Fall is in the air in Italy

All the normal activities of Fall are going on. The leaves are starting to turn sooner in the mountains than in the city and we already have cool evenings were a jacket or sweater is needed.

Johnnie brought in several of the more tender flowers and herbs to the winter garden. We are starting to look like a tropical jungle in there.

Burning
The nasty burning is going on in the mountains around us where the farmers rake and burn the dead grass and underbrush. It fills the air with noxious smoke and the environmentalists say there is no good reason to do it, but people do it anyway. Tradition!!

Firewood
We ordered wood for the fireplace and got a prodigious quantity of cut firewood, a combination of oak and beech in various sizes. We paid 280 Euro, so about $330 for the wood which I considered fair in a part of the world where wood is precious.

Castagne
This is also Chestnut season and they are being sold and roasted everywhere. Several towns actually have fairs based on Chestnuts. At my hotel this past week, the chef was roasting Chestnuts at the buffet table.

I am not a nut eating person but I tried one and the meat is white and surprisingly sweet. The Italians have a special skillet with holes in the bottom (we wondered what in the world it was for) and then put a panful on a medium high gas flame and let them char. The outside skin blisters and is easily peeled away. I guess they roasted for a good 15 - 20 mins. being tossed around lightly from time to time.

Guest at the hotel, helping out the chef roasting chestnuts

Nothing added, just Chestnuts

Chef (in the suit) acted a little embarrassed that the guest was "helping" however, I agreed as they were starting to burn!

Residency - finally!
After 14 + months of living in Italy we are finally bonafide residents. The process is lengthy and has four main steps. We might have completed a few months ago but it is not always convenient to drop everything to make an appointment in the middle of the day at the Questura,(police station) or Immigrazione (Immigration office), or the Comune (City offices).

We also have the Italian medical cards now which entitle us to use the public health care system. I am not sure if I will use it or not but have to do that so I can apply for a handicapped parking sticker.