Confusion at the Comune

It is offical - I am now a resident here in Malito - and to be honest it was much easier then I thought. The other day the comune asked for a copy of my birth certificate. I thought that this was a necessary part of gaining residency, so was quite worried when my mum told me she could not find my birth certificate. I rang the office of births, deaths and marriages in my home city numerous times and there seemed to be only one incompetent boy working there. He told me that to request a copy that someone here in Italy had to certify that the documents were my own, and this person had to be from the consulate or embassy (impossible I told him as these are in Rome and Milan) or it had to be the equivilent of the Justice of the Peace. When I asked him who this could be he had no idea. He told me to call the Australian Consulate. I called them but of course they too had no idea and said I had to call the office in Melbourne again. So back and fourth I went, fretting more as the days went by before bel ragazzo suggested we go to his comune and explain the situation.

Well low and behold the comune didn't need the birth certificate at all! They only wanted a copy of it on hand in case we get married one day....All they needed for my residency to be complete was 3 photo's for my identy card! (Why they could not have told us this at the beginning is beyond my understanding.)So there you go. Finally I am a resident, this afternoon we will collect my identy card and we have promised the comunue that we are not going to get married soon, and if and when we do, they will have a copy of my birth certificate in ample time.