Carnevale di Oliveto

We wake up in the morning wondering what the day will bring. It begins with a Livornese bearing both croissants and the opportunity to attend the Funerale della Sarocca, (translated as the Funeral of the Sardine, also known as the Festival of the Sardine). Croissants are eaten, tea is served and silly drawings are made on napkins. Then we prepare for our sardine adventure.

We drive to a large intersection in Bologna to park the two cars, meet with friends, dogs and friends’ dogs. Cigarettes are purchased, candy is eaten and then we’re off to a town called Oliveto.

Oliveto is a tiny town on top of a hill. So we drive up to the town, through one block of the town, then back down the hill to park the car. Then we walk up the hill. Halfway up the hill Lana, the dog, runs back down the hill. My guess is she doesn’t like sardines. She happily chooses to wait for us in her car. When we arrive at the town, some young men are dressed in red capes, parading about loud and festive. One of the gents kisses my hand and gives me a red piece of paper that says Grassa, Grossa, Balorda, Rossa (I’ll loosely translate this as Fat, Big, Crazy, Red). This is my introduction to the sardine festival.

First we gather at Valentina’s brother’s house at one end of town, then back into the center of the town to see what this is festa is about. Well, it’s about the sarocca. And people are walking around in costume with sardines tied to themselves as accessories. There are fish-shaped sculptures, fish-adorned flags, many types of music, folk dancing, crafts, food and wine. The views of the countryside grow more incredible as the afternoon sun emerges. The people are open and truly enjoying themselves. I loved every single minute of the day. We dined on polenta e sarocca and fried sandwiches. We drank vino from plastic cups. The highlight of the event is the funeral of the sarocca, where they hold a fish above the crowd in ceremony, then bury it in a mini, fish-sized crypt. Fascinating, and delivered with that hint of blasphemous spirit commonly found in modern-day Italy.

In parting, Valentina gave me an adorable rubber vespa (wasp) pin to wear. Then a friend of a friend who was enchanted by my American-ness decided to kiss my vespa pin. I don’t know if this was proper, but I’ll forgive him as it was all in the spirit of the Funerale della Sarocca.

Andiamo a Bologna!

After two months without leaving bella Firenze, I plan an overnight trip with friends to Bologna, to visit the Museo Morandi. We met at 10:30 am in front of the McDonald’s at Stazione Santa Maria Novella, piled into Tommy’s Fiat Punta and head up the autostrada del sole towards Bologna. My job was navigator, I had good written directions and we made it to the apartment with ease. We then took the bus into il centro for lunch. We wandered around for a bit and ended up in queue at a rosticceria. We dined on roasted meats, stuffed tomatoes and roasted potatoes seated under some ominous-looking meat hooks hanging from the ceiling.

Next step was to take caffe on the way to il museo and this particular barista was quite the artiste. Delivering a new take on the happy face and a macchiato homage to Munch’s The Scream.


It was inspiring to see Morandi’s work, specifically his aquaforte (line etchings) and still life paintings. After the museum we found an outdoor market with an eclectic selection of wares so it was time for some shopping. I bought some fingerless glove-type things called manicotti and a coin purse. Total price 3,50 euro.

Passagiata (taking a walk about town) is a ritual in Italy, particularly practiced on weekends. We spent much of the time in Bologna in this manner. We met up with Tommy’s brother Francesco, his girlfriend Valentina, and their dog Lana. Next stop was a tiny bookshop that specialized in graphic art books. They were offering a calligraphy class while we were there. The students were practicing writing in the style of the typeface Neuland. I found a design book I wanted to purchase and the shopkeeper mentioned that he also had the previous volume, so he offered me both with a discount. Best bookshop I've visited in many years.

Next stop was a gallery to view a show of a Bolognese illustrator. This was a well-curated show featuring colorful, graphic illustrations. The artist was a bit demented, but I found the show to be compelling. Most of the illustrations were created in the 80s and early 90s, so given my age and my past life in the magazine world, I enjoyed the show on many levels. And there was a door to the back patio where you magically find yourself on a charming canal in the center of Bologna.

During aperitivo with friends we turned the enoteca (wine bar) into a temporary tattoo and shiatsu massage parlour.



We made dinner at our temporary home, visiting with our new friends. And we slept like three rocks and one cat. But I have no pictures to illustrate this.

Tuition update

On Friday I had lunch with the segretaria at Arci. And I said "Posso pagare oggi?" (May I pay today?). He said, "No, Lunedi e meglio." (No, Monday is better.) This morning I was walking to class late, as usual, and he called to me in the street, "You have a letter waiting for you in the office." I said "Thanks, I'll come over to get it." Then he said, "No, Bijou can bring it to you."

Still haven't paid.

Royal Pub

Here are some pix Eloise took a couple of weeks ago. Tommaso drew this picture at my house during the hamburger and apple pie gathering, then afterwards we went to the local pub for the remainder of the evening.

Some photos

Adria is a hard rock girl. This particular day I borrowed her lipstick and everyone called us sorelle (sisters).


Friday was a slow day in class. So Tommaso drew this dolphin on my arm.


Julie and Popeye at Arci. My new Belgian friends. I hope to visit them in May.