Elvis in Novafeltria
Although prior to travelling to Italy I was unable to find Novafeltria on a map, Elvis apparently did not have the same problem. Tonight a red '67 Chevy pulled up into the ancient piazza in the centre of town, and Elvis entered the build- uh, I mean piazza.
Pretty much the entire town came out for the event. Nonni (grandmothers) crowding onto white plastic chairs right in front of the stage, with their sons and husbands gathered in the coffee shops ringing the square. A large stage was set up, with a screen to the right playing and Elvis DVD. The crowd was dancing and singing. One of the other singers and I were on the lookout of r Elvis kitch, and we were not disappointed. One young woman sported a rhinestone-ringed Elvis purse, and - even better - another was wearing a simple black top - strapless, to reveal the face of Elvis, tattooed onto her (entire) shoulder.
The nights here are usually pretty quiet. The trees wave in the breeze, and occasional cackle from a chicken or a bark from a dog breaks through the thick night. Crickets sing, mosquitos buzz, and the sons of farmers zoom up and down the streets in their tiny trucks, chased by town boys on their Vespas. One would think that nobody here would have even heard of Elvis, much less be able to sing along. Well, people DID sing. They knew the words much better than Elvis himself did.
Here's one example: As I walk along I think of the things she went toegether while I was a young...
Oh well, Elvis, I make mistakes in YOUR language too!
It has been an interesting day, actually. Friday is when the local grocery store begins the weekly sale, and things were just mad there. Water was cheap, however, so I hauled 12 bottles of it half a kilometer and up a stone staircase back to my apartment.
My physical prowess was not the interesting aspect of this afternoon. As I was walking accross the parking lot, I noticed 5 chickens tutting and strutting and looking quite upset to be free. A lot of the houses have their own mini-vineyards and chicken runs, so I decided that these were probably local chickens and were probably not very happy with their freedom. I was not certain that they were not SUPPOSED to be in a parking lot, because I am a city girl (at least, I am compared to the country life of Novafeltria), but the chickens really DId seem upset. So, I called 'Scusi at an open door until a woman came out, and then we went around together to all of her neighbours, calling through their windows and asking if they had lost any chickens.
In the evening the best show ever came on television. It is called Cultura Moderna, and is a sort of 20 questions game. In Italian, of course. I will write more about C.M later, but it is just TOO wierd!
Okay, tomorrow a report of the lovely (I hope) town of Ravenna!
Pretty much the entire town came out for the event. Nonni (grandmothers) crowding onto white plastic chairs right in front of the stage, with their sons and husbands gathered in the coffee shops ringing the square. A large stage was set up, with a screen to the right playing and Elvis DVD. The crowd was dancing and singing. One of the other singers and I were on the lookout of r Elvis kitch, and we were not disappointed. One young woman sported a rhinestone-ringed Elvis purse, and - even better - another was wearing a simple black top - strapless, to reveal the face of Elvis, tattooed onto her (entire) shoulder.
The nights here are usually pretty quiet. The trees wave in the breeze, and occasional cackle from a chicken or a bark from a dog breaks through the thick night. Crickets sing, mosquitos buzz, and the sons of farmers zoom up and down the streets in their tiny trucks, chased by town boys on their Vespas. One would think that nobody here would have even heard of Elvis, much less be able to sing along. Well, people DID sing. They knew the words much better than Elvis himself did.
Here's one example: As I walk along I think of the things she went toegether while I was a young...
Oh well, Elvis, I make mistakes in YOUR language too!
It has been an interesting day, actually. Friday is when the local grocery store begins the weekly sale, and things were just mad there. Water was cheap, however, so I hauled 12 bottles of it half a kilometer and up a stone staircase back to my apartment.
My physical prowess was not the interesting aspect of this afternoon. As I was walking accross the parking lot, I noticed 5 chickens tutting and strutting and looking quite upset to be free. A lot of the houses have their own mini-vineyards and chicken runs, so I decided that these were probably local chickens and were probably not very happy with their freedom. I was not certain that they were not SUPPOSED to be in a parking lot, because I am a city girl (at least, I am compared to the country life of Novafeltria), but the chickens really DId seem upset. So, I called 'Scusi at an open door until a woman came out, and then we went around together to all of her neighbours, calling through their windows and asking if they had lost any chickens.
In the evening the best show ever came on television. It is called Cultura Moderna, and is a sort of 20 questions game. In Italian, of course. I will write more about C.M later, but it is just TOO wierd!
Okay, tomorrow a report of the lovely (I hope) town of Ravenna!
posted by Melamondiale @ 1:51 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home