What a time we had getting here. We arrived in Roma (Rome) at about 9:15am after a 2 hour plane ride to Charlotte, a 4 hour layover, and a 9 hour plane ride to Roma. We were hoping to catch the 10:43am train to Terni that would get us in at 12:35pm when someone was able pick us up. We bought tickets for the train at one of the self serve ticket machines. It’s not hard at all; select what language you want to use, type in the town you’re going to, and select the train and fare rate (there is first and second class). We had to change trains once. When we get off to switch trains it was not apparent which train we were to catch. After speaking with an attendant (who spoke very little English) we found out the train we were waiting for no longer ran and the attendant didn't know why we were able to buy a ticket for it in the first place. Even worse there was no way to get to Terni from that station. So we had to find the metro to the main Roma train station. Luckily that train station also had a metro stop. If we could get to the main train station quickly we could catch a train getting us to Terni by 2pm. After arriving at the main station we could not locate the train we wanted and we discover that that train, and the next one, had been canceled for today. We eventually get on a train that will get us there and we arrive at about 3:15pm. Now, since we are so late getting to Terni, there is no one to meet us at the train. We were unable to make a phone call so we have to get on a bus to Torre Orsina which leaves at 4pm. We finally arrive on our cousin’s doorstep at about 4:35pm. All this while dragging two suitcases and two carry-on suitcases and the weather is HOT, HOT, HOT. A few times I felt like the journey would never end, we would just go on and on using every possible mode of transportation.
By now if we go to sleep we will not get on Italian time quickly, so we get a shower. Feeling a little refreshed we visit with the family. Our cousin, Daniela, who usually is our translator, is out of town now, so we are on our own. I speak very little Italian and the other cousins speak no English. I surprise myself with not how much I can speak, but with how much I understand, and if all else fails I break out my little dictionary and we manage somehow.
We have arrived at the beginning of Torre Orsina’s annual festival, Festa de Torre Orsina, a festival honoring the town’s patron saints, Saint Rocco and Saint Teadore. It is an annual event that has been going on since 1529 - yes, 482 years!! At 8pm dinner begins. A long table for 200 is assembled down the main street of the town. It felt like we were in a movies scene.
We ate with Eugenio and Maria Giulia. We had a mix of antipasta, pasta with ragu and truffles, a mix of grilled sausage and pork, salad, local wine and for dessert fresh ricotta and frutti de bosco jam.
At about 10pm a band started playing in the main piazza. Talk about a wide range of music! They played everything from Italian favorites to Pink Floyd. Many people danced in the piazza and they even had some line dancing to Italian songs (no steps I knew). They even played the “Waca Waca” song we dance to in Zumba.
Finally, at about 1am, we said basta (enough). We had been up for 37 hours and needed some sleep. Our room at Elda’s house faces the piazza where the band played until 2am. Elda has no air conditioning or fans, and Italy is having a heat wave at the moment, so needless to say it was a little warm for sleeping. It’s cool at night, but there are no screens on the windows, so if you leave the shutters up pigeons may fly in the bedroom in the morning.