| Versailles!!! |
| How gorgeous! |
| Dorky group picture in Versailles |
| Just so you know...I love Paris! |
| The Petit Trianon |
Wish you the best,
Ashley
Friday, August 31, 2012
A Day In Versailles
Wish you the best,
Ashley
The Vanishing Cabinet
If you have read the six & seventh Harry Potter books, you will have come across this cabinet. Today, we saw it in real life. Next to our table, there was an island wall (so they could get in two sets of tables against the wall) it was relatively thick, and it had a small cupboard in it. After about fifteen minutes, James saw a man crouch down and go into the cabinet. I thought he was crazy. After another few minutes, I saw a man limbo down and head in. This happened about four times during the meal. But here's the odd thing, I saw the same waiter go in twice. Without resurfang. We only saw one waiter come OUT of the cabinet. Huh. Upon looking in further, the cabinet revealed a staircase to a basement. I found it immensely amusing.
Ciao,
Fiorella
The Other Musical Event Tonight
Italy is not only operas and classical music. After the opera, gelato in hand, I headed down to take in the second show.
It turned out to be some funked-up jazz. Or maybe some jazzy funk. My apologies for the pictures. An iPad isn't ideal for night photography.
I had my iPad because the music wasn't so awesome that it demanded my full attention, so decided I could start my opera post while listening to four guys jam.
The base player kept waving to the sound tech to tell him to turn up the volume on the keyboard.
The saxophonist also sang. It was more than a little disconcerting to hear a older black jazz sax player with big hair sing...in Italian.
They called it a night at 12:15, and now that it is 12:45 I probably should, too.
It turned out to be some funked-up jazz. Or maybe some jazzy funk. My apologies for the pictures. An iPad isn't ideal for night photography.
I had my iPad because the music wasn't so awesome that it demanded my full attention, so decided I could start my opera post while listening to four guys jam.
The base player kept waving to the sound tech to tell him to turn up the volume on the keyboard.
The saxophonist also sang. It was more than a little disconcerting to hear a older black jazz sax player with big hair sing...in Italian.
They called it a night at 12:15, and now that it is 12:45 I probably should, too.
Cosi Fan Tutte
Talk about early! Tonight's opera started at 8:00! Since I was working today I only had time for a quick bit of pizza:
The one on the right is melanzone (eggplant). The one on the left is rucula (arugula). Both have a nice, sharp hard cheese. Mozzarella is used only on certain pizzas here...it is too delicate to go with many toppings.
Since it was such a long way (see the view from our apartment's street entrance below) I decided to leave about 7:59.
Darling, I'm not sure what seat you intended to get me.
Platea is orchestra level, Fila D turned out to be front row, and Posto 5 was third seat from the center aisle. There aren't and bad seats in the theatre. For those who aren't familiar with it from last year, it is a small classic opera house with about 70 boxes on four levels, plus floor seating. I was two meters from the conductor so there was no chance I would miss anything.
It was a great seat for watching the cute young orchestra members before the opera started. I emphasize young. It was a youth orchestra from Rome, and I'm not sure they were in college yet. They were more than up to the task, though, as my enjoyment of the opera was not marred by the music in any way.
The opera was perfect for the small theatre because it has a cast of only six, plus a few stage hand/actors. This was a modern interpretation, which was cute, because the young lovebirds viewed their beaus on an iPad, texted each other, and used a cell phone to snap pictures of their indiscretions.
A small Italian touch to the theatre itself is that the conductor entered the orchestra pit from the audience level through a section of the pit wall removed for the purpose. Clearly you can't start the opera with the wall missing, so two staffers replaced it. Except that it has some finicky attachment that took them two minutes to latch. The orchestra was giggling by the time they got it.
The other Italian touch was a complete lack of air conditioning. I saw Albina on my way over, and she told me she can't go to the theatre because it is too hot. It certainly was uncomfortable and and I wasn't wearing a jacket. But I wasn't underdressed: the conductor only wore his coat for the curtain call at the end, and there were no closed collars among the orchestra members.
At the intermission between the two acts we all went out into the street and various cafés to get our refreshments and cooler air. You knew you wouldn't be late back because the opera members were there, too.
The opera wrapped up at 11:15, by which time the other concert was in full swing in Piazza del Popolo.
Opera props being carted away at 12:15:
The one on the right is melanzone (eggplant). The one on the left is rucula (arugula). Both have a nice, sharp hard cheese. Mozzarella is used only on certain pizzas here...it is too delicate to go with many toppings.
Since it was such a long way (see the view from our apartment's street entrance below) I decided to leave about 7:59.
Darling, I'm not sure what seat you intended to get me.
Platea is orchestra level, Fila D turned out to be front row, and Posto 5 was third seat from the center aisle. There aren't and bad seats in the theatre. For those who aren't familiar with it from last year, it is a small classic opera house with about 70 boxes on four levels, plus floor seating. I was two meters from the conductor so there was no chance I would miss anything.
It was a great seat for watching the cute young orchestra members before the opera started. I emphasize young. It was a youth orchestra from Rome, and I'm not sure they were in college yet. They were more than up to the task, though, as my enjoyment of the opera was not marred by the music in any way.
The opera was perfect for the small theatre because it has a cast of only six, plus a few stage hand/actors. This was a modern interpretation, which was cute, because the young lovebirds viewed their beaus on an iPad, texted each other, and used a cell phone to snap pictures of their indiscretions.
A small Italian touch to the theatre itself is that the conductor entered the orchestra pit from the audience level through a section of the pit wall removed for the purpose. Clearly you can't start the opera with the wall missing, so two staffers replaced it. Except that it has some finicky attachment that took them two minutes to latch. The orchestra was giggling by the time they got it.
The other Italian touch was a complete lack of air conditioning. I saw Albina on my way over, and she told me she can't go to the theatre because it is too hot. It certainly was uncomfortable and and I wasn't wearing a jacket. But I wasn't underdressed: the conductor only wore his coat for the curtain call at the end, and there were no closed collars among the orchestra members.
At the intermission between the two acts we all went out into the street and various cafés to get our refreshments and cooler air. You knew you wouldn't be late back because the opera members were there, too.
The opera wrapped up at 11:15, by which time the other concert was in full swing in Piazza del Popolo.
Opera props being carted away at 12:15:
Thursday, August 30, 2012
I Walked My Feet Off Today
| The Eiffel Tower |
| Veiw from the top pf the Eiffel Tower |
| James!!! |
We walked back to the apartment and then went back out to get groceries for tonight's dinner. We have a taxi that it supposed to be waiting for us at 10:15 in the morning and we are planning to go to Versailles!
Sending hugs and kisses,
Ashley
Running Wild
I forgot to mention that on Saturday morning's run I saw wild boar. I was plenty happy to be separated from them by a 10' drop from the road to the overgrown orchard below.
This morning I paid attention to a sign near the bottom of the Great Glass Elevator. It showed a loop hiking trail that headed off into the valley. Off I jogged, and got a nice 10k run that was mostly free of road traffic. About a third of it was through farmland, a third through hills too steep for farming, and a third along roads.
The downside is the hill, if you are not into finishing with the hard part of the workout last. From Pontecuti (on the Tiber) to the apartment is about 240 meters of rise in 4 km. From Peachtree Creek to 14th Street in Atlanta--the uphill portion of the Peachtree Road Race--is also 4 km, but only 50 meters of rise.
Yes, I walked the steepest parts.
Michael
This morning I paid attention to a sign near the bottom of the Great Glass Elevator. It showed a loop hiking trail that headed off into the valley. Off I jogged, and got a nice 10k run that was mostly free of road traffic. About a third of it was through farmland, a third through hills too steep for farming, and a third along roads.
The downside is the hill, if you are not into finishing with the hard part of the workout last. From Pontecuti (on the Tiber) to the apartment is about 240 meters of rise in 4 km. From Peachtree Creek to 14th Street in Atlanta--the uphill portion of the Peachtree Road Race--is also 4 km, but only 50 meters of rise.
Yes, I walked the steepest parts.
Michael
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Getting to know France!
We got off of the plane a couple of hours ago and we got a taxi to the apartment. The door of the house/apartment is green and leads into a nice, dark entrance and a flight of stairs. There is a small elevator that we haven't gotten around to exploring yet. The house is old and bigger than I had expected. The owner's daughter gave us a nice tour around and I absolutely loved her accent!
Then we ventured down to the grocery store. The store was similar to the store we went to in Florence last year: you go in through the entrance, of course, and make your way into the maze that is not very well organized.
We've noticed a couple of things so far about Paris and the house that are a bit different from Italy and America: they have hardwood floors in the buildings whereas in Italy they have tile floors; they have fire places in almost every room; the toilet is in a separate room from the room with the shower and sink; they have rolled glass windows and differently flavored Fanta!
Tomorrow we're going to tour the Eiffel tower and possibly some of the catacombs.
Mummy can't wait to get to the yarn shop and we can't wait to get the the chocolate shop!
Love you all,
Ashley
Then we ventured down to the grocery store. The store was similar to the store we went to in Florence last year: you go in through the entrance, of course, and make your way into the maze that is not very well organized.
We've noticed a couple of things so far about Paris and the house that are a bit different from Italy and America: they have hardwood floors in the buildings whereas in Italy they have tile floors; they have fire places in almost every room; the toilet is in a separate room from the room with the shower and sink; they have rolled glass windows and differently flavored Fanta!
Tomorrow we're going to tour the Eiffel tower and possibly some of the catacombs.
Mummy can't wait to get to the yarn shop and we can't wait to get the the chocolate shop!
Love you all,
Ashley
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Michael's in love with an Italian...
...resident! Yes, you guessed it (I hope!) -- the residency came through today. And this is how it happened:
Last Friday, I applied for the residency, and the gentleman in the Comune told me that I had to come back this week. He said that "it" takes a week to finalize. I asked what would happen between then and this week, and he responded along the lines of, "Maybe nothing, and maybe the police will verify that you live where you say you do. Come back Thursday & we'll finish everything."
Only problem was that we're going to be in Paris on Thursday (big problem, huh?)! In fact, we're leaving tomorrow morning. So, being a bit proactive (and thereby ruining the system), I went to the police station this morning to say that I was here, and yes I DO live directly across the street from them! The police officer at the front desk was jolted into a flurry of activity and scowling, indicating that he wasn't even sure that they'd received the form from the Comune yet...so I offered to go down there (yes, less than 50 meters) to pick it up.
Not having any of it, he called Carlo. But Carlo didn't answer. So he called Alessandro, who informed him that Carlo was in fact in the office & Alessandro had no CLUE why Carlo wasn't picking up his phone (the guys can practically see each other, but not quite). Calling Carlo back, my friendly officer conferred with him (it's very cute to see their disbelief at my very complicated last name -- Hook) and found out that everything was done!
"Done?" I asked. "I can go to the Comune to finish everything?" "Yes, yes" (with lots of accompanying "shoo" gestures). So, off I trotted to the Comune: around the corner and up the stairs. I met my new best friend Carlo, who kept repeating, "It's all done." Well, it took a while, but essentially, he expected me not to want anything other than assurance that the residency had come through. I indicated that I wanted to buy a car, and perhaps I would have to prove residency? I was looking for a certificate or something, you know?
After some back and forthing, he decided I wanted an identity card. Sounded good to me. I asked what it would take, and he responded, "three photos of yourself." Further explanations allowed me to understand that I was to leave the Comune office, go to the giornalista (news stand), and get my photos there. Feeling really excited that something was actually happening, I slithered down the worn, centuries-old stairs, and dashed to the giornalista. I waited (patiently) while she explained the relative merits of the "Lotto" and the "Superlotto" magazines to an 80-year-old lady. She very kindly adjusted my clothing so my shoulders didn't look crooked, then took my pictures.
Ten minutes, three photos, and 5.42 euros (that's the Comune's fee -- how do you suppose they came up with that cost?) later, I had my identity card!
(Later, when I tried to enroll the kids, I was informed oh-so-kindly that the identity card means nothing and I need a certificate of residency...but that's a later story).
Love,
Alexandra
Last Friday, I applied for the residency, and the gentleman in the Comune told me that I had to come back this week. He said that "it" takes a week to finalize. I asked what would happen between then and this week, and he responded along the lines of, "Maybe nothing, and maybe the police will verify that you live where you say you do. Come back Thursday & we'll finish everything."
Only problem was that we're going to be in Paris on Thursday (big problem, huh?)! In fact, we're leaving tomorrow morning. So, being a bit proactive (and thereby ruining the system), I went to the police station this morning to say that I was here, and yes I DO live directly across the street from them! The police officer at the front desk was jolted into a flurry of activity and scowling, indicating that he wasn't even sure that they'd received the form from the Comune yet...so I offered to go down there (yes, less than 50 meters) to pick it up.
Not having any of it, he called Carlo. But Carlo didn't answer. So he called Alessandro, who informed him that Carlo was in fact in the office & Alessandro had no CLUE why Carlo wasn't picking up his phone (the guys can practically see each other, but not quite). Calling Carlo back, my friendly officer conferred with him (it's very cute to see their disbelief at my very complicated last name -- Hook) and found out that everything was done!
"Done?" I asked. "I can go to the Comune to finish everything?" "Yes, yes" (with lots of accompanying "shoo" gestures). So, off I trotted to the Comune: around the corner and up the stairs. I met my new best friend Carlo, who kept repeating, "It's all done." Well, it took a while, but essentially, he expected me not to want anything other than assurance that the residency had come through. I indicated that I wanted to buy a car, and perhaps I would have to prove residency? I was looking for a certificate or something, you know?
After some back and forthing, he decided I wanted an identity card. Sounded good to me. I asked what it would take, and he responded, "three photos of yourself." Further explanations allowed me to understand that I was to leave the Comune office, go to the giornalista (news stand), and get my photos there. Feeling really excited that something was actually happening, I slithered down the worn, centuries-old stairs, and dashed to the giornalista. I waited (patiently) while she explained the relative merits of the "Lotto" and the "Superlotto" magazines to an 80-year-old lady. She very kindly adjusted my clothing so my shoulders didn't look crooked, then took my pictures.
Ten minutes, three photos, and 5.42 euros (that's the Comune's fee -- how do you suppose they came up with that cost?) later, I had my identity card!
(Later, when I tried to enroll the kids, I was informed oh-so-kindly that the identity card means nothing and I need a certificate of residency...but that's a later story).
Love,
Alexandra
Monday, August 27, 2012
A Relaxing Sunday Evening
Rain, cooler air, an afternoon nap, a game, and then time for dinner at 8:30.
We went out, as we often do on Sundays, and on the way we stopped by Piazza del Popolo to mail a letter. We found that last night's stage had been reconfigured for classical music (the presence of musicians and a harpsichord were giveaways) and inquired what time the concert would start. 9:30? Perfect!
We walked the one block to Cavour, we're seated out on the patio at a table with a great view of the valley, and had a wonderful, leisurely dinner. About 9:45 we departed and returned to the piazza for the "9:30" concert. Notice that we did not feel any great hurry since 9:30 was the earliest possible time they would think about getting organized. One caffé later the concert started promptly at 10:00.
Someone with a camera (Jeremy) will have to give the the visuals, but I can tell you that it was perfect to listen to the open-air concert on a cool evening, with stars overhead, in a casual setting (dogs, children, people coming and going quietly as they pleased, a café doing business). There were about 600 chairs, and it looked like most of them were full, with more people standing along the sides and at the back.
A couple of chamber music pieces and a half dozen guitar features later it was midnight and the audience and the musicians mutually agreed that it was time to call it an evening.
Michael
We went out, as we often do on Sundays, and on the way we stopped by Piazza del Popolo to mail a letter. We found that last night's stage had been reconfigured for classical music (the presence of musicians and a harpsichord were giveaways) and inquired what time the concert would start. 9:30? Perfect!
We walked the one block to Cavour, we're seated out on the patio at a table with a great view of the valley, and had a wonderful, leisurely dinner. About 9:45 we departed and returned to the piazza for the "9:30" concert. Notice that we did not feel any great hurry since 9:30 was the earliest possible time they would think about getting organized. One caffé later the concert started promptly at 10:00.
Someone with a camera (Jeremy) will have to give the the visuals, but I can tell you that it was perfect to listen to the open-air concert on a cool evening, with stars overhead, in a casual setting (dogs, children, people coming and going quietly as they pleased, a café doing business). There were about 600 chairs, and it looked like most of them were full, with more people standing along the sides and at the back.
A couple of chamber music pieces and a half dozen guitar features later it was midnight and the audience and the musicians mutually agreed that it was time to call it an evening.
Michael
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Last time we were here we laughed ourselves silly over a bust in the wall... here we don't have a bust... but we have a fossil. Here are some pictures.
Ciao,
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| This in the windowsill of the girls' room. |
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| This is above the door to the boys' room from the balcony. Mummy thinks it says Laudus Deo. |
Fiorella
St. Eligius and the Blessing of the Animals
The other day, I saw a note on a church door (the church of San Giuseppe, halfway down the south side of town) that said the feast of S. Eligio would be this Sunday, and would include a procession and blessing of animals. Anything with a procession, and you can count me in. Add a blessing of pets, and I'm completely there!
So, even after going to bed ridiculously late (another member of the family will post on that later, I hope), we made the effort to be down there at 10:10.
And the church was completely deserted and locked up. Sigh. Reading more intently (of course, the sign was cryptic, as is everything around here), I saw the name of the S. Prassede church. Which is halfway down the north side of town and requires going up and over, not around. A rather grudging husband and handful of children accompanied me as we hoofed our way over there.
We knew we were on the right side of town when we saw banners hanging out of windows. These folks cannot resist a banner on a procession day. The church of S. Prassede? Closed & locked. Harumph.
I asked in the hostel that's located next door, and they said that we had in fact missed the procession (I'd gathered that), but that Mass was likely in the church of (!) St. Eligio, which was not far, just by the arch.
Going down a 15% grade (not kidding -- there's a sign), we went through not one, not two, but three arches before hearing the sounds of "Alleluia" filtering into the street. Late -- but early enough to hear the Gospel reading; life is good...
We crammed ourselves into the tiny church that was already reminiscent of a can of perspiring sardines, and listened to the Gospel & homily, before creeping over to some seats that were available together. The boys were amused by the chihuahua that was participating in Mass; I enjoyed looking around the church itself.
The priest indicated after the parting blessing that the animals' blessing would take place outside. We emerged to the blare of trumpets, the farting of trombones, and the oom-pa of tubas. Yes! Our band from the other day had come to celebrate with us!
There were four horses to be blessed (St. Eligius is the patron saint of horses; read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Eligius for more information), and a smattering of dogs. Jeremy, as usual, insinuated himself into the crowd of animals, and had a lovely time patting noses and backs. The priest gave a sweet blessing, including scads of holy water, and then we all went home (back up the 15% grade -- if you'd forgotten about it, we unfortunately were not able to!).
Love,
Alexandra |
| One of our friends to be blessed. |
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| I can't resist all the cute costumes they wear! The guys in the blue capes are other parish priests. |
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| Blessing the dogs & sprinkling the owners simultaneously. |
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| Jeremy with the horses. |
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| Church interior. The floor is worn down in the center. |
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| Ceiling, dated 1643 |
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| Just one of the pictures in the frieze |
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| The very imposing facade of the church... If you didn't already know it was a church, I don't think you could tell easily by looking! |
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| Aren't the banners cute? |
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| Going back up the hill. It looks remarkably flat because of the photo. |
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| Okay, I exaggerated. We didn't go through the 3rd arch. |
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| Jeremy going down an Etruscan street |
First Storm!
Yeah! It actually does rain here!
We are having our first rainfall since we arrived, and apparently in a much longer time. A front of more-temperate weather is moving in, led by a good old-fashioned thunderstorm. The rain is light by Atlanta standards, but a cool, misty wind is blowing and it is very welcome.
Michael
We are having our first rainfall since we arrived, and apparently in a much longer time. A front of more-temperate weather is moving in, led by a good old-fashioned thunderstorm. The rain is light by Atlanta standards, but a cool, misty wind is blowing and it is very welcome.
Michael
Saturday, August 25, 2012
To Market To Market To Buy A Small Duck...
Ciao,
Fiorella
Friday, August 24, 2012
On grapes...
So far we've been treated to green and black grapes, which have a rather similar flavor to those we are used to in the States. I have the impression, though, that the harvest is coming close for some of the other varieties; I think in a few weeks, we'll see a lot of different types coming in (as we have the tomatoes).
Today, I was talking to Giuseppe and his pals in their usual hangout: a small alleyway cut off from the road by a large door. Sitting down with them, it became immediately apparent why it's their favorite spot: a deliciously cooling breeze wafts up through the alleyway.
During the course of our conversation, old lady number one (I've never learnt her name) asked me if I liked grapes. I was so taken aback (I mean, who doesn't like grapes?) that I'm sure she thought I didn't understand it. It turned out that she has a garden & her grapes are ripe; she was offering some to us as a gift!
She gave me a little tour of her house (the only house in the alley), and then the neighboring garden. The garden actually belongs to the neighbor who used to live there, but she has since died & the children live in Milan. They've allowed our friends to use the garden and neighboring storage area.
The main grapevine in the garden is over 100 years old!
Here is a picture of our benefactor, who was married in 1954 (she's normally smiling, but I caught her unawares!):
Here are a few pictures of the grapes:
In flavor, they are similar to the green grapes from the store, but they have a slightly more musky aftertaste. They also have the most adorable size variation and they are curiously shaped: they have a pointed end!
We'll keep you posted as we continue to discover new varieties.
Love,
Alexandra
Today, I was talking to Giuseppe and his pals in their usual hangout: a small alleyway cut off from the road by a large door. Sitting down with them, it became immediately apparent why it's their favorite spot: a deliciously cooling breeze wafts up through the alleyway.
During the course of our conversation, old lady number one (I've never learnt her name) asked me if I liked grapes. I was so taken aback (I mean, who doesn't like grapes?) that I'm sure she thought I didn't understand it. It turned out that she has a garden & her grapes are ripe; she was offering some to us as a gift!
She gave me a little tour of her house (the only house in the alley), and then the neighboring garden. The garden actually belongs to the neighbor who used to live there, but she has since died & the children live in Milan. They've allowed our friends to use the garden and neighboring storage area.
The main grapevine in the garden is over 100 years old!
Here is a picture of our benefactor, who was married in 1954 (she's normally smiling, but I caught her unawares!):
Here are a few pictures of the grapes:
We'll keep you posted as we continue to discover new varieties.
Love,
Alexandra
Todi Rocks!
Eleanor, Ashley, and I just got in from this evening's concert in Piazza del Popolo. We knew they had a good concert lined up because they were getting more serious than normal setting up the stage this afternoon:
The only question was what the entertainment was going to be, because the usual local rules for promoting an event applied: you are just supposed to know.
It turned out to be a local group that was fantastic! How local? One of the female vocalists lives above someone we know in town. The other works in the jewelry store around the corner from the stage. And the concert itself was in memory of a beloved local, a sports figure and member of the group, who dropped dead of a heart attack before age 40.
The group was big: electric guitar, bass, keyboard, percussion, two trumpets, trombone, two sax, two male vocalists, two female vocalists, and a couple of others I couldn't classify from where I was standing. 16 people on stage, plus lights and sound.
The amazing thing was how good they were! I didn't hear a weak link anywhere, and everyone shone in a feature somewhere. With the size of the group and the strength of the musicians they pulled off a great repertoire: Frank Sinatra, Earth Wind & Fire, Queen, Blood Sweat & Tears, Amy Winehouse, and plenty more. There wasn't a single thing they performed that made you think, "They shouldn't have tried that."
A great concert! Kudos to Todi for having such talent!
The only question was what the entertainment was going to be, because the usual local rules for promoting an event applied: you are just supposed to know.
It turned out to be a local group that was fantastic! How local? One of the female vocalists lives above someone we know in town. The other works in the jewelry store around the corner from the stage. And the concert itself was in memory of a beloved local, a sports figure and member of the group, who dropped dead of a heart attack before age 40.
The group was big: electric guitar, bass, keyboard, percussion, two trumpets, trombone, two sax, two male vocalists, two female vocalists, and a couple of others I couldn't classify from where I was standing. 16 people on stage, plus lights and sound.
The amazing thing was how good they were! I didn't hear a weak link anywhere, and everyone shone in a feature somewhere. With the size of the group and the strength of the musicians they pulled off a great repertoire: Frank Sinatra, Earth Wind & Fire, Queen, Blood Sweat & Tears, Amy Winehouse, and plenty more. There wasn't a single thing they performed that made you think, "They shouldn't have tried that."
A great concert! Kudos to Todi for having such talent!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
San Filipo di Benizi
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| Lots of priests! |
Today was San Filipo's feast day, and what a wonderful afternoon it was! It started with a brass band and a horseman dressed in medieval wear galloping into the piazza on his charger, which was also decked out. In the fairly disorganized fashion that characterizes these events, there was also a good bit of standing around while the band decided which piece to play next, etc. 
However, while we were waiting, we could enjoy seeing the priests, the carabinieri, the polizzi, and the bishop. Eventually, the mayor showed up sporting a sash of red, white, and green. At that point, the band attempted to turn into marching formation, and at some point all the members were in fact ready to march in the same direction. After that, everyone got into the parade, and we went down the hill to the church of San Filipo di Benizi. |
| The archbishop |
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| The mayor with the archbishop |
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| Getting into formation |
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| The parade is starting! |
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| Here come the dignitaries |
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| The end of the official group -- and along we come with the rest of the hoi polloi |
The street was decked out in yellow & white banners, and there were many spectators (which was great, since there weren't a ton of us in the parade itself!) on the sides of the road, and waving from balconies. When we arrived at the piazza outside of the church, many more people had sprouted from nowhere, and we all crowded inside. The place was packed to the gills, with babies, strollers, old people, a really young married couple in front of us, and so on!
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| I love this entryway! It's at an angle to the street. |
We enjoyed a full mass with the archbishop (who had not learned the critical lesson of keeping the homily short on a hot day in a crowded church), including incense. And then -- the part I was excited about (the benediction of the kids) was sadly lacking in the pomp & circumstance that I had craved. Although, interestingly enough, one of the hymns we sang consisted of religious words set to that tune. In any case, the archbishop merely pronounced a short blessing and we were dismissed.
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| Jeremy often insinuates himself into the band. |
Upon emerging from the church, we were greeted with the band (newly organized and going strongly), and the shrill sound of the multitude of metal whistles someone had been handing out to the kids or the kids at heart. Rather penetrating, but certainly a joyful noise!After hanging out for a while, the kids assessed that there weren't enough others their age at the event, so we decided to have dinner at home instead of partaking in the meal that was available there (it looked as though it would be highly entertaining, though -- they may have been setting up for karaoke, but I wasn't sure) in the church yard off of a back alley.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Benizi_de_Damiani
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| The band from above |
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| The piazza is quite full |
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| People always sit on the Duomo's steps! |
Love,
Alexandra
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