Sunday, July 11, 2010

Sunday July 11, 2010

Last night I made it to the Ben Gazzara film festival in Izzalini. The film was called for 9pm but when I arrived most of the crowd was eating. A long table was spread with pasta, beans, bread, wine and water, and sweets, all for whatever one was willing to pay. There was tiramisu, a blueberry crostata, and a torte della nona, all of which I tasted and all were delicious. A large box labled “offerte” was placed on the table, to receive donations. A dark haired, coffee-colored girl was selling raffle tickets for 2 euro. She asked me to choose a number and I chose 57, the number of my apartment building. I asked her what the prize was and she wrote it down for me: agnello. A lamb.

The social scene was at least as important as the film. It was a mixed group. Locals, contadini, and stranieri – foreigners with homes in the area or visiting. And me. Much to my surprise, Ben Gazzara was there and addressed the audience of about 50 people in Italian. The film was called “Il Camorista”, a sort of Godfather saga with Ben as a watered-down Don Corleone. All in Italian, no subtitles. The most remarkable thing about the experience was the setting; the screen was suspended on the wall of a medieval castle and the chairs were set up in the piazza. When the sky darkened, my attention wandered to the sky, brilliantly lit with thousands of tiny stars, and to the sounds of conversation from nearby houses, dogs barking, and the light clicking of cicadas.

The film went on for more than two hours, and although I wanted to stay to see if I would be awarded the agnello, I left at 11:30, aware that I would need whatever energy remained for the 30 minute drive back to Le Caselle. While there is some risk involved, I enjoy the late night ride back to the house. It is quite, but for the gentle wind and an occasional driver. The roads to Le Caselle is unlit, except for the headlights of my car, and other cars on the road.

Today I joined Judy and Fausto and the boys, Leslie and her two children and Sabra, Fabio and Melissa for a day a Lake Bolsena. The heat persisted, but the area we chose to settle in was shaded, with grass, picnic tables and close to the water. It was a great relief to spend most of the day submerged in temperate water and to share home-made dishes with friends and children. I experimented with faro, tomatoes, garlic and shallots, olive oil and grana padano. Judy made panzanella and Leslie brought meat sandwiches and pizza. Sabra made a pasta salad and a rice salad. We bought coffee and ice cream from a stand. It was the most relaxing day I’ve spent here.

Sabra’s daughter Melissa is a born performer. She is 24-hour a day entertainment.I am told she is shy, but what I see is someone craving attention, an adorable 5-year-old who comes to life when she has an audience. She is fair skinned an dark haired, with huge brown eyes and enviably long lashes. Her laugh is infectious, and she tries hardest to get a response from the boys….Ari, Tino and Marcello.

Lucia is Leslie’s daughter, 9 ½, and mature way beyond her years. Her accent is enchanting, but Leslie describes it as a speech impediment. She is unable to pronounce r’s when preceded by a vowel. So the word “turn” becomes “tawn”. It’s lovely. Her brother Marcello is also quite mature for a 15-year-old. On the way home we have a conversation about computers – he is something of a wiz and advised me on how to set up wi-fi at my house.

It’s a cool evening, and I spend some time doing laundry so that when arrive for my next trip everything will be clean and fresh. I have given my neighbor, Roberta, a gift of a marigold plant, gave Judy the Basil and rosemary plants. Tomorrow I leave for Fabro.