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.