When last I left you I had just celebrated Christmas and traveled to see the presepe in Monteforte Cilento. The week between Christmas and New Years is much like the states. Schools are still on vacation as are many people. It is a quiet time but you can tell everyone is ramping up for New Years Eve. In addition people are also looking forward to Befana.
From Wikipedia:
In popular folklore Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany to fill their socks with candy and presents if they are good, or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. In many poorer parts of Italy and in particular rural Sicily, a stick in a stocking was placed instead of coal. Being a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. To some the sweeping meant the sweeping away of the problems of the year. The child's family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels of food, often regional or local, for the Befana.[3]
In the grocery stores the mountains of Panettone and Prosecco have now been replace with items for Befana. They don't call Befana a witch however, but an ugly old women - but every Befana I have seen sure looks like a witch to me. See for your self. You tell me - Witch or no Witch?
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| Befana Doll |
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| Mountains of sweets for Befana |
I had a pretty quiet New Years Eve and New Years Day but it did involve food - surprise surprise. During the day on New Years Eve, Oscar and I took a walk on the beach. It was very peaceful.
That evening Angela and Luigi came to my house for New Years Eve - Vigilia. Angela made Lentils and sausage and I made pulled pork. Lentils are very traditional for New Years Eve in Italy - to bring good fortune in the new year. I wanted to introduce them to pulled pork. I don't have a slow cooker yet so I had to use a different recipe for making it in the oven. It was a hit. We even stayed up until Midnight to bring in the New Year. I haven't done that in ages. We toasted with Prosecco and had some Panettone. TV here is similar in that they are live music shows with a count down. They even used the English word "count down". New Years Day Angela made a big meal for lunch and then we watched some great classical concerts on TV. I remember doing that when I would visit my mother in Chicago. We both loved to watch classic concerts on TV.
But after New Years Day (Capodanno) there was still fun to be had. All the Lista children (young adults) would be home for the weekend. They had not all been together in 5 or 6 years so Angela and Luigi were very excited. We decided we would all go to Salerno on Saturday to see the "Luci d'Artista" display of lights. I did post quite a few pictures on Facebook but I have now created a movie of the shots and little videos I took. I have also added additional pictures from the evening below.
https://youtu.be/y4zIZGW3_p4
Luci d'Artista is in its 12th year. Each year the lights are different. There are 4 themes and each theme will have multiple light displays throughout the city. Some displays will be one panel of lights while others will fill a piazza or an entire street. There are 37 different displays. We were there for 4 1/2 hours and did not see it all. It fills the city from one end to the other. It is absolutely amazing. We took the train (about an hour ride with stops) so no hassles with cars and parking. Once at the station you are in the heart of Salerno and ready to go. First things first though - caffè!! With a shot of espresso we are now ready to take in the sights. Also it was still light out when we arrived so we went to see some art at a famous museum. The Museo Diocesano San Matteo dates to the 1800's but the art inside was from the 1300's and 1400's, all of it related to the church and its history. Also on display in the church courtyard were some sand sculptures. They had one of the pope and one of Donald Trump.
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| Sand Sculpture of the Pope |
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| Sand Sculpture of Trump |
It was not a flattering sculpture of Trump as they were depicting him as a melting iceberg (if it was only that simple) due to his decision to pull the US out of the Paris Climate Accord. Europe does not like him - no surprise there. I am in good company!
After touring the museum it was dark out and we were ready to walk, walk and walk some more. We only stopped once to get some street food - melted caciocavallo cheese on grilled bread along with a glass of wine. YUM!!!
I have included a short video of the stand. The vendors were very vocal in an effort to get you to stop and eat - what fun!!!
https://youtu.be/GYNAYHlKACw
There were other sites to see besides the lights. There was a presepe by an artist that had recently passed away. This one was all paper/cardboard stand up characters. Everyone in the presepe, excluding the biblical characters, was a famous person from Salerno. I didn't know any of them but the display was amazing. Such creativity.
It was a great adventure especially because the entire family was able to share it together.
So now that the holiday season is past - bring on Spring!!
