Celebrating Continues.......

giovedi, 28 dicembre

I know I said I was not going to post till after the holidays - well there is so much going on I thought I had better break it down into a few posts.  The past 4-5 days have been jam packed with fun southern Italian activities to celebrate Christmas.  

Saturday night I had dinner with Antonio and Anna at a great agriturismo up in the mountains- everything is "up in the mountains" - Great food and company - and this place also had live music and dancing.  But before making our trek up the mountain they took me to see a presepe in Ascea.  Now remember presepe's are very important in southern Italy.  They consist of the nativity AND a complete village surrounding the manger.  Presepes can range in size from small table top presepes to complete rooms.  I would venture to say the presepe is more important here than the Christmas tree.  I have two nativities that you saw in the prior post - but I will now start to make a presepe as well using my family nativity as the base.  I will need to add to it.  I took some photos and video of the presepe we saw in Ascea.  Take a look and you will see how detailed these can get.  They are the equivalent of some of the Christmas villages that are done in the U.S.  This presepe had moving parts, live plants and lots of lights and took 2 months to create. The pictures do not due it justice but I hope you get the idea of what a presepe truly is.  

I found a great article on the web about Naples and presepes.  Take a minute and read this for a better understanding of the importance of the presepe.  

The Presepe Tradition.  (click on the link)

Watch the video and look for all the moving parts. I tried to capture them all. 

https://youtu.be/YEUo50cpvt8

Christmas Eve day (Sunday) started with an aperitivo at noon with Angela, Luigi and Stefano at the bar outside the Parafarmacia.  As you can see the weather was perfect and lots of sunshine!!  A relaxing tradition (not just for Christmas) that I like!

Christmas Eve in Acquavella brings Babbo Natale (Father Christmas) to the village to greet the children and bring them a present.  This was so fun.  Santa comes into town on a sleigh being pulled by a pick up truck that is decorated.  His sleigh is full of presents.  Babbo Natale then sits on his throne and each child is called up to receive their gift.   The parents purchase and wrap a gift ahead of time and get it to the organizing team.  Pretty neat idea - right?  Then on Christmas morning the children receive gifts from their family but nothing from Santa as they already received his gift the night before.  Watch the video below - there is even a small band escorting Babbo Natale.  

https://youtu.be/R0woQIdzrbk

Babbo Natale's Throne

Children receive a gift from Babbo Natale 
This child is the son of a cousin
6th Generation Gentile!

After Babbo Natale there is the traditional Christmas Eve meal.  The meal is known as The Vigil (La Vigilia). This meal commemorates the wait, the Vigilia di Natale, for the midnight birth of the baby Jesus.  The meal consists of fish as meat is not eaten until Christmas day.  Angela did a great job and only used Tuna for our meal as she knows I am not a big fish fan.  But she had pasta with Tuna, Tuna roll, many different salads and vegetables, bread and of course Christmas sweets and Prosecco.  Just when you want to lay down and take a nap it is off to the church for the Christmas Eve Mass.  As I mentioned I am not catholic but the service is always beautiful and celebrates the birth of Jesus.  I don't understand everything but the basic message is clear!  The church has a new Presepe this year.  I took a picture before the service so of course Jesus in not in his crib.

Christmas morning was very relaxing for Oscar and me.  We would then go to Angela's for dinner. I swear I was still full from the Christmas Eve feast.  The Christmas Day Feast consisted of a beautiful antipasto plate for each of us with melon, prosciutto, salami, grilled eggplant, cheeses and olives.  Then we had a fabulous Lasagna.  THEN - again I am about to die here - but she brings on a beautiful beef roast that was cooked for 4 hours in wine the day before. It is called Brasato!!  It is served with mushrooms and sides of wonderful vegetables.   Dessert was Panettone, chocolates and of course Prosecco.   Everything was fabulous!  The rest of the day and evening was spent relaxing at home as the next night we would go with cousin Antonio to the Live Presepe (Live Nativity) in Monteforte Cilento. 

The village of Monteforte Cilento is about a 90 minute drive "up in the mountains".  Thank goodness we had good weather.  The roads are narrow, winding and dark and it is not uncommon to see different critters along the way (i.e. fox and wild boar).  The whole village converts back to the time of Jesus' birth.  You walk through the village and visit different stops along the way and see people performing tasks from that time period - making bread, making home made cheese, and more.  The walkways all lead you to the Nativity - complete with animals.  Instead of a bunch of still photos I decided to try my hand at creating a little movie - with stills and videos combined.  I hope you like it - I even added music to it.  

https://youtu.be/7zzbuuD3g8k

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  The celebrations continue here so watch for another update after the new year.  

Buone Feste!!!

Christmas Preparations

venerdi, 22 dicembre

Christmas is just a few days away.  I thought I would take a few minutes and tell you about what happens before Christmas in southern Italy.  I will post again after the holiday season, which ends here on January 6th - the Epiphany.  

I quickly realized that Christmas in Italy (or the time before Christmas I should say) is not in your face - so to speak and definitely not like the U.S.  (in my opinion)  I noticed after Thanksgiving that stores were decorated but as each day passed I noticed a marked difference than in the states. I didn't see villages decorating their streets early in December and I didn't hear conversations about "oh my I have so much shopping to do".  I did run into 3 musical Santa's in the village one day.  Check out the video.  They were so fun and came from Salerno to play - just because!!!!  I asked them if I could video them for my friends in the U.S. So this is just for YOU!

https://youtu.be/llLh7GYKhYw


I do know holiday baking is done and here in the south there are two main pastries that are made for Christmas and one very special pastry only made in Acquavella.    Pastucelle and Struffoli are very southern.   I must admit I am not a fan of Struffoli.  The pastry of Acquavella is "Pasta di Mandorle con glassa".  These are yummy and just the right size - one bite size!!

Pasta di mandorle con glassa

 

This year our Village will not host any major event.  In the past we have had a Live Nativity (Precepe) as well as Santa's House (Babbo Natale).  These events typically bring people from far and wide.  But this year it will be quieter.  So the decorations in the village are much smaller but still beautiful......well all but the tree near the church.  I just may have to offer my help next year.  This is pretty sad.   Interesting fact the Christmas lights were just put up 2 days ago.  Yes, one week before Christmas. I assume they will remain up until January 6th.  

Via Napoli, the Main Street in Acquavella,
decorated for Christmas

I'm sorry but this is just so wrong.
My new mission for next year is to make this
tree shine!!

I will say that the Italians are all about food for the holidays - no surprise there.  When you grocery shop the stores are filled with different types of food for Christmas.  These past few days as I shopped, the amount of fish that was displayed was intense - for Christmas Eve dinners.  In addition there are mountains of the boxed cakes - panettone, pandoro and sparkling wine.  I am amazed at how they fly out of the door.  People have grocery carts filled with them.  Everyone gives them as gifts.  

Stacks of different type of chocolate
candies and sweets

Mountains of Panettone and other Christmas breads

..... and don't forget the bubbly!!

My personal preparation consisted of decorating the inside and outside of my house.  I bought battery operated lights for the outside.  And my tree is LIVE - meaning I can plant it outside after the holidays.  I did not see one place where you could buy a fresh cut Christmas tree.  I don't think they exist here in the south.  If people have a tree it usually is artificial.  The precepe (nativity) is much more important.  So I of course put out my nativity from my childhood.  My sisters will remember it well.  And believe it or not it was made in Italy.   And then of course Oscar has his nativity as well.  So we are ready.  

Oscar's dog nativity

....the stockings were hung by the chimney with care.......

The front of the house and you can see the lights
from the Main Street in the village

I also decorated the fence around the house
All the lights are battery operated

Small Christmas markets have popped up in some of the villages the past few days.  Angela and I attended one in Velina last night.  Very small but little houses of food, beverages and of course hand made crafts.   Marina di Casal Velino will have one after Christmas.  So I see a theme that the weeks before Christmas are not frantic but very calm and no one wishes you Merry Christmas, etc. until a few days before the holiday.  They don't rush things here.  

Christmas Eve there will be a midnight mass, of course, in the little church here in Acquavella.  I may attend -   OK, yes I know I am not catholic but I don't think God minds.  I remember going with my girlfriend Susanne and her family on Christmas Eve to their catholic church service.  It will be standing room only for this service.  Earlier in the evening Santa will arrive in the village square to greet all the children.  There will be music, games and food of course.

I will celebrate Christmas Day with Angela, Luigi and Stefano.  The girls will not make it home for Christmas but will most likely come in January for a visit.  After Christmas I will travel to Salerno for the "Salerno Luci d'artists".  This is an amazing display of "artistic" Christmas lights.  Every year they are different displays by artists and each street will have a theme.  The display starts in November and runs into late January to accommodate all the tourists that want to see it.  In addition I will go to a Live Precepe in a small village up in the mountains, Monteforte Cilento. I have been there one time before (in pouring down rain) so hoping for clear skies so I can get some great pictures  to share and maybe a video or two.  These Live Precepes are amazing. And they never start till after Christmas - How can you have a nativity before Christ was born? They do it right here.

So with that I will close.  Many blessings to you all this Christmas. I look forward to giving you a great update after the New Year!  

Baby It's Cold Inside

domenica, 3 dicembre,

December has arrived and with it cold (it's all relative I know) and wetter weather.  And with that I am learning how to cope with it - and the fact that my house is not heated except with the fireplace.  Sometimes it is warmer outside than inside my house.  That comes when your house is made of stone/brick/concrete - anything that does not retain heat.   A welcome fact in the heat of the summer but not so good in the winter.  

The cooler weather actually arrived last month.  So with each passing day I just added layers of clothes when I dressed in the morning. The temperatures now are in the 50's during the day but with the rain it is a damp and cold feeling.  If the sun is out it is beautiful and the late morning and early afternoon hours are heaven.  Some days I just sit outside and soak it up.  Many Friday mornings I meet friends at one of my favorite bars for coffee and we sit outside enjoying the sunshine.  Today, in between the rain, Angela, Luigi and I sat outside for an aperitivo at the bar next to the Parafarmacia in Bivio Acquavella.  The sun shown for our brief hour get together.  

Earlier in November I realized I may need to buy a small space heater.  I could use it during the day in my office, the kitchen or the bathroom.  In mentioning it to Angela she told me there was a spare heater in the upstairs house that no one was using. I was free to use it.  So I started using that - mostly in the bathroom in the morning and in the evening or when taking a shower.  Also fires in the evening became the norm.

A week ago I realized the small heater would not do the trick all winter.  Building a fire during the day was inconvenient as if I needed to run out I did not want to leave the fire burning.  So the next step was a bigger heater of some sort.  I started to research them and also talk to Luigi.  I am glad I did as he said the electrical service to the house probably would not handle the draw from an electric heater large enough to warm the main room.  But maybe a heater with gas would do the trick?  These heaters are very common here in southern Italy.   So Luigi helped me buy one along with a first tank of gas.  We took it home and Luigi put it all together for me. These are just like the heaters used for outside dining - only on a smaller scale and its on wheels so I can move it around.  So now I have options!!!  I love options.  But more important Oscar and I can stay warm in our house.  

Oscar very happy and toasty warm!

And he loves our new space heater!

Winter is just starting. We don't get snow in southern Italy - at least on the ground we don't. Today while having our aperitivo we looked up and in the mountains there was snow.  I must say it was pretty but I say that knowing there is a small probability of any of it landing on the ground at the lower elevations - (she says with her fingers crossed)!   I know it doesn't happen often as there are many winter gardens planted.  Winter vegetables are many different types of broccoli, cauliflower, and the start of the artichoke season.  I can't wait to learn some new recipes for artichokes (carciofi) from Angela.  

Snow capped mountains surrounding southern Italy

There are not too many signs of Christmas yet.  The stores of course are decorated but not much else.  The start of the Christmas season will start to ramp up beginning this Friday, December 8th for the "Feast of the Immaculate Conception". It is a National Holiday. I will be flying off to Germany for a fun weekend visit with my cousin Doria and her family.  I am excited to go to the famous German Christmas markets.  When I return I will be in the spirit and will decorate my house - inside and out.  Looking forward to telling you all about the wonders of Christmas, here in southern Italy.