The apartment

We have been here for one week now, and there is still lots to figure out. This past week we have managed, at least, to find a good routine: go for a run (for me always the same route, half dirt and half paved), do some grocery shopping (at Sant'Ambrogio market under our window and/or at the impressive Coop grocery store with low low prices about a half mile away), make lunch, go out for a couple hours and eventually do some reading (usually under the Loggia next to Palazzo Vecchio), cook dinner while Seth plays guitar, take the dinner to eat outside somewhere, make up cones of gelato, walk with them somewhere, then (at about 10 or 11pm) spend the rest of the evening watching terrible yet somehow entertaining Italian TV.

We have really enjoyed the apartment so far--it is solid as a rock (made of stone, I guess, and heavy beams of wood) and is very clean and modern. The place feels really large (we have barely even gone upstairs to the second bedroom), and the size is accentuated by the vaulted ceiling. Luckily the decor is our style (wooden, rustic, and with lots of art), and the large bedroom downstairs is perfect for letting Lorenzo run free in the evenings. However, there are a few important things that it is missing but seem to be nonessential in the majority of Italian households, most notably a microwave (they are very expensive, ranging from about $80 to hundreds of dollars), screens on the windows to keep the flies and mosquitoes out (I have been getting eaten alive!!), and a shower curtain (as you can imagine, this makes showering difficult).

On the other hand, we have some things that we will probably never make use of, such as a bidet (we are still trying to figure out how to use it), spare closets and shelves, a dishwasher, and instead of useful bake-ware (like measuring cups and baking pans) we have a couple dozen fancy little wineglasses (of all different types, for different wines), multiple types of little shot glass things, and several really elegant glass flasks probably meant for some liquor we have never heard of. This collection of drink-ware of course wouldn't be complete without about a dozen types of liquors and several bottles of wine (unfortunately all white). The guy who was here before liked to entertain, if you couldn't guess. Some other 'extras' that we didn't have in Waltham include a small little washing machine, air conditioning, wireless internet, a phone, and a TV. Of course, we will also have bills (outside our monthly rent) for the first time. Ergh.

Another addition: an Italian coffee maker (a moka). Very Italian.

The bidet and half-sized washing machine

Here are a few pictures of the apartment, though they are pretty similar to the ones I posted before we left Waltham in April.

Upstairs bedroom/loft

The master bedroom

Living room

Kitchen, dining room, and Lorenzo

Stairs and hallway upstairs

Our street

Our building--we are the two windows on the top floor (barely visible)

A neat thing on the corner of the street near our apartment