Buon Anno

Happy New Year to All!

Hoping each of you had a wonderful time ringing in the new year and wishing you all the best in the coming year and beyond.

During our celebration here we observed many Italian traditions, beginning with the wearing of the red underwear. I'm not entirely sure what it is supposed to signify, but both Amy and I wore red undershirts, much to the delight of our Italian friends! We gathered early to partake of the traditional New Year's Eve feast, a stew of Cotechino Modena and Lenticchie di Onano served with mashed potatoes. Cotechino is basically a sausage, spiced similarly to salami, but not dried out. The richness of the food speaks to hope for plenty in the coming year. Lenticchie are lentils. They are eaten to insure wealth in the coming year. Mashed potatoes are mashed potatoes ... not sure what they signify. Traditionally the meal would be eaten as late as possible, spilling from the old year to the new. However, I am battling a cold and we haven't stayed up to welcome the new year for almost a decade now, so it didn't seem necessary to burn the midnight oil. After a walk down to the main square where a rock band was warming up for a free, open air concert we headed home and went to bed.

Until midnight when all hell broke loose. It would seem that Italians like fireworks and like making VERY loud noises. We aren't talking a few strings of firecrackers here. Whatever the popper of choice was, it is significantly more powerful. It sounded almost like we were under attack. Small arms going off all around us in the street and even in the courtyard behind us, with the booming of the overhead fireworks display filling in the background. The noise lasted for well over half an hour with sporadic pops for hours after that. According to one of our friends, a significant number of people end up in the hospital with significant firecracker-related injuries every year. So, best laid plans aside, Amy and I did manage to see the start of the new year!