July has been eventful!

I'm seeing that I've failed to capture what's been going on, because, well, we've been busy! Highlights of the month include:

 courtesy of Gabriella Dozi

• A spectacular concert by an accordionist. This wasn't your bog-standard "whoompa whoompa" jig music (which, yes, I also adore), but a particular type of accordion ("sordita") that lacks the vibrato used to play classical music. The performer sounded like he was either an entire orchestra or (at times) had an enormous pipe organ at his disposal. It was just fantastic! This concert was held in the courtyard of the high school. Given that it's summer, it was a great choice: there was a pleasant breeze, plenty of room, and great acoustics.
• Another concert, this time in the theatre. There were two large-ish groups (all male) who were performing soldiers' songs from World War One. Obviously doleful, the sound was tight harmony with extraordinary range. It brought to mind barbershop quartets and/or the Welsh miners' songs. The themes were obviously quite difficult given the context. After the concert, we were outside on our way to dinner, and one of the groups hadn't had enough of singing: they were collected on the steps outside the theatre singing popular hits, and had a great crowd around them singing and swaying. A two-for-one special!
• Ballerinas from Canada in the piazza, dancing a variety of styles, including modern, tap, etc. It was great fun to see them, and they did a fantastic job with rapid costume changes. 
• About three band concerts in the piazza at various times.
• A rock band in the piazza, as well as a deejay earlier in the day (or was it the day before?)
• The hot-air balloons! So pretty, but you have to get up early to see them! There were more than ever this year, and it was just a delight to have them back. They left Todi for Montefalco a few years back (political tiff of some sort), and the Tuderti are delighted to have them back. Facebook is blowing up with gorgeous photos.

  

  Courtesy of Giulia Cresta

• Florence's birthday, which Michael and I partially spent coming back from England...but we were home by lunch!
• A trip to Washington DC for a celebration of 100 years of marriage! Michael's parents and his aunt & uncle were both celebrating 50th wedding anniversaries this year, so we had a wonderful family reunion. It was great to see all the cousins and nieces and nephews and so on. There were a few missing, but it was nonetheless a group of about 60! 

While Michael is gone, I'm working on a dress for an upcoming dinner: this is towards the end of the month, and everyone has to wear white. We felt like the kids left out on the playground last year as we looked over the barricades into the Piazza where all these beautifully-set linen-clad tables were ready to serve an eight-course meal for the 1000 who had bought tickets. This time, we were determined not to miss it! Michael already has his white trousers and shirt, next up: white shoes! My 94-year-old shoe man is finishing up a pair of sandals for me, bless him!

Love,

Alexandra