Farreagosto! It is all about the food! August 15 & !6, 2016

A poster with my painting on it!

Yesterday was about eating. Lunch lasted from 12:30 - 5pm. I did not take pictures of the food, because I wanted to savor the experience. We went to a restaurant with the gaggle of Danes. We were the only non-Italians there. It is a place that has been restored in a nearby town. There were two large rooms of diners and each course came out for everyone at the same time. The restaurant is also a B&B and has a swimming pool!!! 

As usual we start with the antepasta. I do not think I will be able to remember all of it, but here are the high lights. First there was pizza fritto, fried dough, with proscetto, then cheeses, small dishes of beans and farro, one of liver and carrots and mushrooms, arugula and parmesano cheese. On the table was a bottle of Montopulciano d Abruzzo and water. As soon as we sat these at the end of the table they were replaced. 

After an appropriate time for chatting and thinking about the next course, it arrived. It was a crepe stuffed with ricotta cheese and thin strips of zucchini. There was a mint sauce on top. I believe that, next to the chocolate cake,  this was my favorite. In this region people make pasta on a wooden box with lots of wire strings. The name is Spaghetti alla chitarra or  “guitar string spaghetti”.  The pasta course was red sauce and probably mutton. More waiting for digestion. 

Then the meat course. There were three meats. One was lamb for sure, the second was a delicious sausage and the other was mystery meat. There was roasted potatoes and salad. Besides the pleasant wait time between courses there was much toasting by the new Danes. Such a good idea! Then the coffee. Coffee is not served with cake so if you want your cake you better drink it down. The chocolate cake was delicious. I was so happy I did not eat all the potatoes, because I was actually getting a little full. hmmmm. 

Jim and the gaggle of Danes

Jim pool side

May and Dan

Jim and Jeneane

There was a ganache of chocolate moose with hazelnuts surround by a delicate chocolate cake with more hazelnut chocolate icing sprinkled with small slivers of hazelnut. I could even have had a second piece, but I restrained myself by sitting on my hands. Finally the digestive. The choices were grappa, nutcello, or a cherry liquor. All were home made on the premises. The men went with grappa, it does put hair on your chest, and the women, who preferred to remain hairless, had the cherry. 

At one point during dinner I heard my name. That was unexpected. It was a woman that I had painted her mother’s portrait last year. Getting famous!! hahaha

After a nap and working on my final oil painting of San Francesco we headed back to the piazza. It was DJ night. Smoke music and small children dancing. Last night they were led by a tireless woman who must be a dance instructor. It is a little intimidating that there is no free style dancing in the piazza. Everyone seems to know all the words to the songs and all the moves.  Miss a step and your are trampled. 

Jim and the Danes

My dance partner, Armando!

My New Friend: Great Dane May!

Last year I had Gretchen to dance with and my friend Armando. Armando was still willing and was out there with the kids having fun. He does folk dancing so he is excellent. I kept trying to drag people out there, because you should dance while you can. Unless you break a leg you will probably not regret dancing AND you know what dancing leads to! My new Danish friend pretended to be reluctant, but then, she was a great dancer! After we took some of the wine glasses from our table and filled them up at the fountain. We were sweaty under a full moon.

Festa San Rocco

Perhaps you have noticed that there is often a festa on the day we arrive and also on the day we leave. Today was the Festa San Rocco. It is his chance to get out of the church and go on parade. The flag,  which is so large that it takes one guy to carry the pole and a boy to hold out the flag behind, goes first. Another man carries a large cross on a staff. The band leads the way with all the women in two single file lines behind. The two priests walk in the middle of the lines of women. One carries something that is obviously very holy and is sealed and stamped with wax. 

flag and cross

women

Next is the saint and he is one big, heavy guy. Four men hold him up. He is covered in gold and watches that people have donated to him. He is probably worth a fortune and the policeman goes with us. The carabinieri were there as well. I was just standing there taking some pictures when my neighbor pulled me into line. I had no idea it was going to be such a long, hot walk. I saw two women in four inch heels. There were many elderly people and it was pretty brutal. 

Saint Rocco takes a break

priests

The saint is getting heavy

back to the church

I enjoyed walking so slowly, listening to the call and response of the people and the priest and hearing the band. We stopped at a little church I have only seen from the outside. I found out that this is the church of San Rocco. There was a mass while myself, the saint and those that would not fit waited outside. Then we carried on up toward the gym. I honestly thought the woman in front of me was going to faint. At the gym everyone went to stand in the shade. 

It was 1pm so it was time for fireworks. I took the 1.5 euros I had and went to buy three bottles of water. I also snagged some plastic cups and rushed back to start handing it out. (Also Santa Jeneane day!) Next year I am going to set up by the gym with water for all. From there it was back to the church of San Francesco for another mass. I found Jim in the piazza and headed home gulping the water I had left over. 

The beautiful things we have in our house are all put away under the metal bed frame in case of an earthquake. The last pair of underwear are washed. (I dreamed that I had packed all the underwear and had to wear a plastic bag. Another great recycling idea!) The suitcases are packed. Only two paintings remain to go to their new homes. The basil plant is in a new pot to go to its new home and I am in denial. All the good bye are making me feel a little sick. 

Gifts

Today we got cake and home made wine. I was happy to have cake for lunch while Jim tried to finish off leftovers. 

Lunch

Tonight there is a band concert, dinner with great Danes, and a blues concert. Tomorrow there is driving to Roma, flying to Montreal, finding our Airbnb, getting up at 3am to return to the airport for my flight to OKC and then Jim will leave Montreal at about 8am to return to Vermont on the bus. Our house will be dark and increasingly colder. It will sit empty and silent waiting to see if we will return. God willing and the creek don’t rise, we will be back. Next summer in Abruzzo.

First and Last, Nostra Mostra August 14, 2016

Last Pastel of this summer.

Last pastel

 

It was our next to last visit to Market on Friday. 

Fig season is in full bloom and not just for making nude male statues discrete! 

There are also amazing numbers of grains and beans and flours made from many different ingredients. 

cool grains

figs

 It was our last trip to the Adriatico to our new and improved beach. It was still windy and too rough and chilly to think about going swimming. Watching the few kids that were out there I was a little worried about being a witness to tragedy.

On the road to our new beach parking there are the biggest olive trees I have ever seen in Abruzzo. There was a frost in the 1950s that killed olive trees down to Puglia. In Puglia some of the tress are 1000 years old. In Abruzzo they are skinny little things. I do not know what to think about the wrappings around the trees holding the dirt in. When they knew the frost was coming did they transplant them to near the beach? or has the soil eroded so much around the trees that they conserved it with these wrapping. All speculation is welcome. 

It was our first time to see the elusive stone beach dog. Its small size, excellent color matching to the beach and quiet demeanor make it hard to spot.

 Sunbathers protecting their faces.

Nostra Mostra

Saturday it was our first and last art show of the year. We took the paintings at 9:30 in the morning a met our helpers there. Our friends are amazing and so good at figuring out solutions. 

Jim's drawing

are great friend, Pasquale

 We returned at 4pm to open the doors. Our way was blocked by kids bicycle racing. There was no parking in the entire downtown and hardly space to walk to the Salle Padre Pio to unlock the doors. I am not complaining, but it was unexpected. I never saw any information about it on any of the August schedules that are hanging around town. But it was all fine. Everyone was involved in the race so we got to see a lot of them. Kids were dressed like pros. Some were very little. The shortest race was 2 laps and the longest was 15. A few people dropped in after the race and some of our friends came by, but unless you were walking, most of the town was blocked off to traffic.

ritratti

It was so busy downtown that I had to try 3 times to get pizza for dinner before I was successful. For most people I think it was just a snack, but it was my only option. First I had to have ice cream because the bar was not so crowed, but later I had pizza success as well. Suddenly at about 8:15 the down was deserted. Nothing was moving and no one was outside. It was dinner time. 

We also did not know that there was going to be a talk about the three colors of the Italian flag in the same space at the same time as our paintings. In some ways I thought it was nice to combine events, but some people told me they tried to come, but didn’t want to come in while the man was talking. I enjoyed the talk a lot and learned a lot about the evolution of the Italian flag. This man is a great historian of the region and I have been privileged to hear him talk many times. I did his portrait this year. 

This year the mayor gave a speech about us and I also gave a speech, also a surprise, that my great friend Pasquale translated. The mayor said really nice things about us. I thought maybe I was going to cry. At least I am pretty sure he said nice things about us. It is liking being a dog and reacting to the sound of the voice not the words. In this case I am the dog and the mayor is the human. A woman who works for the commune took care of the refreshments. She spoke and said that she was moved to tears when she came in the door and saw our beautiful work. She teared up again as she spoke. I really like it when people have such a profound reaction to my work. I had to fight back tears as well. After the talk, at about 11pm we handed out the portraits, had a champaign toast and food: three types of chips, peanuts, party mix, watermelon, cookies, all sorts of soft drinks and wine. 

When all was said and done a bunch of us went for coffee at the bar. I told Jim he should pay for everyone. He was a little worried, but then coffee or drinks for 12 people was 16E. That is about $17.00. Think what that would have cost you in America!!! And don’t expect us to offer to pay. If you come to Italy we will buy you coffee, but only if it is under one euro. We got home after 1a.m.

This morning after a very late start, but still time for first and second breakfast we took down the show and cleaned up the space. It was so successful and made us feel so welcomed in our town. In my speech I said that I am often asked why we chose Castelvecchio Subequo. People assume we had relatives from hear and are confused when they hear that we had no connection at all. I said that in the beginning we did not have a connection, but now we have family and friends. People clapped! People are also quite distressed that we are leaving. (most people are age are retired) We are too, but still it is good to leave while people are still sad to see you go. 

The first week we were here I took a photo of a poster for the days that the Temple at Castel di Ieri would be open this summer. Today, in our last week, was one of the days. I have never gotten to see the Temple except through the fence. Jim was there once seven years ago, but he thinks they have done a lot more restoration since then. I had always thought that the huge structure I could see through the fence was the temple, but no, it is the building they put up to protect the temple. I wonder if they will eventually restore the temple to its full size? so far just the floors are done, or maybe they had to build such a big covering to get the cranes under. Another mystery from the dawn of time or in this case the 1980s. The temple was built around 300b.c. I do not know which god it was built for, but I can be sure it was not Christ. The artifacts from this site are in the museum we visited in Chieti. Here we got to see a real mosaic floor, not a projected one. 

We visited Bella today and she was so sad to see us go. Here she is peaking down on us through the grape vines.

Chieti, Beach, Ortono August 11, 2016

It did not look like a beach day so we set our for Chieti with the idea that if the weather improved we would be near the beach anyway. Chieti is a large city and is the provincial capital of the Chieti region of Abruzzo. It is right next to Pescara which is the capital of the Pescara region. (Chieti-Pescara is also home to IKEA!) The first year we were here we tried to take a way home from the beach other than the Autostrade. We were terrified by the big tunnels in Chieti and never went back. Now those tunnels don’t seem so big, although they are each about 1800 meters long, and Jim is much more used to driving in Italy. There are several museums in Chieti. We went to two of them. The way this summer has gone we got a parking place right in front of the Museo Archeologico Nazionale D’Abruzzo La Civitella. There was a beautiful promenade across the street from where we parked and we decided to take a look whether this was the Museum or not. 

We had no idea where we were going and we didn’t know the name of the Museum. In fact, when we saw it, we thought it was a soccer stadium. This is because it has outdoor seating built around a Roman amphitheater.  We opened the door and it was totally dark. As our eyes adjusted we saw a set of stairs leading down and a sign that said, “tickets”. Through no fault or intelligence of our own we had arrived. The admission was 4E each. The biggest problem with this museum was that it was so crowded. Honestly there were only three other people there. It was crazy and they did not even have a museum store with magnets or pencils.  It was such a beautiful place and the displays were so artistic and an amazing blend of ancient and modern. Why are people going to Rome? This is our constant question.

Reconstruction

beautiful

Fragments with drawing

hoards of people

so crowded!

Many of the artifacts were in fragments. The museum has done an amazing job of creating restorations based on those fragments. Another thing I really like was the way they had fragments mounted to wood with the drawing of what the rest would look like.

The fans were a special exhibit. They were in a room where they have theater productions. At first I thought all the blue tape was for the actor’s marks, but they were just little squares on the floor to add interest. I loved the way these were displayed, although it is not that interesting to me. 

fan club

This spear tip or hand tool, I do not know, is reputed to have been made 450,000 years ago. 

old

There was a small “cemetery” of slave headstones. I was surprised that slaves even got headstones, but they were nice. This one was of a child. Of course that appealed to me. 

One of my favorite things was a floor made of tile that had floor designs were projected on. At first I thought it actually was a mosaic floor, but then it changed. I thought it was brilliant and an excellent decorating tip. 

I took another panorama of the same view as from where we parked our car from the top of the amphitheater. It is easy to see why Chieti could control the coast. There would be no sneaking up on this city. 

Next we followed the ticket sellers directions to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale D’Abruzzo Villa Frigrtj. We went down a sketchy trash strewn staircase past graffitied buildings. So far so good, but then we couldn’t find it. Best idea ever is to ask an older person. They are so excited to help and don’t mind taking the time to do so. There is no point in asking someone young. Luckily I had a book to show him a picture of what we were looking for. He gave us directions and off we went. Almost instantly confusion set in. What exactly had he said, before the school? right after the school. Luckily he was still watching us and shouted and pointed the right way. 

cool stuff

We got into the second museum for only 2E because we went on the same day. (travel tip) The second museum actually had people in it, because it is home to the Capistrano Warrior. Seriously, these people think this is a man. There was also a display of all the artifacts that the sculpture is carrying. That was cool.  

Capistrano warrior and friend

This was a beautiful museum and contained artifacts from many of the towns in our valley, however it was not as cooly displayed as the first museum. 

Evidence of aliens

We managed to drive out of Chieti with no help from a map or anyone else and drove to the coast just to be sure it was really not a beach day. It was not. The wind was blowing on shore at about 80 mph. We could hardly stand up. Waves were flying over the breakwater and the beach was deserted. It was so wild that we sat in our car to eat our picnic. 

In our continued effort to broaden our horizons we headed south to Ortona. Ortona sits on a hill high over the Adriatico. It boasts a great castel and a big church. It was heavily destroyed during WW2, but still has a nice old part of town. They apparently have a feeding frenzy festa which started tonight and goes on for the next few days. It looked like it would be so much fun, if the wind stops howling. The street were lined with tables and the castel boasted combat and theater performances. It was market day, but only a few vendors were left cleaning up. What a giant mess of trash they leave behind. 

castle

blown away bride

old street

more old street

Outdoor eating

Is this only art or do you think they really use it over the stone sidewalk?

Why does a sneeze go with the name Jimmy?

View of Pelgini Valle from scenic overlook.

On the way home we stopped for Gelato and it was too warm to sit out in the sun. By the time we had taken a nap the howling winds had reached our valley and we had to wear our jackets to go downtown and get on the internet. There were so many people huddled inside the bar that we had to sit outside by the collapsed umbrella. Music tonight was cancelled and so Jim made a delicious dinner, one of the few left at our home, and I finished a pastel of someone’s father’s home in CVS. Now it is time for bed. Only five days left in Italy this summer.