There is a Color Plan for Trieste

If you live in the downtown area or in any other area of Trieste that has historical significance, your home or building will be protected by the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio del Friuli Venezia Giulia. In short, if you want to change anything with the outside of your building, you are going to have to go through some serious planning and red tape. 

I probably told you we are doing work on a new house. Well, one of the things we are doing is changing the windows and the doors. The old ones are made of wood, so if we want to change the windows, no problem, as long as the new ones are made of wood. If you want to change the material (like PVC or whatever they're using these days), they have to look like wood. We checked out that possibility thinking that new wooden windows would be a lot more expensive. It turns out they weren't that much more and had a much longer guarantee than the fake wood PVC ones. Great. Go for those.

But then we wanted to change the shudders. Still wood, mind you, but a different style. Turns out, what we have are "Scuri alla Triestina," which have horizontal slats that you can open and close or aim up or down. We want to change to what we now know is called "Scuri alla Veneta," or solid blocks of wood with vertical lines that simply open or close. Who knew that shudders would be so important that you would need to create a "progetto" with an architect and take it to the correct office (and pay the expensive tax stamp) in order to give your pad an upgrade!

I have to say, it did give me a little insight into why so many of the buildings I see around are a bit decrepit-- let's just say that after all of the paperwork, I realized it wasn't just "La Crisi." Leaving things crappy is a hell of a lot cheaper and less stressful than what it takes to make even (what I would consider) a small change (for the better).

But enough of my grumbling. What I really want to tell you about is that I visited the office in San Dorligo where the first step in the process happens (we are a different municipality than Trieste, but all the paperwork ends up in Trieste and then in the Region eventually). What surprised me was that there actually is a reason for all of this careful consideration. The idea is that things should stay the way they always were to preserve the characteristics of what makes Trieste (or San Giuseppe or any other part of town) Trieste. There is a reason that Shudders are called Triestine shudders. For one thing, they were invented in Trieste (for a good example, check out the Ferdinandeo building) according to the needs of Triestine homes and the quirky weather (the BORA) you find here. In fact, lots of cities in Trieste have their own kinds of shudders (Padova, Vincenza, etc).

Besides that, if you want to paint your house, you can go to any paint store and ask for the color pantone for Trieste and they actually have it.

So the big surprise in all of this is that THERE ACTUALLY IS A MASTER PLAN. Good to know.

How Much Money Will I Make in Trieste

This is a question I get a lot from people who are thinking about moving to Trieste. The answer is, in Triestine fashion: BOH! It's difficult to know. While I can't give exact numbers, I can give you some things to think about as you plan whether or not you want to come, and what your life will be like once you get here.

As with all things in Trieste, the process is slow and arduous. Spoiler Alert! You should come here with a financial safety net. If you are desperate for money, then I would suggest you go to a city with a more dynamic work market or take a little time to pay off your debts and simplify your life.

Other things to keep in mind.

1. There is no pre-existing job for you here. You have to create it.

2. If you don't speak Italian you will not go very far. This is a good reason to have a safety net-- it will give you time to learn the language enough to be able to work.

3. It will be nearly impossible for you to find a job BEFORE you actually come here. This is hard for anglo-saxons to get, but the human connection is important here. Your CV isn't enough.

4. If you are a woman,  you are the most difficult to employ unless you are in your early 20s (I have written a lot about this in the past. I will have to dig up the links).

5. If you are over 40, idem.

6. Pay attention to the kind of visa you are using to stay in Italy. That will also determine whether or not you can work legally.

7. Could you live on HALF the salary you currently make? Try it for a couple of months.

8. If your identity is deeply linked to your Career, you will probably be disappointed here.

I know this sounds depressing, but finding your niche here takes a while. Some people give up before finding it. If you are patient and can find lots of other reasons to be happy, then you will love it here.

What the Kids are Listening To These Days

I teach teenagers. This week I asked them what they were listening to and they played this catchy little ditty for me. It was fascinating to see the kids light up when they heard it (and ALL of them knew ALL of the words). They seemed excited that I wanted to hear it and were showing off for me (mouths with braces, chomping gum while they sing, cigarettes behind ears, backpacks zipping because it's the last hour and they are ready to race out but they want to hear the whole thing).

The comments on the youtube page say things like "7 million views? I think 1 million are mine" and "If my mom hears me playing this song one more time she is going to slam my face into the asdlkfjaopiejtroiahsg."

There are subtitles so you can practice singing. There are a few bad words and references to drugs, but nothing you can't handle...

Enjoy!

Aria Bona in Arrivo!

Yeah, it's raining in Trieste! Time to open those windows and secure the damn things so the outside window doesn't hit the inside window and break it and crash down onto the sidewalk and it's your fault!

Wind to follow. Whooopeeee!

Found the pants. The shoes: AWOL. Hope nobody notices (but we are in Italy so everyone will but they won't judge me because they will just group me up with the Germans and reason I just don't know any better).

So that's that. Happy Friday!