Offer Signed … Contract Pending
October 30, 2025 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 57 °F
Rain! Rain! Rain! All day long.
That’s what was forecasted. That’s what we got.
The wet stuff started light while we were having breakfast. It got stronger as we made our way to the Griffoni apartment for the meeting with the owner to sign the offer. It got progressively stronger as the day progressed. More of the same is forecasted for tomorrow.
The meeting went smoothly since we’d ironed out the details in advance. We signed the offer form we had completed yesterday; Marco verified that he had received the caparra we wired and gave us a receipt. And we were done.
The lease contract will be prepared for our signature on Monday. Time TBD. And then the contract will need to be registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate (essentially the Italian Revenue Agency) to make it all official. Apparently Marco knows someone in the registry office, so they anticipate that we can get a digital copy of the signed contract by the end of the week. We need that in order to apply for the ERV.
After the meeting, we headed to Bologna Centrale to take the train to Casalecchio … or more properly Casalecchio di Reno … for its location along the Reno River.
Last night, we signed up for our FrecciaCartas for Trenitalia. Mui downloaded the app and added me as his companion. Purchasing our tickets using the app — €1.50pp each way — meant we had digital tickets … validation automatic once the train departs.
The 10:32a departure, a suburban train, left from a different part of the station. Four stops and 18 minutes later, we were detraining on the platform at Casalecchio-Palasport. No station building … just a dirt platform on the siding.
Our reason for the trip to Casalecchio was to go to IKEA … walking distance to the train platform … a little soggy on a wet day. Our plan was to browse for ideas to help us add missing furnishings when we eventually move into the apartment. We found a bunch of pieces that could work … mission accomplished.
After a quick snack at the IKEA café, we left with a new umbrella for Mui … at €3.95, we’ll see how long it lasts.
Our next stop was Media World at Reno Gran — a shopping mall across the road from IKEA. After checking out monitors (which we hope to use in lieu of a TV to avoid paying the TV tax); vacuum cleaners; irons, etc, it was time to leave the mall and return to Bologna.
Using the Trenitalia app, we purchased tickets for the 3:38p train … which was late by 5 minutes. Thank goodness for the umbrella as the tiny covered stand on the platform was already choc-a-bloc with people waiting for the train.
Back in Bologna, we walked back to the AirBNB. It was still raining, but much lighter now … something for which to be grateful.
Dinner at home … Mui made mushroom risotto with a kit he got from Coop last week. Quite tasty.
No plans for tomorrow. A museum visit perhaps if it continues to rain as forecasted.Read more