Sunshine she’s here you can take a break

Saturday in CVS was a day long celebration of San Francesco, Sunday was a day long celebration of the Bersaglieri. There were two amazing bands who could run and play, guys on old bikes like the ones Mussolini sent young men riding off to war. Possibly the very ones. Folk Sirente was there and they preformed. It was a huge day in CVS. Lots of mayors were there and they got to do some running in hats with feathers.

Our great friend, Victorio

Wathcing the parade

Feather hat

Folk Sirente

Bikes from Lanciano

Raising the flag at war memorial

The person who made our day

Here comes the parade

Oklahoma size flag

Our great friend, Pasquale

Banners of the different towns

CVS Banner

Folk Sirente

A near neighbor

Folk Sirente

Big Flag

Same bikes, no brakes

Our mayor on the right, Pietro, a great friend

Folk Sirente

Folk Sirente

Fedricka, Our neighbors daugher

Folk Sirente

Folk Sirente

After that we went to Sulmona for the parade prior to the jousting tournament. Sulmona had twelve prominent families and each one lived in an area called a Borga. When we walk around in Sulmona each neighborhood is marked by flags. Each of these borgas has its own trumpet and drum core and people that carry the flags. This day was even more special because people were there from other European countries such as England, Greece and the Czech republic. I am going to put a bunch of pictures up for your perusal. We drove into Sulmona with the Danes and parked the car with no problem, walked across a bridge to the old city, came to a barrier, stood there in the front row and here came the parade. It was amazing.

This guy looked right out of the 1400's

Unusual costume

Most of the drummers were women

Then the parade ended and people started heading down the street so we went to, found a coffee place with a table in the shade and settled in. Pretty soon we heard the bands coming back from the opposite direction. We were directly across from the main viewing area with a woman telling all about it in Italian and another in English.

The Danes

Scottish Pipers

Flag throwing and catching

Flag throwing and catching

This is under the aquaduct. You can see a small view of the piazza where the jousting takes place. What they really do is try to snare rings with there lances. The horses look like thoroughbreds, not  war horses. Unless you pay the big buck, this is all you can see.

It all could not have been better. I love Sulmona and it was great to be there when the entire old city was blocked off to cars; except for Fiat 500s.There were probably 25 of them parked along a street. We picked our favorites. As you can see they are little!

I am sure we have done some of the usual stuff today, but I have been chained to my computer doing portraits. Holy cow 2.5 to go. I have 21 so far. Only 1180 more people. I still don’t know exactly what the plan is for an art show.

Proof that we had coffee today.

The Mayor, Pietro

 Proof that I was painting today. You will have to wait to see the 1/2.

Tonight is the party for Gagliano Danes and two Americans. Tomorrow is a special dinner at Girasole with Danes, Italian, Irishman and two Americans. It is some special menu and wine tasting.  It is so hard to know the prices in restaurants until you get a bill that blows your money for the week, but this is a fixed menu for 20E so we know the facts. Wednesday we get Audrey and there is something every night after that. Hopefully I can finish the 2.5 portraits before she gets here.

DOOR: Outside

Last night was the opening of CVS Outside. Before the earthquake it was Inside, but since then it is not. The church with the rainbow of colors is the center piece of this exhibition. Up in the earthquake zone are doors with the pictures of the people that lived in those houses before the earthquake and a repeat of some of the colors on the church. It was a humbling experience to see the doors and the people who lived there. Honestly, I thought the church looked cool, but I didn’t really get it. We did spend about two hours last night listening to people talk about the point and significance of the art on the church. Having heard artists talk before I am pretty sure I know what they had to say and if that wasn’t enough for you, the conversation is continuing even as I type. I just walked by there and a docile crowd is sitting on chairs nodding their heads while the wise artist tells them what it all means.

People waiting to learn about ART

Beautiful view after ART education

Jim and Jeneane make their own art outside

Church art with addition of gold leaf on angel head

Today we walked out our door and stepped into a totally unexpected adventure. We went up to the piazza for second breakfast and noticed that things looked interesting over by the Piazza San Francesco. Turns out today is one of the many San Francesco days in CVS. I knew this, but there is also an art exhibition this weekend and some sort of military thing that I will have to explain once I see it. So I was confused. Jim carried all our painting stuff home while I went inside the church to see the new Sacred Objects Museum. (it sounds better in Italian) It was amazing. I am blown away at how much has been accomplished in the convent since I last saw the new space for the museum. The original museum is still standing but was basically crushed by the earthquake.

New Candles



There was a special offer to have lunch for 10E at one of many restaurants here and there. (there is only one in our town) All our friends were going to D’Lise’s in Castel di Ieri. Jim said he was just not hungry and our friend told us it was going to be a San Francescan lunch…very light. Ok, bread and water is what we thought. MA NO! (but no) It was fabulous pasta. I meant to take a picture for you honest, but when I saw that pasta all I could think was: eat. So I did. The plate did not look that big, but It seemed to never go down. Then we could have some kind of meat, sausage or chicken and there was salad and roasted potatoes. (I could have just had them for lunch) There was water and wine and coke. (I am sorry to say that coke is now making a regular appearance at meals) The restaurant was packed and it was so loud. We were very quiet being the only English speakers there. As dessert was not on the menu, many people had left when they brought out peaches and grapes. Right now the peaches are amazing. I learned how to eat one Italian style and if you ask me and bring me a great peach I will show you.

All gone

The problem with a tiny lunch in Italy is that it lasts till 3pm and then you are finished for the day. At least we are. Italians seem to have built up a tolerance.

Tonight, if you didn’t want to listen to the artist talk you could have attended a conference on the peaceful mission of the military. I am pretty sure I already heard that on Fox news. Or maybe it was a book I read, something about how war is peace? or was it you can’t work for peace and prepare for war. I don’t know. I decided not to go, because even though I would not understand it I would have a pretty good idea of the point. 

I am a little concerned about our art show. We are getting different messages from different people, but what ever. I have so many more portraits to paint and they all take three or four hours and a pencil, erasure, two brushes and two tubes of paint. Isn’t that kind of amazing? Yeah, I am amazed. It’s like a book. It just takes pencil and paper. Seriously get busy people!

Random biker

Our newest neighbor

Things to look forward to

Italian BBQ for arrostacini

another person of CVS

August 1st and Things are Ramping up

What I can’t paint for you is the woman who I met last summer in Gagliano. She came out to see me yesterday evening when she say me painting in the same spot. Her garden has not one weed and is beautiful and lush. As she hobbled away from me I could see the veins bulging in her legs, her swollen ankles, and the pain that walking causes her.

Gagliano, evening

 This morning while painting I was standing on mint and oregano. The smell was overwhelming. It was so strong in the dry air that I almost felt over come. Walking back in the early morning breeze I could feel the sun on the back of my arms and neck. It was a pleasant combination. As I walked down the hill, Castelvecchio or as we say Castelvec, came into sight. I watched as the town rose up below me and then soared above me as I reached the bottom of the hill.

Two mornings above CVS

After that first breakfast, market, which is huge now as the road to Rianno is open for summer vacation and there are scores of new people who are here for the month, then second breakfast and now interneting. 



Some people at market seem to not only have lost their shirts, but also their torsos

Two more portraits in the, "I will do no more portrait series".

There is an art opening tonight, not mine, more talk about art tomorrow night, not mine, some Italian military group with feathers in there hats marching around town all day Sat. Sulmona Sunday for the medieval parade, dinner at Danes Sunday after. Danish party in Gagliano Monday night, Tuesday night a festive gathering for friends at Griesole Restaurant, yes, they have one here as well.  Wednesday we pick up Audrey and the car in Rome. That starts the average two week vacation that most people would kill for. And then we have to come home.
19 days to make the most of.

Making the most of it

Good things to eat, ART, friends

I know you would like to see some of the delicious food, desserts let's be honest, that people have given us.

A few of the leftover cookies our friends brought for dinner.

Cake our neighbor made, almond cookies and crispini that we brought.

Two kinds of Castelvecchio art:

Mine

Public

Friends on piazza

Us having fun

Intradaqua

Today started of as usual with first and second breakfast. Jim now has the young woman who works at Al’Kafhe to ask if he wants, “the usual”. I believe she thinks we are funny, but who knows. Then we went painting and you will get to see that work tomorrow.

 Our friend Victorio now has a second job at the commune in Intradaqua. He works there three afternoons a week. Today we went with him as well as his wife, Ermlinda. Intradaqua is a beautiful town within site of Sulmona. From looking at the map, I thought it was much more isolated. The intersuburbana buses run to and fro. There is a spectacular Torre d Midevale and the town is beautiful with much more going on than our little town. We were only there a couple of hours and it takes some time to drink a coffee and hang out and go in the church and walk up to the Torre.

My friend, Ermilinda

Note the weight of those rocks. They are holding the crane.

An Intradaqua small thing

The most exciting part is that we met a woman from New Zealand who comes to Introdaqua in the summer. She is an artist and has a little art shop where she is selling art from Abruzzo. I am going to email her some of my paintings the minute I post this. She was a super nice person and it would be fun to have someone to do something with.

Soon we will be having dinner. If you don’t wish you were here, you should!

Il nostra casa.