Thursday night marks the beginning of the Easter rites and festivities. The streets are hopping, the shops are open, the churches are open and there is an excitement in the air. After getting cleaned up, taking a 4 hour nap and visiting my best friend in Taranto, Ernesto (the guy with the panzarotti), Fabio and I took a stroll downtown.
I thought this was so funny, even if a little sacreligous, because it looks like the KKK are praying. I'm sorry. But every time I see these guys, I think of the KKK.
On Friday we visited the cemetary to see Fabio's grandparents' graves. Fabio warned me, it's like a city of the dead. He was right. Check out the mausoleums. Nicer than some peoples' houses!
We saw where la mamma's parents are buried:
We went to the National Archeological Museum downtown on Friday afternoon. For those of you who may not know, Taranto was a Greek colony founded in 800 BC. It had a pretty prestigious history up until the Romans conquered it. It was famous for its coins and pottery and was capital over the Greek colonies. Recently, they have found ancient Greek graves in the city, loaded with lots of artifacts that were buried with the Greeks to carry into the afterworld. I had a great time snapping more photos for my 6th graders:
I loved looking at the accesories. I would wear this today:
The coins are so indicative of everyday life. The smaller in size, the less weight, which means the less value. Not the same concept we have today. To think that these coins were being circulated by everyday people thousands of years ago by the Greeks in Taranto is fascinating!
We went to the old town to try and find a watercolor shop open (no luck...it was the afternoon) and then caught the beginning of the Friday night rites:
We stopped by the bakery owned by Gianni's sister and got to watch them busy at work and smell the delicious baking focaccia:
Today (Saturday) we haven't done much. Fabio and his mom showed me the market, full of just about anything you can think of. Fish, cheese, all kinds of produce, clothing, meat (think lamb's head hanging from the ceiling), accesories, toys, etc.
We'll go out to dinner tonight with a childhood friend of Fabio's. Right now, he has another friend here visiting away. The big topic everyone wants to talk to us about is "Obama's healthcare." Everyone we talk to is shocked by the way the healthcare system in the U.S. is. "Healthcare is tied to employment?" "Healthcare is not available for everyone?" "What if I lose my job?" "Healthcare IS a right because without your health, there is no life." "Aren't people in America happy for this change?" It's refreshing to talk to people who see our system as messed up as it really is. It gets me really worked up, trying to explain to them how little this healthcare bill really changed and how upset so many people are about this change. It's amazing that this news has reached the most remote corners of the world. (Trust me, Southern Italy really is remote.)
Until next time...
3 comments:
So glad you're still having fun. I can't remember why they wear those outfits. Maybe you could explain in your next post.
Amen to healthcare. I'm sure it would be refreshing. You should really read "The United States of Europe" by T.R. Reid. You would like it.
OK, I want to see by a raise of hands who knew "Taranto was a Greek colony founded in 800 BC[?]"
You're taking wonderful pics BTW and the alacrity with which you're posting them is appreciated by many I'm sure.
I don't know if they do this in the world of education, but following the completion of a big project in the business world a wind-up mtg is held to discuss how things went AND lessons learned. I'm thinking checking out common temps for the time of year you'll be visiting an area might make your lessons learned list this year. But I still believe the pros will far outweigh the cons based on what I've seen thus far.
Happy Easter to you, Fabio and his family. Light a candle for me!
That they would go to such great lengths to celebrate, to me, is an outward visual that they really believe. I think it is fascinating.
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