2008 – A Fantastic Summer!

(Part 3)

 

Antonio Piccoli di maone

 

Concert Dedicated to Bellini

In the evening there was an opera concert that took place on the plaza of the main Church of San Giacomo (unfortunately still closed because they are working on the roof).  Maestro Fausto Esposito led the Monteverdi Chamber Orchestra of Ripa Teatina, Province of Chieti, and Rosalba Nicolini sang various operatic pieces by Bellini.  The concert was pleasant, the setting suggestive, and the orchestra received hearty applauses.  There is only one suggestion:  if possible, the bell tower should be silenced during the concert.  Several times the orchestra had to wait for the quarter-hour bells to sound.  Those 12 or 13 strikes of the bell seemed to never end.  

 

Jewelry Fashion Show

On August 14^th there was the Jewelry Fashion Show.  It was another beautiful day, warm and sunny like the rest of August.  This year the fashion show was held on a section of Viale Raffaele Paolucci.  This new location was perfect.  Beautiful models swayed their bodies down the middle of street flanked by crowds on both sides.  They displayed fine jewelry created by Pasquale Imbastaro, acclaimed for his originality, and wore clothing purchased or sewn by the seamstress Mirella Maiella of Torricella.  Also, Roberta Marcello of “Sogno” prepared the floral arrangements, Gina Pasquarelli was the hairdresser for the models, and “Progetto Suono” of Casoli took care of the sound and lighting.

This intriguing fashion show lasted at least two hours.  Attentive judges watched as the models turned and gave it their best.  They then voted for what they thought was the most beautiful piece of jewelry. 

 

Flowered Balcony

During the fashion show, the “Flowered Balcony” award was also announced.  This year it went to Angelina Rossi, whose balcony faces “Rua di Giuannielle”.  This was also a very successful event.  There were twice as many balconies competing this year compared to last, and the flowers made Torricella very colorful.  To motivate participation, noteworthy prizes should be doled out.  This sort of event really bolsters the image of Torricella. 

Angelina Rossi’s balcony

 

Burraco Tournament

On August 14^th there was the second annual Burraco tournament organized by Loredana Croce and Saverio Taito.  There were 32 competitors.  A couple from Fallasoco won.  Second place went to Maretta Manzi and Daniela Taito, and third place to Daniela Troilo and Luca Cesati.  As a side note, another couple from Fallasoco won the tournament last year, burying the competition.  The same couple also won the Italian Burraco Tournament in Riccione.  This goes to show that the level of play in this local tournament in Torricella is quite high.  In any case, this year the same couple was defeated immediately and did not even place in the finals. 

 

Hike to the Monastery

August 16^th we participated in a very unique event, a hike to the Benedictine Monastery in the Tre Confini hamlet.  The event was not announced much at all.  People learned about it by word of mouth; also, about 10 flyers were posted on the windows of bars and shops. 

We had already spoken to Father Giustino about organizing such an event last year.  Then, two days before the event, we picked up where we left off.  We set the time of departure, arrival and of the mass.  The return trip uphill at dusk would have been difficult.  Therefore, the mayor allowed us to use the brand new town bus, which made its maiden voyage.  

We thought there would only be around 30, but at the departure time of 5pm, there were over a 100, young people, elderly folks, kids, all organized and dressed for the hike.  At 5pm sharp, without anyone saying “let’s start”, the long line of people began walking on the side of the road.  It was a 5.5-kilometer hike to the monastery.  We thought it would take about 2 hours, but the road was downhill and easy to walk on, and so in little more than an hour we all arrived at our destination.  During the trip people intermingled and dialogued a lot.  It was as if we were all old friends; in religious terms, “we were in communion”. 

When we arrived, we met up with others that had traveled by car, mostly the elderly and those that are not very mobile.  There were at least 200 present, a surprisingly very large group.  All remained in silence as Father Giustino and Father Guliano officiated the mass.  During the homily Father Giustino talked about the importance of the monastery and the role they play as monks.  He also said he appreciated the fact that so many had gathered for the event. 

At the end of the mass, everyone went to say hello to Father Giustino and Sister Lidya, and some visited the monastery for the first time.  Then, we all returned to Torricella either by car, town bus or with the Pegaso mini-bus (Pegaso is non-profit association, also worthy of much praise).  Two trips had to made to get everyone back home.  By 8:30pm we were all back, just in time for dinner.

 

Gathering of Horses

To finish up, on August 17^th there was a gathering of horses.  About 50 riders on horseback crossed the Corso (main street), arousing awe and curiosity.  They began at “La Guardata” stables and traveled to Lama dei Peligni, where the Pro Loco of Lama had organized a rest stop.  At around 6pm they came back through town headed for “La Guardata”.  The horses came from all parts of Abruzzo.  This large gathering is held every year.  This year the event was organized by the well-equipped Horse Center of Torricella, where one can rent a horse and take riding lessons.

 

I hope I did not bore you all.  I encourage you to add to this report with your own stories, anecdotes and photographs on this year’s August events in Torricella.

 

English translation courtesy of Dan Aspromonte with the assistance of Edoardo Gentile

 

Photos courtesy of Antonio Piccoli di maone