ecco qui

The most beautiful words in the Italian language are not "ti amo" or "ti voglio bene" but quite simply "ecco qui".

Ti amo = I love you
Ti voglio bene = I'm very fond of you, I care about you

Ecco qui = here it is, here you are, it's here... any translation will do today :-)

My quest for legal status ended with a train ride (cost 2.50 euros) a long queue (I was number 32 and number 12 was on the board when I took my ticket) and 3 hours out of my morning. Half an hour each way, getting to the Questura at the provincial capital, over an hour in the queue, back to the station then home again by 12.40. A big lunch with my Caprile family, a bottle of bubbly, and my passport goes away and the permesso di soggiorno goes into my wallet.

I am finally a legal resident of Italy with permission to stay. You could tell if you were here, because like all good Italians I had just enough wine to make the toast, one "finger" in a small glass, and the cork went back into the bottle. Seven of us made the toast (brindisi), and more than half the bottle of spumante remained. Kiwis could learn a lot from the Italians when it comes to civilised drinking... can I say that without being too judgmental?

What does it all mean? Apart from sleeping more easily, I can now put my car in my own name and I can apply for an Italian driver's licence. I cannot own a second-hand car without this magic piece of plastic with all my details embedded into it.

Oddly enough I have been a resident since I arrived on an elective residency visa over a year ago, but that in itself did not give me permission to stay. A policewoman friend said that technically I have been "legal" since I first made application for my permesso di soggiorno, as I was "in the system" within 8 workingdays of arriving here. That would have been no immediate help if I were stopped by the police to have my papers checked, something that happens periodically.

I go through the process again next year to renew my status for another year, and then I can apply for the indefinite carta di soggiorno which (I think) gives me an identity card as well.

Whew! I will sleep really well tonight :-)

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