Feast of San Nicola...
This day brings everyone to town.  Alex said it's bigger than Christmas.
While the women were filling the church, at capacity, for mass, the men and us Haerrs gathered around the town square waiting for St. Nicola to appear.
There was something about this group of naked babies....
If you look closely, St. Nicola is being carried through town in the 90° sunshine.
The first time we've ever seen firework displays in the day time and it was impressive.
The day ended with all of us in several rooms eating the most generous and delicious plates of true Italian home cooking.  A real feast day for all of us.  We truly felt a part of this wonderful, welcoming family.  Another "pinch me" moment for us. 

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Our day of exploring and celebrating...
The next closest town to Alex's is Morcone.  We decided to go on a scenic drive and through a series of way too narrow streets for my big American car, we found ourselves here.  High above it all was the best place to be.
We were passed by a large parade of Citroën cars.  These classic French cars are frequently spotted in Italy and I love them. 
Our agriturismo, by definition, is a farm.  We met this sweet face on a visit to the barn.  I will not be thinking of a pork sandwich while there!
This is a Cappuccini monastery.  I find all monks interesting and these guys have quite a lovely home.
This is where Alex was born.  His disappointment in the lack of care of the home and division of the property was pretty evident but to see his face when he spoke of "the old days" was priceless.
The weekend is a very important time to be here with street fairs, concerts and religious celebrations.  Everywhere we went, we heard whispers of "Americani".  We stood out in this village and everyone was very kind.
All our truly perfect nights have ended with Steve dancing...and tonight was one of them!

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Southern Italy for the Paternostro Reunion...
Alex, the father of my oldest and dearest friend Annie, left Italy when he was 16 years old and we were invited to be a part of his first trip back in 54 years!  There was no way we were going to miss the history and specialness of this homecoming...
The population when Alex's family went to America is about the same as today: 86.
Alex's aunt, Vincenza (left of Spongebob) is the only Paternostro still in the village.  Her sister-in-law, Maria, is her best friend and the two families welcomed us as if we were famiglia.
After settling in, we were given a very thorough tour of the town of Benevento, a very large city with all the amenities Cuffiano lacked.  It is also the seat of a Catholic archbishop.
No trip to the "big city" would be complete without shoe shopping!
Alla tabella con i buoni amici e famiglia non diventate vecchi. At the table with good friends and family you do not become old.
It was an unforgettable day of being a part of an incredible Italian family and we all loved every moment of it!

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Road trip to Southern Italy...

When we said goodbye to my friend, Annie, on April 16th, we planned to see her and her husband, Bob, in December.  After returning from her trip, her dad, Alex announced that he was taking not only his wife of 50 years, Roz, but the entire Paternostro family to Italy.

Alex left the village of Cuffiano (current population: 86, location: 50 miles northwest of Naples) when he was 16 and has never returned.  We have been invited to join in the family reunion.  In addition to seeing our friends, we get to be part of a  Southern Italian community.  Come il divertimento!

Then, after saying our "ciaos" on Monday morning, we are taking a side excursion to Pompeii...the historic Roman city, buried in 79 AD which deserves a thorough explore in 2011.

I will blog after the weekend.  I am certain to have incredible stories and photos to share!  Until Monday...

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An evening with new friends...

Our evening was again spent on our terrace with very delightful guests Milan and Sara.  Sara is the General Manager for CCM Spoleto and has been in our lives practically since we arrived here. She has given us such incredible opportunities and we wanted one more chance to say, "A presto".

Her husband, Milan, is a very interesting conversationalist and the five of us spent hours hearing each others stories and enjoying every moment.  After the ending of all the musicals events it was nice to have this night, under the Umbrian stars, as our own personal CCM grand finale.

Tonight's entrée- Spoleto Strata (prepped the evening before)
12 eggs
3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 to 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
13 slices white bread, cubed
2 cups (8 ounces) piccante provolone cheese (or sharp cheddar in America)
1 1/2 cups cubed ham (in Italy I cooked cubed pancetta)
1-2  small chopped onions sauteed (mild and sweet here)
1 lg. chopped yellow bell pepper
(we add pepperoncini seasonings to 1/2 for heat)

Preparation- In larger bowl, whisk eggs, milk, mustard, salt & black pepper. Stir in bread, cheese, ham, onion and bell pepper. Pour mixture into greased 13 X 9-inch baking pan. Cover; refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350°F. Bake, uncovered, 1 hour and 30 minutes or until set in center and golden brown. Yield: 10-12 serving.

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Wine tasting in Umbria...

Our newest neighbors, Jerry and Linda, suggested a day trip to Montefalco to have a picnic and go wine tasting.  What a day it was! 

We ventured into the beautiful, lush countryside for a drive along La Strada del Sagratino.  The Sagrantino Road crosses over hills of vineyards and olive trees, studded with towers, villages and medieval castles, and is the home of the famous Sagrantino grape. It is the indisputable King of Umbria, even if its origins are uncertain: some say that it reached this land by chance, thanks to some Franciscan friars who came from Asia minor; others believe it hails from Spain, and yet others believe it was introduced into Italy by the Saracens. The wine of the same name is obtained from its grapes. The wine is a precious DOCG nectar (Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin). Its color is ruby, with violet highlights. It has a blackberry aroma, is 'warm' and spicy to taste, and is one of Italy's best known and most admired wines across the world.

Steve had been recommended a wine from one of the vintners so our destination was to learn about this local variety and find a new wine to love.  After an incredible picnic, overlooking the vineyards, tasting was to occur at  Arnaldo-Caprai , a famous winery, situated in a spectacular, rolling hillside.  For the last thirty years, Arnaldo-Caprai "has embodied the fine art of making high quality wines."

After a very informative, one hour long tour, we delighted in tasting several of the wines while getting a very thorough lesson about the history and process of viticulture by Emily, our guide who hails from California.

Here's to the corkscrew -
a useful key to unlock the storehouse of wit,
the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship,
and the gate of pleasant folly.
-W.E.P. French

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Summer wildflowers of Spoleto...

I'm notorious for slowing down any walk in which wildflowers are in bloom while armed with a camera.  Today's selection I found to be exceptionally unique.  I describe them as "angrily beautiful".  The vibrant colors contrasting with the spikes and thorns seemed so spectacular.

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Another National Holiday...

Today is Ferragosto and, according to Wikipedia, "is an Italian holiday celebrated every August 15th. Originally, it may have related to a celebration of the middle of the summer and the end of the hard labor in the fields. The Catholic Church celebrates this date as a Holy Day of Obligation to commemorate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary—the real physical elevation of her sinless soul and incorrupt body, into Heaven.
Before the Roman Catholic Church came into existence, however, this holiday was celebrated in the Roman Empire to honor the gods—in particular Diana—and the cycle of fertility and ripening. In fact, the present Italian name of the holiday derives from its original Latin name, Feriae Augusti (Festivals of the Emperor Augustus).  Almost the entire month of August was taken as a holiday and leisure time in Italy in honor of this feast day."

Now it seems that most Italians celebrate it with tombola  (bingo) which begins at 10 PM tonight.  Steve, Kegan and I had a lazy morning followed by our favorite walk above town.  We will leave the evening festivities to the Spoletini and just have a family game and movie night... Life's simple pleasures!

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Liebe, L'Amour, L'Amore...loved it!

Our morning began, like most mornings, on our terrace but today we had wonderful guests for brunch, Sarah and Adam, the support staff of CCM Spoleto.  It was great to be able to get to know them better and pay back just a little of the kindness they have extended to us.

Our day ended at the Concerto di Gala.  It was an emotional conclusion to an amazing five weeks.  As the performers arrived, we tried to tell as many as possible just know how much we've enjoyed their work and have valued getting to know them.

The evening's concert was incredible and it was obvious that everyone was giving their all.  The theme was love and we witnessed their love of performing and hopefully they felt how much we loved their efforts.  My memories, of our year here, will always have CCM Spoleto high on the list of "what was the best".

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Concerto per Ottoni...

We began our evening having an appreciation dinner lovingly prepared by Austin who I helped move into his apartment upon his arrival here.  It was a meal of friendship and goodbyes. 

Then we met other friends for a pre-concert snack and on to Teatro Nuovo for a Brass Concert. A concert of all brass instruments can be described as extremely exciting.  CCM's repertoire varied from beautiful love songs to an audience participatory march that we clapped along to with much enthusiasm.  It was an evening of great friends and exceptional music.  Just what we've come to expect in Spoleto!

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