Category Archives: Italy

Leaving Italy: The Practicalities

On March 31st, 2008, my residence in Italy was officially revoked. This was easy to accomplish. A few days before, Enrico and I had gone together to Lecco’s Ufficio dell’Anagrafe (I guess a reasonable translation would be “Population Records Office”). This is where you go to record transfers of residence (within Italy), births, deaths, and marriages.

To undo my Italian residency, all that was required was to write a letter which the nice lady at the window dictated and Enrico transcribed (his handwriting being much more legible than mine). She photocopied my carta d’identita’ (Italian identity card) and gave it back to me, then told us to go to the Registry Office (within the same building) to officially hand in the letter. The lady there gave us a dated and signed photocopy, and that was all there was to it.

You may be wondering: why did I so easily give up what so many foreigners would give their eyeteeth to have? Taxes, my friend. Most countries in the world, including Italy, make all their residents, citizens or foreigners, pay some sort of income tax. The US is perhaps the ONLY country in the world which requires its non-resident citizens to pay tax. So, if you’re an American living overseas, you’ve got two sets of taxes to file per year. There is a tax treaty between the US and Italy such that the US gives you tax credits for the Italian taxes paid on the first $86,000 of your income. Beyond that, you’re paying both governments for the privilege of working. There was a time, in my Dotcom boom heyday, when I was paying over 50% of my income in taxes.

Since I will no longer be availing myself of Italian national services such as health care and education, I see no good reason to keep giving money to the Italian government, especially when I have to put a kid through college in the US. So I’ve cancelled my Italian residency. I can still visit at least as often I’m likely to have time to, I think the limit is three months out of every six. Supposedly at some point someone official will show up at our house to ascertain whether I’m still there or not.

Learn Italian in Song: Dieci Ragazze per Me

Ten Girls for Me

Another Lucio Battisti classic, this has been part of the Italian pop lexicon for decades, as illustrated in this clip from the film Bianca, starring Nanni Moretti.

Ho visto un uomo che moriva per amore,– – – I saw a man who was dying for love,
ne ho visto un altro che piu’ lacrime non ha.– – – I saw another who had no more tears.
Nessun coltello mai ti può ferir di piu’– – – No knife can wound you more
di un grande amore che ti stringe il cuor.– – – Than a great love which squeezes your heart.

Dieci ragazze per me posson bastare– – – 10 girls for me can be enough.
dieci ragazze per me io voglio dimenticare– – – 10 girls for me, I want to forget.
capelli biondi da accarezzare– – – Blonde hair to caress
e labbra rosse sulle quali morire.– – – and red lips to die on
Dieci ragazze per me solo per me.– – – 10 girls for me, only for me.

Una la voglio perché– – – One I want because
sa bene ballare.– – – she knows how to dance well.
Una la voglio perché– – – One I want because
ancor non sa cosa vuol dire l’amore.– – – she still doesn’t know what love means.

Una soltanto perché– – – One only because
ha conosciuto tutti tranne me.– – – she has known everyone but me.
Dieci ragazze cosi’– – – 10 girls like that
che dicono solo di si’.– – – who only say yes.

Vorrei sapere chi ha detto– – – I want to know who said
che non vivo piu’ senza te.– – – that I no longer live without you.
Matto, quello é proprio matto perché– – – Crazy, he’s really crazy
because
forse non sa– – – maybe he doesn’t know
che posso averne una per il giorno,– – – that I can have one for the day
una per la sera– – – one for the evening
però quel matto mi conosce– – – but that crazy knows me
perché ha detto una cosa vera.– – – because he said a true thing.

Dieci ragazze per me– – – 10 girls for me can be enough.
posson bastare
dieci ragazze per me– – – 10 girls for me, I want to forget.
io voglio dimenticare
capelli biondi da accarezzare– – – Blonde hair to caress
e labbra rosse sulle quali morire.– – – and red lips to die on
Dieci ragazze cosi’– – – 10 girls like that
che dicon solo di si’.– – – who only say yes.

Learn Italian in Song: Con il Nastro Rosa

With a Pink Ribbon

Lucio Battisti

Inseguendo una libellula in un prato 

un giorno che avevo rotto col passato

quando già credevo di esserci riuscito

son caduto.

Una frase sciocca un volgare doppio senso

mi hanno allarmato non è come io la penso

ma il sentimento era già un po’ troppo denso

e son restato

Chissà, chissà chi sei chissà
che sarai

chissà che sarà di noi

lo scopriremo solo vivendo

Comunque adesso ho un po’ paura

ora che quest’avventura

sta diventando una storia vera

spero tanto tu sia sincera!

Un magazzino che contiene tante casse

alcune nere alcune gialle alcune rosse

dovendo scegliere e studiare le mie mosse

sono alle impasse

Mi sto accorgendo che son giunto dentro casa

con la mia cassa ancora con il nastro rosa

e non vorrei aver sbagliato la mia spesa
o la mia sposa.

Chissà chissà chi sei chissà
che sarai

chissà che sarà di noi

lo scopriremo solo vivendo

Comunque adesso ho un po’ paura

ora che quest’avventura

sta diventando una storia vera

spero tanto tu sia sincera!

Following a dragonfly in a meadow 

one day when I had broken with the past

when I believed I had already done it

I fell.

A stupid phrase, a vulgar double-entendre

Alarmed me, it’s not the way I think

but the feeling was already a bit too thick

and I stayed

Who knows, who knows who you are, who knows what you will be

Who knows what will become of us

We’ll learn it only by living

In any case now I’m a bit afraid

now that this adventure

is becoming a true [love] story

I very much hope that you’re sincere!

A warehouse that contains many cases

Some black, some yellow, some red

Having to choose and study my moves

I’m at an impasse

I’m realizing that I have arrived at home

with my box still with its pink ribbon on

and I don’t want to bought the wrong thing or married the wrong bride

Who knows, who knows who you are, who knows what you will be

Who knows what will become of us

We’ll learn it only by living

In any case now I’m a bit afraid

now that this adventure

is becoming a true [love] story

I very much hope that you’re sincere!

if you find this useful and want more, let me know!

Everyday Italian: Newspaper Headlines 20

Clamorous: Videocameras and ZTL [zona traffico limitato – “limited traffic zone”]: the justice of the peace annuls the [traffic] fines

Molests a girl: band leader arrested (the photo)

Parking: Mayor Faggi “We’ll do the Serpentino” [?]

Scandal: young girl has sex at school in exchange for cell phone recharges

Albanian severely beats the owner of Bar Roma

The marathon crowns the Lecchesi: problems for the course signage

Veltroni [a presidential candidate] in Lecco

Turn of the screw on parking in the city

Zero tolerance against beggars

Arrested at school teacher accused of molestation

“My husband ran into me” [with the car]

Lecco – Azouz Marzouk under house arrest, city in revolt

Housing for foreigners; [city] council divided

Azouz arrested at Santo Stefano: protests

Politics, the earnings of parliament

Garbage sting, here’s what we’ll pay

Aggiungi un Posto a Tavola: Una Formica

An Ant is Only an Ant

God has decreed that no strangers can come along on the new ark. The only solution is for Toto to marry Consolazione. They are both delighted about this, but the rest of the villagers are not, and roundly declare that they will not help build the ark nor travel on it if Consolazione does. Don Silvestro, having appealed in vain to God (who doesn’t seem to be listening) to change their minds, in despair says: “I’ll do it myself.”

Continue reading Aggiungi un Posto a Tavola: Una Formica