So I finally made my way out to EasyBox, where I had stored my bags for the first month, to pick up the check for my security deposit. When I got the check, I asked here where I should go to cash it, she replied, "the bank" and then continued on saying that there was one in the piazza nearby. Great. The bank.

Up until today I had never gone inside an Italian bank. In fact, I didn't even fully believe that it was possible, as unlike in America, the doors are always closed, locked, and I had never actually seen someone go in or out of a bank before. Futhermore, I wasn't even sure until today that checks existed in Italy. I had never seen one be used before. Never heard of them being used before. i was sure there was some sort of method for paying people other than cash or credit, but I didn't know what. Sure enough though, the check looked very similar to what we have at home. Somehow though, it just didn't seem right that you would go to a bank to cash it. When I wanted to change euros into pounds, I went to the post office. The post office always seemed to act like a bank. You pay bills there. You can have a debit card through them. They do it all. And while they're not always the most efficient establishment, I had rather hoped she would tell me to take it to the post office to cash. But no such luck.

So off I went, in search of the piazza, and the Banca Intessa. Well, I found the piazza where she had said to go, but couldn't find the bank. Allora, che faccio? I knew that there was a Banca Intessa right near my apartment, so I figured I would just try going there. Afterall, they're all the same bank. I just hoped that I would be able to figure out how to get inside. When I arrived at the bank, I stared at the door for a min. There was a button I could push, or there was a slot to enter a card. I wasn't sure what to do, as no instructions were written out. As luck had it though, for the first time in Italy, I saw two people exit the bank, and the exited through the door I was standing in front of. I quickly went in behind them. Okay, I'm inside. Almost. Now I was standing in a little room, with another set of doors in front of me. This time the round kind where you must first enter, and then wait for it to close behind you before it opens in front of you. One person at a time.

This time there was a picture of a finger pressing a button, so I pressed. The door open, in I went. I didn't see another button, so I waited. After a few seconds the door closed behind me, and once I was securely trapped inside, the door in front of me opened. Once through this obstacle, the bank inside looked very much like a bank at home. There was a counter. There were a couple people sitting around talking, and there were computers. The people behind the counter greeted me and asked what they could do. Not knowing how to say in Italian that I needed to cash a check, I just put on a smile, excused my bad Italian, and handed them the check. They looked at it, and then started to ask for my ID, but then quickly stopped, saying that they couldn't cash it.

Now I was confused. I was at the bank that had issued the check, I had made it past the series of doors to the inside, why couldn't they cash it? Perche? I asked. Apparently, although they are all branches of the same bank, you must go to the specific branch where the check came from. The branch that was supposedly in the piazza. The one I couldn't find. The one that was a 40 min trek back across town.

Then, right after finishing telling me that I had to go all the way back across town, he looked at the check again and said "well, it's only for 25, maybe we can do it here." So he started typing away at his computer. I'm not sure exactly what he was doing, but after a few minutes he asked for my ID again, took it and photocopied it. Handed me the check and asked me to sign the back. Then he took it and ran it through his machine. I no longer like his machine. It was no use. His little machine told him that he couldn't cash it. He looked at me and apologized, saying I'd have to go back across town. He genuinely seemed to be sorry, as it's quite an annoying journey to make for only 25 euro.

Tired and hungry I decided to head home. My trip back across town will have to wait until tomorrow.