And it feels so good!
In Italy, August 15 is both a national holiday, Ferragosto, as well as a religious one, Feast of the Assumption. For many Italians, it is also the unofficial beginning of the summer holiday season. Parts of Italy effectively shut down until September, as people head to the lakes, countryside or a coast, or to towns like Cortona which are filled with events.
Since I can’t say this very often, I need to share that our trip over was incredibly smooth. Flying time was only 8.11 hours and touch down to gate took less than five minutes.
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We arrived to the welcome arms of Carlo and Fernanda and to a delicious homemade lunch.
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Afterward, Carlo accompanied us to check the orto (garden) progress, but lunch and the basket on the counter were a positive telltale sign.
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Although May was cold and rainy, warm sun and sufficient rain since then have made for vibrant green colors, strong vegetables and very huge and happy sunflowers.
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And then on to our house and the familiarity of the view.
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The next night, we were ready to roll and attended the Ferragosto Sagra Della Bistecca, or steak festival, in the parterre with some friends.
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Before:
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During:
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Our table:
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The food… and yes, we did split them!
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The fountain was flowing and the Ol’ Boogies Rockabilly Band was playing,
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so we decided to start dancing,
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while everyone else was in the food queue. Good we came early!
After a lot of dancing and good laughs, and nearing 11 PM, the two guys on the left headed to town to get some Tuscanos, or small Italian cigars,
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while the rest of us stopped by the DJ station. The dance area was empty, so we moved right in.
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Before long, we attracted a large crowd and were soon doing the Macarena!
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I even bought one of the flashing balloons.
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Once the dance area got too crowded, we headed back into town to find the guys. Naturally, we found them at Tuscher with Massimo!
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We joined right in.
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It was 2 AM before our heads hit the pillows.
The next night, Fernanda had us over for dinner. We tried hard to convince her we should go out, but she insisted and treated us to a delicious aperitivo spread including her homemade liver pate. This was followed by roasted pepper risotto, and then stuffed zucchini from the garden and meatballs. Dessert was gelato topped with her homemade cherry sauce. We ate al fresco and my phone was inside, so no photos except one group selfie.
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When we got back to town, a big band was still playing in the piazza.
The next day, Len and I had a Tuscher Sunday, although it was only Saturday. After a long walk, we stopped by for a mid day vino. A bit later, a first old friend stopped by, then another, and so on, until eventually a few of us went to dinner.
And that’s how it goes in Cortona… Food, Friends and Fun. Repeat.
Should you miss one sagra, there’s another right behind. Out with the bistecca on Friday and in with the Porcini on Saturday, although we opted out. Enough sagras for one weekend.
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But as for friends and fun, there’s never too much. In the words of Cyndi Lauper:
Oh girls, they wanna have fun…
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Ciao,
Judy
Blogging In Italy 