About a week ago, Anna Maria (my handwork buddy who owns the wool/fabric/miscellaneous shop in centro) handed me an envelope with no name on it...I opened it in front of her and saw:
This essentially invites us to a cocktail party (think standup with nibbles, right?) and says that Anna Maria and Paolo are going to be starting their new, happy future. And that's it. I had to ask Anna Maria WHAT this was (and she responded coyly that it was to celebrate their wedding) and WHO was invited (the whole family). Florence was the kid who particularly wanted to go, so I responded for three.
On the night, we went in "dressy casual," thinking that it would be about right given the surrounding details. Well, we arrived at 7:08 (way early in Italy, but on time for the invitation, right?), and felt - um - underdressed. Anna Maria, her two daughters, and Paolo were dressed to the nines. They had waiters coming out of the woodwork dressed in white jackets & gold braid. They even had cloakroom attendants, for crying out loud! There were many tables set -- as if for a dinner -- but I wasn't clued in as to why they would have them...maybe for relief from high heels? Michael in particular was nervous because he was the only one in a (albeit dressy) sweater.
After greeting our hosts, we stood in little clutches. The good news? All the other guests were looking around at each other commenting about not having expected such elegance, etc. More male guests arrived wearing sweaters (and even sweatshirts), helping Michael fit right in.
It turned out that Anna Maria and Paolo had been married earlier in the day at the Comune. Paolo ended up having "every man's" dream wedding reception...his new wife took care of the guests, and he got to have a jam session with his jazz band! They were actually extremely good, and a lot of fun to listen to as we were chatting with others.
After swigging campari cocktails with dry ice (a fun touch!) for a while, we were told to sit down for a minute so they could set up the buffet. When we were called to help ourselves, we were confronted with 12 meters of loveliness: a salmon (head-on) with the skin pulled back to reveal the luscious meat, while maintaining the distinct ambience of "whole fish"...scrambled eggs with truffles, made in front of you...huge array of cheeses and meats...black rice with papaya (where they got papaya, I have no idea)...tiny mozzarella balls in truffle cream...savory strudels...salad...shaved pork with balsamic glaze...you get the idea.
There was a pretty card on the table describing the buffet, and we were trying to identify which item was what. After having had seconds, and deliberating some more...we came to the sick realization that the buffet was merely an appetizer. They'd hornswoggled us into coming to a full-out wedding DINNER! (yum...okay, we weren't that upset...just feeling rather full). Corroborating evidence? Only the bottles of white wine were on the table...red was yet to come.
The gnocchi were the best I've ever had. Truly. Served in bowls made from parmesan cheese. The rice was delicious, as was the pork. In fact, it was all scrumptious.
At the end? We were confronted with 12 meters of dessert buffet.
Midnight...five hours later...it was time for us to go to bed.
Love,
Alexandra
Leo's dear friend Roberta is in town! I was able to twist her arm into coming along on a field trip with me to see the factory where they weave the local fabrics -- the Tessitura Pardi! It's a very high-end mill, and uses luscious cottons and linens.
The mill was fascinating. It's been running since 1929, and was started by our guide's grandfather. It was then passed down to her father and his brothers, and now her cousins and she are in charge of the place. And what a place it is!
They have a mill of about 20,000 square feet, and a remarkable number of looms. They use cards to create the patterns, which are then carried out in an array of colors and fibers.
