Ferragosto

Today is the Ferragosto. This Catholic holiday celebrates the Virgin Mary’s assumption into heaven. This is one of the most popular holidays in Italy. The whole country has the day off. Most Italians head to the beach on this day. Last year at this time, I was also in Sicily. Sick with the stomach flu, I stayed in bed while my family spent the day eating and playing bocce ball at a relative’s house.

Today started out low key. My family held a dinner that only my three first cousins and their family attended. It was the usual routine; we ate and then slept for hours.

Later in the evening one of my distant cousins invited me to go to the festival in a town nearby, Randazzo. We took the old city streets to enter the heart of town. I never thought I was claustrophobic until the car passed through a strict stone street edged out by the townhouses lined up on each side. I held my breath as the car slid through a road so tight that at one point we had to pull the mirrors in to avoid scrapping the side of a wall.

The town was filled with stands selling sausage, nuts and children’s toys and balloons. There were carnival rides spread throughout the streets. My favorite was a rainbow lighted Ferris wheel that blasted rock music as it spun faster and faster.

Spinning Wheel.

Later we sat on one of the many church steps eating pistacchi. This is when we ran into a friend who was also a local. When she found out I was American she took it upon herself to show me around her city. I managed to take some photos of the narrow city streets and the monument the city constructs in memory of the Virgin Mary. She told me that during the day children are placed in the tall structure for the ceremony which most of the town attends. This day made up for the time I missed out on last year.

Tribute to Mary.

Lead photo: Via Degli Archi (Street of Arches).