Introduction
Moving to another country is a delicious thrill, yet the very things that make a new place so exciting also make it daunting when you start to truly make a place your home. You come to Italy enthralled by how ancient everything is – until you bump up against one of the oldest bureaucracies in the world. There may be times when the sheer volume of documents, forms, stamped pieces of paper and special passes you’ll need in order to live in Bologna will have you wondering whatever possessed you to come here in the first place. If it’s any comfort, you’re not alone. Everyone who comes to Italy feels this way at some point. Fortunately, the positive aspects of living here far outweigh the difficulties you may encounter in the beginning. With time, the frustrating and charming aspects of life in Bologna will start to melt together. Had you not been turned away at the immigration office because you lacked the right stamp, you may not have discovered that quaint coffee bar around the corner. Had the bus drivers not been on strike, you may not have stumbled upon that narrow alleyway with the mouthwatering gelato.
The bureaucracy’s wheels do grind slowly here, but with a little pazienza, you will soon be approaching these challenges con calma and you’ll find that waiting will seem less of an inconvenience and more of an opportunity – a chance to prendere un caffè, or fare un giro. In the meantime, this chapter will give you some of the specific information you need to begin taking care of paperwork and getting about the basic business of living and orienting yourself in Bologna. In bocca al lupo!
gelato = ice cream
pazienza = patience
con calma = calmly
prendere un caffè = have a coffee
fare un giro = take a spin around
in bocca al lupo = in the mouth of the wolf = good luck
crepi il lupo = may the wolf perish! (appropriate response to in bocca al lupo)
Getting Your Bearings
The Commune (municipality) of Bologna’s central Ufficio Relazioni per il Pubblico (Office of Public Relations), commonly referred to as the URP, is located in Bologna’s
City Neighborhoods
Bologna is currently divided into six quartieri (neighborhoods or administrative districts). There are municipal offices in each area, called sede del quartiere (neighborhood office), where you can take care of administrative issues such as
Safety
You can reach any emergency service using 112 (the single European emergency number for the Universal European Emergency Services), including the police, emergency medical services
Plugging in with People
Newcomers to Bologna occasionally find it difficult to make friends in the beginning. The Bolognese can be reserved and they take some time to warm
Religion
ROMAN CATHOLIC The principal religion in Bologna, as in the rest of Italy, is Roman Catholicism. The city is divided into parishes by street address
Learning Italian
The city of Bologna offers free Italian classes to foreigners with a valid permesso di soggiorno (a temporary residency permit for stays in Italy longer
Resources for LGBTI+
The LGBTI+ association Il Cassero is the best starting point for getting oriented with the city’s LGBTI+ culture. As well as being an archive and
Immigration
Most Italians have only one given first name and one given last name that appear in passports and other documents. If you have a middle
Residence & Paperwork
INIDVIDUAL TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER Getting a codice fiscale (individual tax identification number) is just about the easiest thing you’ll ever have to do here, which