Tanti Auguri/ Happy Birthday

My daughter and 2 grandchildren came back to Italy from Florida with my husband and me. It's their first trip to Italy and my grandson turned 8 here today. We went to the park, flew a kite on the beach, made lego ships and characters, found the BEST gelateria around, ate pizza and had a party! He celebrated with new found friends who live in our apartment. Based on the volume of laughter as the 5 children played and ate (pizza and gelato are the 2 favorite Italian things so far!), language wasn't a problem. The hoots and hollers had the universal sound of FUN and the children sang "Tanti Auguri" to Kahlil, his first "Happy Birthday" in Italian.

His 4 year old sister, Kamala, and her 3 year old friend were so cute I just couldn't stop taking photos of them. They swirled around the house in each others orbit chatting, playing, drawing and intent only on each other! They haven't seemed to notice, yet, that they speak different languages. Blowing bubbles on the balcony requires no language, only giggles galore.

Our grandchildren's milestones mark our own aging as well and my grandson reaching 8 when he was born only yesterday seems astounding. His increasing maturity and ability to do things is obvious but his sweet disposition is what's so endearing. The grandmama bear love kindled 8 years ago has grown as he has and enriched my life.

Happy birthday, Dear One. Thanks for being your sweet self.

Buona Pasqua

Easter is huge in Italy! This whole Easter week has been amazing and yesterday was one of those lovely days with a little bit of everything good to savor. My neighbor suggested a mountain hike and picnic in a park nestled in the mountains and surrounded by ancient hill cities seemingly carved into rock wall. Mother nature cooperated by providing the kind of spring weather that begs frolicking outdoors.

The rushing stream, full with spring snow melt, kept me company as I walked. An old pump in the picnic area let us sample the delicious water. And why does food always taste better outdoors, even simple picnic fare? Afterward, we explored a couple of the medieval cities and met again the hospitality famous in this area of Italy when a man and his wife offered to make us coffee when the local cafe in one of those towns was closed. We sat and chatted as we availed ourselves of their generosity.

Then, back to Sulmona for the second time this week with its festive confetti everywhere to pick up gifts for our neighbors. Easter (Pasqua) has feast day ceremonies galore on all the days leading up to it and gift exchange is common with family and friends. Flowers of all colors made from almond candies were fun to pick out and have arranged. To top it all off, we heard a concert by the Kiev String Orchestra that we happened to see advertised as we walked around. It was a wonderful, all women orchestra who, together with an Italian soprano and a Russian mezzo-soprano, performed a program of Easter sacred music. Their strong, sweet voices blending with the gorgeous strings were world class. Vivaldi, Puccini, Mozart, Handel and Franck - heaven! It was an awesome and very special way to end the day, all the more perfect because it was unplanned. A gift.

But we weren't done, because when we returned home, we heard about a new fish restaurant opening in our town. Off we went to dinner with friends in our tiny but rich town. My heart was full of gratitude for my life as I went to bed. New life just like the season celebrates.

La Dolce Vita

I thought it would be big and glamorous, this Italian "sweet life". The great art, architecture, history, culture. That's here, of course. But, it turns out it's actually very simple. Yesterday was a good example. I took some time in the early morning to read a wonderful book, "Sara's Key", that broke my heart (open) once again. Then some snuggle time with my honey before heading for the beach. It's been hot these days and the Adriatic is close by. After a long beach walk and swim, I sat in the lovely pine forest that abuts the beach in Silvi to cool down further and read. Some friends came and joined us for a picnic in the woods- a Sunday tradition in these parts. Then back to the beach (30 yards away) for another walk and swim.
Other friends came and we sat at their stabilimento (section of beach with umbrellas and amenities) and played cards in the breezes of the porch next to the cafe. Since it had cooled down by about 7:00, we headed home for a delicious meal John made.
We walked up to our town at 10:00 for a fun music festival and booths of local crafts and food. There were plenty of music styles to choose from and everyone seemed to enjoy their choices best (mine was a celtic group). We again met friends to walk with and others to greet. It's thrilling to have more and more folks we can call by name and friends we like to share time with.
It was a perfect day filled with simple joys. A sweet life.

All Ages Included

We had a great block party for our neighborhood the other night and something struck me about it that has been true at the various festas and gatherings that I've attended here in Italy. Always there's such diversity of ages in any get together, from babies and young children up to elderly men and women and all ages in between. Makes me realize how age segregated we've become in the states and how the young don't get the chance to hang out with the old and vice versa. Here, all age groups are present and the folks at any age get to see examples of what to expect for themselves at the next age phase as well as enjoy one another. The socializing, singing, dancing or celebrations of local produce, saints, history or customs so prevalent all summer long brings everyone together in a rich way. It's fun having teenagers singing along with elders and children line dancing with parents and grandparents. Our block party was a blast! Even the evening passegiata brings out the whole community to stroll and greet one another and just be together. It feels good. From my perspective at 63 it is nice to be valued.

Palio delle Pupe

I was speechless! My mouth hung open the entire evening since I was just flabbergasted! It was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. It's a yearly contest of pupa (puppet) dancers. 14 of them compete for the designation of best pupa dancer to bring glory to their area of the city, Capelle sul Tavo. The costumes, the choreography, the fire works displays are planned, decided and made all year long. The palio (prize) happens on August 15, a huge feast day in Italy called Ferragosto, before an enormous crowd that fills the stadium bleachers, the surrounding hills and the grounds next to the contest arena.
The papier maché puppets are fashioned as beautifully decorated women and have large frames around them. The frames are embedded with various kinds of fireworks. The whole thing is heavy enough that it takes 5-6 men to lift it onto the man who is the dancer. A fuse is then lit to start the fire works and the man starts dancing around the stage to music. He continues dancing the entire time the fire works display is being shot from his frame. Some fire works shoot high into the sky in traditional fashion and some shoot out around him in synchronized displays that get the crowd hooting and hollering.
At times it looks very much like the stage is on fire as the still lit fireworks fallout showers down. The stage has to be swept off by 2 men in between dancers to clear this debris.
We went with friends who go every year and tried to tell us about it. But, really, how can you verbally explain something like this? It was astounding and the crowd loved it. We got some footage of one of the dancers, so you can see a little bit of it for yourself. Enjoy, we did!

A Magic Moment

It was a such a simple but magic moment: Early in the morning of August 15 on our way to a family celebration in Rocca de Mezzo in the mountains with another couple, we stopped at a castle in Celano. We were marveling at how large and beautiful it was as we walked around it. When we reached the back of the castle we saw an elderly woman in her 80's standing in front of a cafe with jewelry in her hand. We said "Boun giorrno" feeling the friendliness of the great feast day of ferragosto being celebrated all over Italy. She held out her hand and asked if My friend would help her put on her earrings and necklace. The simplicity of her trusting gesture was touching. She said she hadn't been able to wear her jewelry for 10 years because she isn't able to fasten it for herself any longer. But today, she too felt the specialness of the day and wanted to dress up by wearing her gold earrings and necklace.
Of course my friend helped her and we told her how lovely she looked. The woman then invited us in for morning espresso. Turns out she has run a local cafe for 50 years, never married and regaled us with stories about her girlhood in the mountains, including having to ride a donkey to Rocca di Mezzo to get fire wood. She wouldn't accept our offer to pay for the coffee and we walked away knowing we had just had a very special encounter- another Italian moment.
It probably made both our day, hers and ours. The 4 of us talked about it all day, marveled at the simple good we can do for one another and how we affect each another. We shared it with everyone (like now!). Sometimes you just know you've been part of magic.

Tradizioni in Festa

This week is one of the biggest yearly festivals in Cittá Sant'Angelo celebrating the relationship with our sister city in Sicily. The rich history of both are shown in costume, cuisine, theater and crafts. The parade on the first day was splendid with traditional costumes, instruments, music and dance of both provinces. The Sicilian horses in their finery pulled carts depicting the history of Italy in uniquely intricate and colorful drawings. Visitors fill the city and booths for food, art and crafts line the streets. It's very enjoyable and involves young and old alike. Some of the ceramics of the Sicilian province (near Mt. Etna) is made with the lava from that famous volcano. Gorgeous items hand painted with traditional designs are for sale.
Our city opens up areas not usually open to the public, for example La Antica Cisterna and enclosed courtyards. That cistern, by the way, is like an underground cathedral- huge and with arched columns holding water at some incredible depth. There wasn't information available about the amount of water held so it's left to the imagination of the observer. Since some of the buildings date back to the 1200s, the underground or inner structures are awesome. The sheer surprise factor makes for great fun and new appreciation of our city.
Every evening has plays, musicals, concerts or shows together with the sale of characteristic foods of both regions. The beautiful views in every direction while taking part in such a grand festa is one of the reasons Cittá Sant'Angelo is known by all as a "bella cittá".