Arriving with Fireworks

Exhausted and full from our first Italian meals, we began to trudge back to our hotel room. Darkness had come, and the candles celebrating Luminara of Saint Ranieri were lit. The whole river and surrounding buildings were flanked with countless luminaries. The street vendors and booths were now up and running. Although tired, we decided to check it out, not wanting to miss a chance to see more of Italy's culture.

Marinated olives, anyone? Dried fruits and vegetables? A slice of cheese, perhaps? They even had a whole smoked pig that you could get a slice of to have with your cheese. No wonder Americans are fat - our fairs usually include funnel cakes and deep fried candy bars.

The city was packed with people. They lined the river, were perched up on the bridge, and were looking down from balconies along the way. It was like New Orleans during Mardi Gras, minus the beads and topless women. Groups were passing around bottles of wine and having impromptu picnics as they waited for the fireworks. We figured we would wait around, too. So, we waited. And waited. And waited. I learned that night how heavy a 3 year old gets when he is dead asleep, as I had to carry one back to the hotel. We found out from the hotel clerk that the fireworks were not going to go off until 11pm (we would have waited 3 hours...not happening).

Excited from the day's events and prospects of the next, DH and I stayed up to watch the fireworks from our room's balcony. It was truly a magical ending to an amazing first day in Italy.

Ciao' for now!