FESTIVAL BANDS WITH HAPPY TUNES IN GENOA

I could kick myself for not realising earlier last week that there was an International Music Festival going on in Genoa! Shame, as I missed the party in Porto Antico, where the Copenhagen Showband from Denmark danced on the street ( http://www.ilsecoloxix.it/p/multimedia/genova/2014/07/12/ARbWr5AB-grande_genova_tutto.shtml?hpar=1.) Some lucky friends had also been on Piazza Matteotti on Saturday evening where several bands played happy dancing tunes until very late into the night.

Finally I managed to see some of the action yesterday at Palazzo Ducale - last day of the festival - where bands from Hungary, France, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Israel, Italy and Spain entertained an enthusiastic audience with everything from old classical numbers to jazzy pieces of contemporary film music.

Concert Band of Sarvar from Hungary 

The Junior Orchestr Plzen from Czech Republic has won several band competitions and it showed, they were a joy to listen to. 

This was the sixth time Filarmonica Sestrese www.imf.filarmonicasestrese.com has organised such a huge, international gathering for brass bands, marching bands and youth orchestras. The whole event was free to the general public, thanks to generous sponsorship from the public and private sector.

When one band finished, another one took the stage. Here are members of the German band Fanfarengarde getting ready to play.

SEDUCED BY FRUITS OF SUMMER

Today I felt like a modern day hunter gatherer after a little stroll on our street. 

There are two tiny shops (literally the size of one small room each) selling organic, home grown veggies and fruits. It is always worth going into these shops to see what is on offer and worry about recipes later. In any case, I have stopped making shopping lists since it is a totally useless activity here: I am so easily seduced by whatever looks delicious. Even though I am not always sure what to do with some less familiar vegetables (for some reason artichokes come to mind), I trust that Jamie, Nigella and others have explored this neighbourhood before me and I have never been let down by any of them yet. 

Right now it looks like cherries are on their way out, but on the other hand fresh figs have arrived. Nigella suggests figs preserved in rum and I might try that. I also picked a bunch of dried oregano - the perfume is simply divine and it looks pretty on the kitchen counter too. The blueberries were a bit of a surprise, since they were not particularly sweet, but they will taste perfect in muffins or mixed with yoghurt and sunflower seeds with little bit of honey for breakfast. Garlic makes a regular appearance in almost anything I cook and the cloves of these were big and plump. The lemons are from a friend who came by yesterday and said that there is too much growing in her garden and would I like to have some. Yes, please!  

PROTECTOR OF THE SEA AND THE VERY FIRST VEGAN SAINT

Yesterday afternoon we went to watch a ceremony in the small boat harbour in Nervi.  It was the annual blessing of the sea by Saint Francis of Paola (or Francesco di Paola as he is better known here). Last year we missed it, so I was glad we had an opportunity to see it now.
   It was a hot day and there was quite a crowd watching the procession of the statue of Francis arriving to the porticiolo. First, he was transferred to a small boat with the priest from the local parish and they then went out to the sea.

Francis is thought to be the patron saint of all mariners, boatsmen and the navy. As with all saints, there are many stories about miracles associated with him.

  According to one legend, Francis of Paola was once refused a passage by a boatman when crossing the Strait of Messina to Sicily. Despite this setback, Francis managed to get to the other side. He put his cloak on the water and made it a rudimentary sail by tying it on his staff www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Paola. The wind took to the sail and carried Francis over.

A small number of boats followed to the spot where the actual blessing took place, while the spectators on shore were entertained by a local brass band. They returned 15 minutes later and St Francis was put back on dry land. Couple of very strong looking guys lifted up a big cross of Christ, followed by the statue of Francis and then the procession moved towards the small harbour, stopping every now and then for prayers.

Slowly, we approached the local church, which was not far away.

The bells of the church started playing a very joyful melody as soon as the procession appeared.This was definitely not a pre-recorded tape, but someone who was clearly enjoying a bit of a "solo".
  St Francis, by the way, founded an order of monks. He was very fond of animals and therefore this must have been the very first vegan order in the world as the monks were not allowed to eat meat, fish, dairy, eggs or cheese. Quite ahead of his time, I think.

A GARAGE IS WORTH A FORTUNE

"There in 5, just have to find a parking space first!" said a text from a friend. 

I know what this means. The chances of finding a parking space near our apartment on a busy weekend night is slim and it might be closer to 15 minutes before my friend appears. But in truth, finding a free parking space in whole of Genoa is a real pain. 

We don't own a car at the moment because it is more practical and less costly than having one. True, there has been moments when I wish we had a car, for example, when I am coming home from a supermarket with three bags instead of one, when waiting for trains which never arrive or not being able to drive to a beach in France at a moment's notice without planning well ahead and renting a car. 

  But if we had one, we would almost certainly also need a garage or "box" as it is more commonly known. These are not cheap: they cost anything between 50 000 to 120 000 euro to buy, providing that you find one in the first place. When buying an apartment, a box  is not necessarily included in the deal either. Instead of sinking this amount of money just to keep the car out of the street, many people prefer to rent a parking space or a box. This is considerably cheaper, approximately 80 to 100 euro a month. 

For the time being, owning a car is more trouble than it's worth for us, but who knows, one day we might be in a queue for a box... 

DIET ALONE DOES NOT EXPLAIN ITALIAN LONGEVITY

I was recently introduced to an elderly Italian lady, who turned out to be the mother of a friend. She looked very elegant, not a hair in a wrong place, well dressed and slim. She was well over 70, but if she would have told me that her age is 60, I would have totally believed her. I also know another lady, who lives on her own, walks without any difficulties and seems to be in excellent physical health in general. Every day she leaves her apartment to have a walk, looking like she has just come out from a beauty salon with perfect make-up and hair. I was genuinly surprised when she told me her age: 83. Elderly Italian men also seem to be well preserved. My favourite butcher's shop is run by a gentleman,who I suspect is close to 90. 

  It is often said that the Mediterranean diet is the reason for longevity. Lots of fruity olive oil, fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit every day plus couple of glasses of red wine with a meal. A good, healthy diet is certainly a factor. 

  But there are other reasons, too.  

  Elderly people are an inseparable part of a larger community here. They go to shops, they stop to say "ciao" to friends, they talk in small groups on street corners every afternoon. They know everyone's family histories because in general people don't move very often but stay in the same neighbourhood several decades. They work way past official retirement age, especially, if it is a family business. 

  Ladies go to dance classes and walk up mountains. They might think about marrying again after 70. 

  Elderly people use local buses to the extent where all the seats meant for invalids are already taken by the most deserving cases and there might be elderly men and women supported by walking sticks standing. I have often seen an elderly person sitting on a balcony or watching out of the window to the street, observing passers-by. 

   When the time comes, I wish I will be like them: moving, shaking and passionately screaming one word - life! 

GIRO D'ITALIA WAS HERE!

Italian flags and pink balloons were flying high in the Ligurian Riviera and Genoa today, when the Giro d'Italia cyclists showed who are the true kings of the road. They were welcomed by cheering crowds who were shouting words of encouragement and applauding to the fast pedalling group trying to complete stage 11 of the race today.

The route started in Collecchio and finished in Savona, total of 249 kilometres. We managed to get a glimpse of them in Nervi around 2. 40 PM. Luckily our neighbours have a balcony facing the street and we all took positions, cameras ready, just on time: it was all over in 20 seconds!

 There is clearly an enourmous organisation behind this race and this could be appreciated both while waiting for the cyclists to appear and when they had become tiny spots on the road.

Even though the whole moment was over in matter of seconds, there was a feeling of a carneval in the air long time after the cyclists were gone!

CATS ARE THE NATION'S FAVOURITE PETS

I love cats, but cannot have one in the apartment because a) our rental contract stipulates that pets are not allowed and  b) I have become allergic to hair in animals. In the past our family has had both cats and dogs in large numbers, but the circumstances were very different in Africa, where our pets were able to walk in and out of the house freely. 

  Soon after moving to the new apartment I realised that there are at least three cats, who come and go to our nearest rooftop to enjoy the sun. They can be seen on a particular part of the roof almost every day. I don't know who owns them, but these cats are one of the largest specimens I have ever seen. Well fed with shiny coats, too. I have tried to observe them discreetly, because they are not very trusting of strangers. They are actually positively hostile, as cats often are (until you start feeding them, which I have promised not to do). But they do allow me to adore them from afar. 

Living in a small apartment is no obstacle for Italians. According to a survey published last year, 55.3 % of Italian families have one or more pets. Cats are leading the popularity charts with 7.5 million of them having a loving Italian owner. Dogs come a close second with 7 million having been accepted as a member of the family. 1.8 million rabbits, hamsters and mice have also been included in the statistics collected by Assalco, an association for pet nutrition and health. 

  Dogs are especially visible on the streets and public places. They travel in buses and trains. They come to shops and owners may even allow their dogs to share the shopping trolley with their purchases, especially in IKEA. It is not uncommon to see a resident dog in a shop welcoming customers or preventing them to enter the establishment (in which case they may have misunderstood their role a bit). There may even be a sign on the shop window informing customers that they can take their dog into the shop but they must be aware that there already is a "friendly" canine inside. 

   Most restaurants have no problem for a dog to wait under the table while their owners are having a meal. I have even been in a classical music concert in Genoa, where a fairly large dog was sitting next to its owner throughout the concert. Granted, it was an afternoon matinee and not a symphony orchestra either, but I was astonished to see such a well behaving dog.

  Dog ownership comes with regulations to know and obey. If you are moving to Italy from an EU country or anywhere else, remember to register your dog's residency in the local Anagrafe Canina (the vet will know). A friend of ours was recently fined for about 50 euro for having an unregistered "alien dog". This was discovered when three officials stopped him in the street and checked the dog's microchip with a small buzzing device. Not knowing about the rules was not accepted as an excuse. He had to pay the fine.