Pre-Parade Procession

Ten days after our return, I'm posting the last of the 2017 Luglio blog entries. 

This memory is from Sunday, July 16, the date of the annual parade—Processione Della Madonna del Carmelo a Viterbo. It originates at a church nearby and goes right by our apartment. We have a little cocktail party every year (that we have this apartment) so everyone can see it from our balcony—not the entire group of students, but staff and faculty. This year, we hesitated to gather anyone because we would be arriving home that evening, having spent the weekend in Rome. But we decided at the last minute to have a few folks over when Laura "twisted our arm" and asked if we'd be viewing. 

So, upon our return home, about an hour before guests were due, arms full of groceries, we noticed the street was full of cars parked on it. This streets are usually cleared WELL before the parade, which starts at 6:30. And now it was 5:30. Alarmed that I'd read the poster wrong, I walked down to the church to check it. A bunch of guys were there so I was able to ask and they said, This year, the parade starts at 9 pm (!) because past years have been too hot at 6:30. I said, But the cars!  How will they have a parade with all those cars???? They said, Oh, the cars would be gone. 

The removal of the cars was, I dare say, more entertaining than the parade itself!

Almost every spot was taken up and down the whole street.

In come the traffic cops. Sporadically, people come out and move one, or they walk up to it from wherever they were, and drive away. Apparently there were signs saying these cars need to be gone by a certain time. But geez, they cut it close.

She's looking up at the balconies to see if anyone up there is responsible for anything down here.

This one gets a ticket.

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Discovering the ticket.

Contesting the ticket. This is Italy, after all.

She pulled up a chair just for this part. Brought it back out again for the parade.




Calling in the big guns.





Discussing the plan of attack.



And away they go.




Almost done.



Finito!



Time for the main attraction. Our neighbors gather on their balcony, as do we.




Lots of room on the street for the paraders.




And off they go. Until next year!

The Accidental Festa

I think it was our second to last night in Italy when we got reservations at a place called Il Moderno in the neighboring town of San Martino nel Cimino. We'd been there a few weeks prior, and having liked it, went back. Actually, I'll back up. We had two nights left and seven places we could think of to go for dinner. So I made two lists and we privately numbered them one through seven according to preference. Our number ones and twos were identical! So it was Il Moderno Friday, and Il Labirinto Saturday.

A table for two outside for 9 pm is what we reserved. As we approached the "porta," the entrance to the centro (the center) ,we were stopped because it was blocked by cops. As we drove on by we saw why. A festa. Of all days.... So our nice little dinner for two outside would be potentially surrounded by reveling Italians and a really loud band. We parked a few blocks outside the center and walked tentatively back. The centro was completely mobbed. (We think this festival was celebrating beer.) We love festas, but not surprise festas. We imagined sitting alone in this restaurant while everyone else in town (who knew better) ate much more, for much less, at the festa.

Our first glimpse. 

Rows and rows of tables, plastic chairs and families.

The chefs!

These guys were roasting the meat on grills. We weren't really clear on what that fire was for...

 

Dinner was as tasty this time as last time, AND, lucky us, it was just on the other side of the action, so it was only occasionally loud, and it was also quite full so we didn't feel like losers.

Our table—reserved for "Caren."  I'm getting really good at saying Karen with an Italian accent. They never have to ask twice. 

The resident kitty. 

She must get lucky sometimes, but I've never seen it. Fred did drop something and she came running, but she didn't eat it. I think it was a vegetable. :)

The chef's hand would occasionally reach out and pluck off a few basil leaves.

No pics of the food this time. Not sure why... nor do I remember what we had!  I think we began with bruschetta, then had pizzas and green salad at the end. On the way out we took some more pics and vowed to check the festa schedule next time we book there!

Apparently this says:We don't have wifi but we have great wine and after two glasses you can navigate anything you want.I just liked the "Wi-ne Fi-ne."

A lively bunch. 

Spirits were high. 

And, back in Viterbo, they prepare for the Macchina, right on schedule. See this post for more info on this.
http://luglioinitalia.blogspot.com/2015/07/practicing-transport-of-la-macchina-di.html

I'll be working remotely this month. ;)

I can't afford to take a month off from work. When you're a freelancer, you don't have back up. But that's fine with me because I like to work and don't like the beach! Or long hot dry summer days with no purpose. Things with my two main clients were a little slow this July, but there were enough small things popping up throughout the month that I had enough industry in my life to enjoy my down time. It's a fine balance for me.

Internet service is expensive in Italy, so I set up shop in coffee shops with wi-fi protected passwords. I'm thankful my laptop remembers the passwords—even from one year to the next!—so no time lost asking for it. These are my favorite haunts, each with their own uniqueness and personality. I move around a lot to not overstay my welcome. Sometimes 11 to 3 in one, 3:30 to 6 in another.

I also drink a lot of cappuccino—which is a gauche move after 11 am in Italy. Espresso is fine, but not coffee with milk. Here's what I found out about this. FASCINATING. I've excerpted a bit, but there's much more to learn about the subject on this site, which I credit for this info:

The site: http://italyexplained.com/cappuccino-history-rules/


Now to get to the root of the admonition that you never order a cappuccino after 11am.

The main thing to understand is that this has nothing to do with the cappuccino, and everything to do with milk.

Italians, you see, are obsessed with digestion. They think about it a lot. It’s not a taboo topic, and in fact is the subject of many, many commercials on Italian TV. Browse the yogurt aisle of any Italian grocery store to see how many containers promote themselves as digestive aids. (Remember Activia? It’s still a big deal in Italy.)

Consuming milk after a meal, Italians believe, will totally screw up your digestion. And since that’s not something they are wont to do, they avoid milk when eating. Breakfast doesn’t count, because Italian breakfast typically consists of a coffee drink and a pastry and that’s it. If your coffee drink of choice is a cappuccino, then the milk is sort of part of the meal in that case.

Back to my haunts.

Closest to my apartment is Caffe San Sisto. Mother and son seem to run it.

I love this guy because he pretty much ignores me (in a good way—lets me just hang) and sings along to a top 40 station. He's a content guy. I have six presets on the car radio but none seem as perfect as this station, so I finally asked him and he said it's Subasio. I had that on my presets already!

I tend to start with cappuccino, but if I'm in for the long haul, I later have a Coke Zero (aka Diet Coke).

There's a loft space where I used to go when Owen was with me last summer. It's harder to hang there alone because the bathroom is two flights down and it's a little too far to go since I often leave my laptop on the table.

Another plus about San Sisto is that many of the tables are next to outlets where I can plug in when/if my laptop runs low.

Next up is a new place (used to be a men's clothing store) called Amaris. Really special spot and the folks who run it are very sweet. It's new and super clean. Apparently it's all natural or microbiotic or something, which effects me not at all, but once Fred joined me at the end of an afternoon for a drink and the beers were all totally obscure. Good, but obscure.

Here's Amaris from the outside. Quite grand.

And this is where I often sit. Not totally outside (sun makes it hard to see my screen), but outside enough to catch a breeze and feel like I am.

This is the inside where I sit if I need to charge up.

 Plugging in!

Next up is an old sort of majestic place—structurally, anyway, not so much in decor. It was once a hotel.

Here it is from the outside. It's called Caffe Grandori and is located in a prominent piazza—Piazza della Rocca. It's pretty quiet during the day, but at 6 pm the music cranks and all the little free appetizers come out—along with the people. We've been known to make a dinner out of the free stuff they give you with a drink at the end of the day. Some spreads are incredible.

Here's the inside. But an equal if not larger amount of space is available for seating outdoors in front.

I sit indoors if I need to charge, but if I don't, and there's a table available in the shade, I'll sit outside.
Check out the lamp. I might do a series next year of lighting fixtures in bars. It's fertile territory!

The big piazza outside has a fountain. Viterbo is actually known for its many fountains—"The City of Fountains," in fact. There were once 99 fountains in Viterbo! For more on that subject:  http://www.elegantetruria.com/travel/the-fountains-of-viterbo/

And here's where I plug in! Phone AND laptop on this day!

Next, a small place on another important piazza—Piazza delle Plebiscito, Piazza of the People. This piazza is dominated by a huge clock tower and a palace, which now houses the government offices. For some reason, there are always a ton of students in this particular place. I don't know why because it's not very big. My photos of this one came out pretty bad, but here they are anyway.  It's called Caffe Centrale. The first photo is not mine—credits to someone named Torben Mauch. 

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And finally, the Glitter Cafe! Really lacking in character, in a little strip mall, but a great place to hang if the store or car rental shop that SAY they open back up at 3:30 don't really do so until about 4:05. Good wifi. Big tables. Always room. Pleasant staff.  

Note the lighting fixture. 

And finally, BURBACA!  This place is named for BURgers, BAkery, and CAfe. It's new. Just opened last year. And here's my deal with this place. It's REALLY great but is totally American, so I feel kind of like an idiot hanging out there! The menu is in English and is almost verbatim a Starbucks menu. The interior has blackboard menus with specials... easy chairs.. everything you'd expect in the States. So, I limit my time here because it's a bit too familiar, albeit GREAT.

Case in point: the cappuccino:

And this! this is an iced coffee!!!  Delicious but totally regretted it and wished I had an ice cream instead....

And this is a latte. <3

This was my "cafe" one day :) Lago di Bolsena in Capodimonte.

Those are my go-to cafes in Italy. I am grateful for all they've done for me over the years—free access to the internet, shelter from the heat, great cappucino, Coke Zero, orange juice—even the occasional prosecco—and, of course, top 40 hits.