The most interesting thing we did this week was go on a tour of the little town Tornareccio, about a 20-minute drive from home. We had signed up for the tour offered by Dionne Swift, a nearby resident who is an artist, art teacher and supporter of the mosaic museum. The museum is actually outdoors, along the streets of the town. The curator of the museum lives in the town and is also an artist who creates mosaics. Virtually all the works are designed by one artist, then the mosaic itself is created by another artisan, who may or may not create the mosaic in the same manner as the original artist’s viewpoint.
Currently there are 99 mosaics, all of which are 1 square meter in size. Annually, the museum staff selects one or more paintings to be used as the model for new mosaics. This year, everyone is waiting to find out what the 100th piece will be (it’s a big secret). Once selected, the staff determines the house on which to hang them. This turns the streets of the town into an outdoor museum.
We walked for over 1-1/2 hours and only saw a small portion of the exhibits. The first part of the walk was through the old part of the town. Here, the exhibits are dedicated to bees. They are the heart of the town’s economy, which is why I mention “miele” in the title of this blog. There are about 19 or 20 honey farms (if that’s what you call them) in the area. At the end of our walk, we had the opportunity to taste some honey with saffron from Navelli and some honey with peppers. Delicious!
The second part of the walk was in the newer section of town. Here, the mosaics include religious and modern themes. For instance, the road up to the church has the 12 stations of the cross in mosaics, each one created by a different artist. There are some very interesting interpretations to be seen. Be sure to check out the photos. Click here.
And more…
In addition to this delightful experience in Tornareccio, Mike and have had a very good, successful, week. Several things have been checked off of our “todo” list.
First, our good friend and neighbor Maria took us to the commune (town hall) to ask if Mike could get a document of some kind that certifies that he is a resident of Italy. No problem. It took just a few minutes and voila!
Second, Maria went with us to the ASL, which is the health office, in Vasto to see if we could get signed up for Italian health care. Maria and I had gone once before a few weeks ago, and the clerk there was not helpful, so we left. This time, Maria approached the desk and the clerk there clearly knew what he was doing. He took a look at my identity card and started clicking away on his computer. And soon, voila! I was in the system. Then he took a look at Mike’s documents, and soon he, too, was in the system. This is a great relief to us.
Which brings me to another important event. Mike had been given the name of a cardiologist, but we were waiting until we returned from our US trip and visits to his doctors there before making an appointment. With the help of Maria (no surprise), he now has an appointment for early October. This is a very good thing.
Wednesday we were able repay Maria and Robert just a little for the many favors to us by helping them get a new car battery. It felt good to do something for them for a change.
What is a SPID and why do I need it?
In order to apply for an Italian passport, I need to be able to access various government sites. To do that I need a special code called “SPID” (Public Digital Identity System). This code can be acquired on the Post Italia website or through its app. I tried several times via the app with no luck. One of the options stated on the Post Office web site is to go in person to the local post office. I had my doubts that our small local post office would be able to assist. However, today there was a young lady at the desk (Mariaelena) and she spoke pretty good English. Plus, she was very willing to help me. Between the two of us, we navigated several options and I emerged with my unique digital identity – my very own SPID! That called for a celebratory café, so we adjourned to Cincia’s bar.
We are now waiting for the VW dealer to provide us with the documentation to let us shop for auto insurance. Once we have that and the dealer says it’s ready, we can pick up our Italian car.
We had a great week. We did a lot, and good things happened. What will next week bring?
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