(photo
by Camilo Rueda López used
under terms of Creative Commons license.)
Don Smith:
Pronto! Signor Paci?
Signor Paci:
Si, chi parla?
Don Smith:
Qui Don Smith. Abbiamo un piccolo problema. Il riscaldamento non
funziona e c'è una perdita d'acqua nel muro della stanza da bagno.
Signor Paci:
Oh, Signor Smith, mi dispiace.
Don Smith:
Potrebbe mandare qualcuno?
Signor Paci:
Bene. Vediamo quello che posso fare.
Don Smith:
Grazie. Arrivederci.
Signor Paci:
ArrivederLa.
Translation:
Don Smith:
Hello! Mr. Paci?
Mr. Paci:
Yes, who's calling?
Don Smith:
Don Smith here. We have a
little problem. The heating system doesn't work, and there's a leak in
the wall in the bathroom.
Mr. Paci:
Oh, Mr. Smith, I'm sorry.
Don Smith:
Could you send somebody?
Mr. Paci:
Well. Let's see what I can do.
Don Smith:
Thank you. See you.
Mr. Paci:
See you.
Notes on conversation
1. Quello che means "that which," or
"what."
2. Finding an apartment in Italy
can be more difficult than locating one in the United States.
U.S.
government employees will
probably use locators. If listings are sparse or non-existent, the
newcomer
will have to depend on word of mouth and newspaper advertisements.
Italian
apartments vary from one room with bath to many rooms
and bathrooms. The kitchen of a typical unfurnished apartment has
little more
than a sink and four bare walls.
Landlords do not furnish fixtures,
appliances, or cabinets; each
new tenant must equip his/her own kitchen. This is less trouble than it
might
be in the United States
since
Italian kitchens and appliances are
both small and simple. Italians
require less storage space because they shop for food several times a
week,
preferring pasta, fresh vegetables
and fruit, with chicken and meat
added on weekends. Tenants take
garbage to a designated area on the ground floor.
Bedrooms,
except those in the most modern buildings, have no
built-in closets; consequently, occupants must store clothing in their
own
chests and wardrobes. Communal laundry rooms with washers and driers
don't
exist. Tenants wash lighter clothing in a bucket in the sink and send
larger
articles, including sheets and towels, to the neighborhood laundry. In
some
sections of the city, laundry trucks make scheduled stops to pick up
soiled
bundles and deliver clean laundry.
Traditionally,
a concierge (portiere/a) is responsible for
maintaining each apartment building (and attached garage if there is
one).
He/she usually lives with his/her family on the ground floor,
and he/she screens visitors and locks and
unlocks the main door or gate (portone) morning and evening, and
distributes
mail (except newspapers, which are not delivered door-to-door in Italy).
He/she also cleans common areas such as stairs, halls, and the
basement, which
contains the small storage rooms (cantine) for each apartment.
Unfortunately,
this colorful and useful institution is a
victim of the times, fast being replaced by automatic locks, intercom
systems,
and janitorial services. While he/she is still around, however, he/she
expects
to be tipped on Christmas, Easter, and Ferragosto,* and when a tenant
moves in
or out of his/her building.
3. Remember that the first floor in Italy
is the second floor in the United States.
*Ferragosto
is the Feast of the Assumption, August 15.
