1) Washing machines are small...really small. The machine has a small tub because it is located in a small place, usually in a bathroom or closet. These washers allow clothes to be thrown in and the wash started. But these washers will not allow a person to add an item after the wash has started. It locks the door! Also, these washers take an average of 1.5 hours to do a small load.
2) No dryer. We had to hang our clothes on a clothes rack inside the apartment. Electricity is expensive in Italy, so dryers are a luxury.
3) The kitchen is small and compact. Everything in this kitchen was Ikea brand. Small refrigerator that was the same color as the stove, sink, oven and counter tops (bright red). To turn on the gas to cook, we had to turn on a switch on the wall, then press down a black switch on the stove, and then turn on the stove. The black switch was the ignitor.
4) There was no air conditioning. This was a real problem when the temperature outside reached over 90 degrees and the humidity was high.
5) The front door had four bolt locks in the door that operated using one key. Very unusual looking.
6) Black mold was growing on the stone ceilings, but the Italians didn't think much about it. They told us to open a window.
7) Bidet. It was a novelty item to me, so I made it fun by thinking of all the things I could use it for.
8) Shower stall was small. I could not raise my arms above my head without my elbows rubbing the walls of the shower. It had two closing doors that sat perpendicular to each other.
9) The apartment door faced a busy road, so "tripping out the front door" was not an option. There was a small space about two feet deep to step down to the road while the cars and buses zipped by the door speeding about 45 MPH (no speed limit signs on this street).
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| This was my room. Ikea bed, desk, chair and a window that looked out over a construction site. |
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| This is the ceiling in the room. |
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| This is a standing closet for clothes |
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| Hallway, more stone on ceiling. Now I know why Italians lean out their windows to make cell phone calls or stand in the street outside their apartments. These rock ceilings and stone walls make it impossible to get cellular reception inside. |
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| Ikea Kitchen |
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| With the rounded ceilings, I wondered if this was once a horse stable |
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| Double bolt locked doors |
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| bathroom with closet-sized shower, small washer, bidet, toilette and pedestal sink |
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| Drying clothes at its best |
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| Front door to apartment. Two feet deep and if you walk out too far, you become someone's hood ornament! |
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| Street view, across the street from apartment looking toward Porta Romana |
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| Looking toward the school |
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| Tuscia University Entrance gate |
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| The gate. Beautiful iron work. |
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| Another view towards Porta Romana gate to the walled city of Viterbo |
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| Entrance to apartment. |
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