After the new leggi (laws) that passed this summer, I've had to find a new place to park my bicicletta (bicycle). Initially, I parked it on a side street where vigili (police officers) left a note saying that I had to move it or else it would be rimossa (removed) by them. I then found a palo (pole) on the corner of my street that sometimes has biciclette locked to it that was available. I locked my bicicletta to it and thought that I had found the perfect spot.
Only two weeks ago, I unlocked my bicicletta and found out that a car had hit. It was hard enough that it bent the frame in the front where the handlebars are. The tire in the front was bent so much that I couldn't walk my bicicletta to get it fixed. Alessandro had to carry it to the meccanico (mechanic's shop) that my ortolano (green grocer) had suggested.
We found the shop easily: there were a few biciclette parked outside on the narrow side street near our apartment. When we talked to the meccanico (mechanic), he told us that it wouldn't be fast because he was really busy. He told us what he would do to fix my bicicletta, which sounded complicated. He hoped that he could bend the frame back instead of replacing it to save us some money.
A week later, I passed by his shop and when he recognized who I was, he said, "Come ho bestemmiato! How I cursed!" He explained all his woes with not having the right size bar to put back in the frame and how he had to call all around town to buy one. He had first tried to bend it back, but it was so bent that it was impossible.
I felt bad because he said he wouldn't change the preventivo (quote), but that he'll need more time to fix it.
When the meccanico left a message on my cell phone today, Alessandro and I headed down there in the early evening to go and pick up my bicicletta. The meccanico was kind even though he was still a bit upset about all the work he had to do on my bicicletta.
I rode my bicicletta accomodata (repaired bicycle) back home and tried to choose a better spot to park it. I ended up locking it up to the catena (chain) on a street behind the Camera di Commercio. The catena around the monumento in the piazza where I used to park my bicicletta is off limits now, and all the rastrelliere (bike racks) near our apartment were full. I certainly wasn't going to lock it up to the palo again for fear of it getting hit.
Ever since the new legge about parking biciclette in the city were announced, I've had bad luck. My sella (seat) was stolen and then my bicicletta was hit. I've spent at least 60 Euros getting it repaired. All this to avoid getting a multa (fine) or getting my bicicletta taken away.
Everyday I look out at my bicicletta from my window to make sure the vigili haven't left me another note stating that they will remove it. For now, I have a new sella that is not easily removed and that it's parked in a spot that will make it more difficult to hit. I hope I'll be luckier in the future than I have been in the past two months.
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