The Terremoto Many of our very kind readers contacted us to ask if we are okay after the horrific earthquake (terremoto). Thank you for your concern and yes we are physically just fine. Our beautiful city of Ascoli Piceno had no major damage and our apartment sustained no damage. There are reports of cracked or crumbling plaster but nothing major that we know of. A sincere thanks to Saint Emidio, out patron saint, for protecting us. That being said, we are stunned to live so close to such a catastrophe and yet we are unscathed. We are overcome with a feeling of helplessness when so many so close need help. Lighting a few candles in the Cathedral and donating a bit of relief money feels inadequate. Next we think it is very important to say that, while we are grateful for the extensive national news coverage, for those not familiar with Italy and it’s terrain it sounds like all of central Italy is shut down. With the exception of the immediate areas affected by the quake Italy is still open for business and in one piece. The best thing you can do for Italy is not to cancel or delay your plans to visit. Tourism is a major part of the economy here which is still suffering from the economic crisis of 2008. If you don’t have plans to visit Italy, we encourage you to make some. You will be welcomed, as always, by the easygoing, jovial and curious Italians that we love so much. More details on the earthquake. At 3:36 AM on Wednesday, 24 August, we were awakened by a pretty violent shaking of the 500 year-old palazzo our apartment is in. The shaking lasted less than 15 seconds, which always seems longer, the power went out and car alarms started going off. We got up to check the time and looked out our open windows to see a few people coming out in the street and talking. The power came back on about 15 minutes later, the car alarms were silenced and our neighbor said our building was okay so we went back to bed. Based on our fine-tuned “California earthquake gauge” it felt like a...
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The Drums and Clarions of Porta Romana Prima Donna Prima Donna Lady in Waiting Prima Donna A drummers enthusiasm Happy anticipation Prima Donna Prima Donna Young ladies The twins The sisters Prima Donna and Court Thoughtful anticipation In conference Relaxed anticipation Knight with cellphone Proud citizens A happy grooms person Man and Owl Proud Sbandietteri dad Knight before the contest with his son. He happened to win this year. The halberd soldier The procession begins Learned man and procession Lady in waiting followed by the Prima Donna Knights on Parade The nobility Nobility on parade Prima Donna with paiges Prima Donna and entourage Young couples on parade Arlene in excellent company At rest before the parade The QUINTANA is a reenactment of a medieval pageant that the people of Ascoli Piceno have been doing for sixty years. The pageant centers around competitions between the six communities that make up the core of Ascoli Piceno called Sestieri. The Sestieri field teams and individuals to compete in medieval-style events such as choreographed flag tossing Sbandietteri, archery, and the highlight event where mounted horsemen, the Cavalierei or knights, engage a target with a lance in a form of joist or giostra. Each sestieri also fields a musical corp consisting of various drums and straight trumpets or clarions. The Quintana begins in mid July and culminates in the first weekend of August. This year, we decided to go to the staging area where the some 1,500 citizens of Ascoli who are participants gather to form up for the grand procession through town. This gave us an opportunity to freely circulate among these spectacularly costumed people and informally photograph them. The proud community spirit and enthusiasm of the wonderful people of Ascoli, I believe, comes through in many of these images. The Quintana is just one of the many reasons we feel that life for us in Ascoli Piceno is so rewarding....
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