Going back in time in Bevagna

Yesterday, Jeremy and I had the chance to go to Bevagna's medieval festival. The entire town is decked out, and there is a competition between the neighborhoods, or "gaite" for the best display. How that is judged remains unclear to me, however.

In any case, we were suitably impressed by all of the gaite. Apart from the costuming, which was lovely, they had courtyards with animals, blacksmiths, metalworkers (think casting bells), bookbinders, paper makers, and more.

At lunch, Jeremy got brave and tried land snails (rather than the sea snails he loves). They were not quite the thing in his book of gastronomic pleasures, but he was happy with the boar that he also ordered.

I was crushed: having seen the roads bedecked with what appeared to be hand-dyed wools, I was convinced that I would be arriving home with more than a skein. Sadly, they were not for sale. Sigh. On the other hand, I bought the most adorable silver dragon pendant (usually not my style, but I loved his face!), several "digestivi" (hard after-dinner drinks) (which of course required a tasting session to decide), local lentils, and a few more odds and ends.

We arrived home in time for gelato, then dinner, then...the dance recital at the theatre! But that's for another post.

Love,

Alexandra

Whetstone

Pulping mill

Paper making

Casting bells

Bacon-to-be

A foot-driven lathe

My dragon!