SS. MEDICI Cosma e Damiano and nearly stars in an Italian movie!!!
The procession was going to stop the traffics so we were told by our host to get there well before 6pm, so we parked the car and looked to see if we could see where it was going.
We asked an old bloke and him with his no English and me with my no Italian except for both of our miming skills we ended up on a film location in the centre of the old town.
Hmmm missed something in the interpretation but I did say centro and the big church which is were we thought the saints were coming and going from. As we were leaving the car I gestured that I need a ticket for the car but him looking at the car and than at us thought that maybe we were the stars late for the set, or maybe famous Aussie extras .... you never know....
So as he directed us all the time hand signalling how to get back to our car so we wouldn't get lost in the small allies. Our man all 4 foot 2 walked us through the crowds so proud he was showing us right to the prime location, all the time smiling and chatting to all his friends along the way, proberly telling them to stand back he was helping the international stars. But alas our moments sitting in the square came to a abrupt end as a very loud non english speaking Italian producer moved us from the beautiful seat in the main square with a great view of the church and us still unaware we were right in the middle of a film shoot.
So that explained all the roads blockages and the huge vans filled with TV monitored and the like the huge boom holding the camera, thought it was a bit of an overkill to move two saints.
So with more directions this time from someone that spoke some English we are set off walking again to the other side of town. At last we see the procession turning it's first corner in the distance coming out of a crumbled 600 year old church and through the streets. It is heading to another church so that that congregation would be able to have the statues for a few months then back home they will go.
We followed the procession for sometime with about several hundred other. It was a great glimpse into village life. All the streets were lined with red crape paper and candles with pictures of the new pope stuck to them. Palm fronds and religious icons lining the street and hanging in the doorways.
The two statues about 2 m tall were transported on a large tall flatbed trolly draped with black fabric to the ground to cover the huge wheels and was help by 8 men dressed in black. The trolly was covered with beautiful flowers, no ex penance spared. In front of the statues was the priests all in long white robes and behind the statues were 2 rows of 2 ladies about 100 long x 4 in total all arm in arm and carrying palm fronds and dressed in black. Behind was the congregation again all in orderly rows.
So another off the beaten track but this time a religious experience.
I got a postcard that now sits on my dashboard so hoping it makes our car look like a locals and not a smash and grab tourist target.
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