill I have just been through, and don't relish the thought of doing it all again anytime soon.

I also know my way around the Trenitalia ticketing system pretty well, and the insides of both the Venice Santa Lucia and Florence Santa Maria Novella train stations. Not bad for my first month in Italy!!!