09-16 August 2019

We have begun to take part in the summer events around Serra Sant’Abbondio, Robert’s Italian home town. And there are lots! Flyers are posted all around Serra, its frazioni, and neighboring towns. All involve food and music. What else? The majority start in the evening and last until the wee hours.

During the August holidays, many Italians return to their family’s home town. Some even come from abroad. All the events around Serra give everyone an excuse to return, to meet old friends, catch up, discuss events of the day, hunt for mushrooms and truffles (they will not say where), and argue about subjects they have debated for 30 years or more, often food—How does the neighboring town’s piadine differ from Serra’s?; Have you used the local flour from the Le Marche? Expensive but very flavorful; How do you make pomodori con riso, with or without onion? WITHOUT!; Do you boil the rice before? ARE YOU CRAZY? You get the picture. With a few drinks these conversations last pleasantly for hours.

The conversations are not just around the table. Walking to the grocery store (300 meters from the house) can take one to two hours because you run into friends you have not seen for a while. Ask our cousin Luciana.

Of course we also find time to take day trips to nearby sites, research Robert’s family history, and visit relatives. Even though the distances can be short, a 12-kilometer trip can take 30 minutes or more because of the narrow winding roads and a few stops to photograph the countryside.

Making pasta . . . Robert’s turn

Robert and Luciana took turns during the week making pasta using Zia Santa’s rolling pin. We tried our best to channel her expertise and love. You will see Luciana’s artful attempt in the next post.

Meteor sightings . . . Make that Eating

Italians celebrate Le Lacrime di San Lorenzo (the tears of Saint Lorenzo) on 10 August. We know it as the Persiad Meteor Shower. The next day, cousin Luciana’s Serra gang of about 20 met at Fonte Avellana for a picnic dinner. Although it was supposed to start at 6:30, we probably didn’t get going until close to 9:00. Great food all around. When it got dark, we formed a car caravan and took the dark road to Isola Fossara, turning off in a high pasture before reaching the town. Unfortunately, the moon was almost full, making sighting a meteor a miracle. Bonnie managed one.

Hot Hot HOT!

Le Marche had the highest temperature in Italy on 08 August. Robert decided we should go to the Grotte di Frasassi that day. Smart move. It’s very cool inside the caves.

Grotte di Frasassi

This is another karst cave, like the one we visited in Slovenia. This one is close to Serra. It was discovered in 1971 by chance and opened to the public in 1974. One of the caverns is large enough to hold the Duomo of Milan. In a prior visit, they told us it was big enough to hold Saint Peter’s Basilica.

We knew we were going to the cave during the August vacation season, but we were still astonished by the crowd of people there. Bonnie timed the tour groups: 50 to 60 people in each group, entering at five-minute intervals. The parking lot is vast and it surrounds a large cluster of tourist and food stands. The cave tour, unlike the one on our prior visit, was rushed, although it takes almost two hours to shuffle through. The place has become much more impersonal and commercialized, but it is worth a visit . . . in the off season.

Frontone—La Radica

The Frontenesi have their act together. Frontone is about 8 kilometers from Serra. The locals have an active social group, La Radica, that gathers for events throughout the year. This one celebrated the families of Frontone and its frazioni (small hamlets associated with Frontone). They focused on the nicknames of individuals or entire families shown in a large collection of old photographs.

The Passettis of Frontone are on Jan, Mark, and Deborah Nolfi’s side of the family. We saw one of the San Francisco Marche Club members—Gigi Braccini, and his wife Lola, as well as their daughter and son-in-law who live in Frontone. In fact, we overheard San Francisco mentioned in several conversations. Many Frontonese immigrated to San Francisco. On the way to the event we walked through Frontone’s mercato that was large that week as it celebrated the Fiera di Mezz’Agosto

Pizzaiolo

No poster for this one. One of the bars in Serra (there are two!) invited a pizza maker and his oven for a special evening. They served pizza to more than 100 people sitting outdoors, and provided live music. It was a long wait for pizza so some hungry people had gelato first. The evening was another good excuse to gather with friends and family!

Scheggia and Gubbio

We took a day trip to Scheggia to do family research for one of Robert’s cousins and had time to visit Gubbio as well.

Gubbio

The Cathedral

Isola Fossara

After Gubbio, we made it to Isola to see Berardi relatives. It was a great gathering.

Cibo e bibite della casa

In Serra, we often eat at home, which is a nice change from the past three months. It gives Robert and his cousin Luciana an opportunity cook together.

Cibo e Bibite fuori della casa

More to come!