One mark of our becoming increasingly established down here is that this month we finally got our Permissions to Stay in Italy. In theory this is more or less a formality for EU citizens, but in practise we had to drive the fifty-odd miles to the Police Station in Bari every fortnight, usually to be told that our documents were not ready. When we did eventually get them, Sue on a roll immediately applied for residency and is now the only English person resident in the Commune of Locorotondo. Which then meant that finally we could buy a car and a motorcycle here. So for €2,000 we bought a ten year old Opel Corsa from a local garage and a little later I walked into the main Moto Guzzi dealer in Taranto and said “I would like to buy an Italian motorcycle”, to an almost tumultuous reception. Moto Guzzi make robust twin cylinder motorbikes that are old fashioned and unfashionable in Italy. I bought a six-year-old 750cc machine that is absolutely perfect for blasting around the country lanes, even if I do have to stop from time to time to go back and pick up a bit that’s fallen off.
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