Summer in a small Italian town

Summer is definitely here. Temperatures have been up in the 30s (Centigrade, that is), and there’s plenty of sweat to go around. There’s no air conditioning here either, certainly none in people’s homes, and not much in stores and offices either. This is where the thick brick-and-stone walls come into their own, keeping houses cool during even the hottest part of the day. Thankfully it’s not humid like the soup of North Carolina which I remember without any longing whatsoever.

HRH the boy king is obviously on holiday, now in his fourth week of it. A week ago we had our final parent-teacher conference where we were given Julius’ report card, which, I’m hugely proud to say, came back with a “distinto” (distinction, the second highest grade). Following this, we had an outdoor dinner with the parents and teachers of the schools fourth and fifth graders. It was a somewhat haphazard, disjointed affair, in other words very Italian, but that was no matter – the overall sentiment was one a warmth and harmony, and it just felt good to be part of it.

The first week of holiday HRH spent rolling around the house in agonized boredom until I took him up to Colmurano in the afternoons. The school playground in the center of town seems to exert a sort of popular gravitational pull, and so I frequently just drop him off there for a few hours, comfortable in the knowledge that soon there’ll be a throng of kids there, mostly ready to play football. The throngs extend well into the night, when the Italian habit of socializing takes hold, turning the playground and its surrounds into a buzz of conversation, companionship, and contentment.

The whole fabric of it all has been bolstered by the opening of an ice-cream shop right in the heart of it. Michael and Amanda Smith. Irish friends of ours and parents of Julius’ classmate Jack, once owned a chocolate factory in Ireland, and decided to give the ice cream thing a go here. They’re already fully integrated into the community anyway, and so their store enjoys a loyal patronage. The fact that the ice cream is made from raw milk and is delicious doesn’t hinder any either.

After a two-week visit by an American friend of Julius’ and his mother, which involved a fair amount of exploring in the beaches and mountains, the boy king is now on a summer camp, which involves four mornings a week at the beach, and one full day in the mountains. While 7:30am is a very early start for this household, we embraced the prospect of a healthy experience outdoors, swimming and such. Turns out that the beach mornings so far have included but a half-hour in the water, and a whole lot of contentious “playing” with kids from other schools. The “mountain” trip involved a drive down the road to the Abbadia di Fiastra, a working farm, hotel, church, and ex-monastery complex with fields to play on, and a good league or two from the mountains. So much for the hike in clear Apennine air that I envisaged. Oh well, at least he’s outdoors and enjoying more stimulation than he would get alone at home.

Next week Maria & Julius will be in Germany for a family visit and a dentist appointment (!), during which time Colmurano will have its renowned Arte Strada festival, with music and all sorts of performers in the streets. Apparently people come from all over the country for it, and last year there were some 30,000 people in the tiny piazza on Saturday night. I look forward to it with mixed emotions.

August, of course, all of Italy shuts down, and generally goes to the beach. We, however, won’t experience the phenomenon. That’s because we’ll be in South Africa. I think it will be easier to be down there than staying here and seeing absolutely nothing happening on our house. (More on this subject in another Daily update.)