After having filed my request for cittadinanza italiana (Italian citizenship) because of my nonni last year, I've been trying not to think too much about it, and just hoping that it'll magically arrive sooner rather than later. I was told the wait would be anywhere from a year and a half to three years. This week, however, I decided to pass by the Prefettura (Prefecture) where I filed for my cittadinanza italiana to inquire about its status. I was told that I could call Rome directly, but without my numero della pratica (file number), they couldn't give me any information over the phone. My suocero (father-in-law) has a friend who works at the Prefettura who said that I should go in myself to check up on my pratica (file) and get the numero della pratica.
I walked upstairs to the office of the man who is taking care of my pratica. After knocking on his door and opening it, I saw him calmly sitting behind his desk. "Prego Come in," he said when he saw me and stood up to shake my hand. I sat in front of his desk, which was neatly organized with only a few papers in front of him. I told him my name and reason for my visit.
"Sì, sì, signora Gallo," he said as he looked over his notes. He told me that my pratica was all in order and that I should hear within the year. To prove it to me, he went to the website of the Ministero dell'Interno (Ministry of the Interior) where they are working on my cittadinanza. "È già a Roma? It's already in Rome?" I asked. "Sì, sì, è da un anno che ce l'hanno. Yes, yes, they've had it for a year now," he responded with a big smile.
He typed in my numero della pratica and I was able to see the status of my cittadinanza. He pointed to things on the screen and said, "Sì, sì va tutto bene. Basta avere pazienza. Yes, yes, it's all good. You just need to be patient." I felt relieved. I had this fear that something was missing and that it was being held up because of it.
He gave me the numero della pratica and told me that I can call Rome at any time to find out what the status is of my cittadinanza. I smiled and said, "Chiamerò l'anno prossimo. Ho tanta pazienza. I'll call next year. I have a lot of patience." We double-checked all the phone numbers he had for me and smiled calmly at me. I felt quite serene about my cittadinanza and hope that next year I'll be able to celebrate its arrival.
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