Apartment? Check!

I’m continuing the last post with a second segment. I didn’t want to make one so long, but I have so much to say! The appointment I had to see the apartment today went well. So well, in fact, that I’ve decided I want to live there!

The apartment is a fifteen-minute walk from the main university street, Via Zamboni, but it is very close to the Department for Foreign Languages, which will be convenient for me. It’s a small street, Via dei Bersaglieri, which branches off of a larger street, Strada Maggiore. The area around it is absolutely beautiful. Just before you turn off of Strada Maggiore onto Via dei Bersaglieri, there is a large basilica, Santa Maria dei Servi. Very cool. I will be able to see the dome and hear the bells from my apartment. There’s a convent attached to the back of it.

Well, outside the apartment, there’s a little patch of trees, which is pretty rare in Bologna. The stairs to the third floor (only the second floor, according to European counting), are marble and well-lit, and I think that this used to be a much nicer building that it is now…which is fine because it still looks nice but doesn’t cost as much. Serena was standing in the doorway, and right away I was struck by her friendliness. She showed Clare and I around the apartment, which consists of a kitchen, a double, two singles (one is Serena’s and the other is a Spanish girl’s), bathroom, and a spacious hallway. There was a lot of space, by Italian standards. The kitchen is a bit small, but there’s also a couch in there, so va bene (that’s fine). There’s a balcony off of the kitchen which overlooks the street. I’m going to be living in the doppia (double) with another girl I haven’t met yet. The room’s big and sunny, and—I was so excited when I realized this—there’s a balcony off of this room, too! I really like the apartment, the location, but Serena was so nice and friendly, and that really sealed the deal.

One negative thing is that there isn’t a regular contract. Serena has a contract with a landlady, but the other girls in the apartment aren’t on it. I was a bit worried about this, but I did ask Serena if there could be a type of contract between her and me, at least to have documentation about when I pay rent, and so on and so forth. I will thus be in nero, in black. This really will be an authentic Bolognese experience!

So, I move in on Tuesday, I think. I’m so glad that the search is over and that I have found a place to live, especially with such a nice roommate. I can’t wait to meet the others!

P.S. There’s an extra pull-out bed and a couch, so come visit me!

Signed, the Sengenblogger