#35: Paper Bin Drama
Ciao Nonni!
The last few days in Lucca have been magical. With blue skies and a surprising amount of warmth in the sunshine, I have been in heaven. In my opinion, these are the optimal climatic conditions in which to live. David has, of course, taken the opportunity to well and truly transition his wardrobe back to shorts as the default. Unlike every Italian in Lucca, all of whom seem to base their wardrobe choices on the calendar date rather than the actual temperature.
Yesterday it was 20 degrees and sunny. Pretty much the whole town was still wandering around in winter coats, scarves, gloves and beanies. And not that I can confirm, but I would be willing to bet they're all still wearing multiple layers of undershirts and the like as well. The Italians love a base layer.
Our new apartment is really beginning to feel like home. We are settling in incredibly well. I feel like we've almost acquired all the major items we need to make it a functional house, and now we can start to slowly make it our own. Moving outside the walls was always a decision that carried some level of trepidation for me, especially given that we don't have plans to buy a car here. But the location has turned out to be exceptionally convenient. While we're still very close to all of our old favourite haunts, we are now also much closer to more practical places that were always a bit of a pain to get to when we lived inside the walls. Things like the big hardware store, any of the supermarkets, the hospital and all the 24 hour farmacie, and many much more reasonably-priced cafes and restaurants.
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago the entertaining time David and I had at the Sistema Ambiente depot - Lucca's waste management company. We went, we queued, we filled in endless forms, and we left with five brand new bins for all of our various rubbish and recycling. We were also given a small chart which detailed the collection schedule for all these bins.
Unlike at home, where you have one day a week when all your bins are collected, in Lucca different bins are collected on different days. So, five days out of seven, you have a bin to remember to put out. And you can't just leave them all out all the time, lest you risk a hefty fine. Or worse, bin confiscation. This has taken some getting used to. The bins are also very small, so missing a collection can be very consequential. We are getting into the swing of it now.
The plastic and metal bin, the glass bin, the rubbish bin (the smallest of them all - recycling is a big deal here) and the organic bin are all collected on time on each of their allotted mornings. The paper bin, on the other hand. What is happening with the paper bin? For the last two weeks, no one's carta bidoncino (bin) has been collected. This is causing much consternation and complaining in the neighbourhood. It is a hot topic of conversation in the building and on the local streets. Much has been said about the work ethic of the paper rubbish truck drivers, and the general shame of the situation. Oh the shame of it all!
The pace at which this year is travelling is quite terrifying. I can't believe that it is less than a month until we will be in Melbourne. And before then, we have a little adventure planned to Venice for Easter. I couldn't possibly let a whole year of living in Italy pass before I'd been back to La Serenissima. Of course we also need to make sure we go before the summer hordes descend from the gangways of their cruise ships to absolutely choke the city.
Raffy is very excited to see the place where the streets are made of water, and everyone travels around on boats. I can't wait to show her. I know many people scoff at Venice and say that it is like a tourist Disneyland, but I will never not be absolutely and completely taken by it.
In any case, I'm counting down the days now until we will see you. Let me know if there's anything you want me to bring back!
Baci e abbracci,
Kate
