Normally any deaths in the comune are announced by black banded notices appearing on the town’s notice boards. Now, the comune is being more positive and are putting up notices welcoming new “citizens” of the town and congratulating the parents.
San Giorgio, like the rest of Italy, has not been immune to the development of a multicultural society and unusual first names and surnames are appearing everywhere.
Yesterday was a beautiful day in the Marche. We had been invited for lunch by Katia and Giovanni. It was in their apartment at Torrette, near the beach. We were expecting an intimate lunch for 4 but had a family lunch for 10. Despite a small kitchen we managed to have: lasagne, roast beef, roast chicken, roast goose, stuffed artichoke hearts, spinach, strawberries and finally, because it was “Festa della mamma” a celebratory sponge cake. All this was accompanied by boistrous family conversation ranging from the man killed by the donkey, the mayoral election, coastal erosion, germans etc.
After such a good time we went to the beach for a bit of R&R. We met some friends from last year and got up to date on the news chief of which was that Maria and Francesco, two stalwarts of the San Giorgio/Torrette beach community had sold their apartment and bought a new one about 2 kilometres away.
The beach was quiet with a few people venturing into the sea – still rather cold for Italians. But the sun was warm, the sea breeze cooling and all is ready for the new beach season.
Oscar Wilde is very popular in Italy – or at least his witticisms are. Was talking to Gabriele, the owner of a local restaurant who asked if we preferred Italy of England as a place to live. As there is no simple yes/no answer we began to hum and ha. Gabriela then said that perhaps it was like Oscar Wilde and gave the quote “il paradiso lo preferisco per il clima, l’inferno per la compagnia” (I prefer heaven for the climate, but hell for the company).
Getting some petrol at the garage in San Giorgio I asked if the rumour that they would be opening a bar was true. The new owner said that it was, and that the request for permission is currently with the town hall and they hope it may be possible to open by the Summer. It will basically be a wooden hut behind the garage but if it does nice coffee and brioche it will be welcome.
Hunting is popular in San Giorgio and the surrounding areas and so many people keep hunting dogs. Some people both hunters and non-hunters feel that many dogs are kept in unsuitable conditions. In the last couople of weeks an environmental inspector has been inspecting the areas where the dogs are kept and some people have been fined for various breaches of the rules e.g. not having them tagged, insufficient kennel space (the law states that if the dogs are kept in a cage then the cage should be a minimum of 8 sq metres. The work of the inspector has upset many in the hunting community and there was a stormy meeting last week to discuss the issues. The feeling was that the inspector was being over zealous and that the regulations are too strict. However, the action appears to have had some impact as some owners are, appartently, refurbishing their kennel areas.
On Tuesday went, with a keen gardening friend Elizabeth, to Budrio near Bologna. Apparently famous as a research centre for prosthetic limbs, it is also home of Flora2000, a garden centre. The owner has an occasional programme on TV and is very personable and knowledgable. So we hoped for good things from the garden centre. After nearly 2 hours driving we arrived and were not disappointed. It was well laid out and every plant had a name and a price. Unlike garden centres near San Giorgio there was no need to ask a member of staff where a plant was and how much it costs. At the cash desk we did ask about somewhere to eat and we were directed to a nearby restaurant. After the long drive we were ready for cold meats, followed by taglioni with sage and butter, a mix (roast meats and boiled meats with roast potatoes and vegetables), pudding, coffee and wine. Portions were on the large size and we manged the trip back to San Giorgio without falling asleep at the wheel. For us a lovely day out, for our Italian friends a long way for just a few plants.
Beautiful sunny weather during the day has meant morning mists (view from kitchen window). Sometimes so heavy and occasionally long lasting, that it stops planes landing at Ancona airport. We discovered this when returning to Italy last week. Unable to land at Ancona the plane had to land at Perugia and we were then taken by bus to Ancona (2 hrs). Instead of arriving at 1.00 we arrived at 5.00. Being Ryan Air only buses = no refreshments were provided.
A second grouping is ready to present itself to the people of San Giorgio for mayoral election in June. The leader of the group, Insieme for San Giorgio (Together for San Giorgio) is Sabrina Ceccarelli (front row, woman in white)
They will present their ideas for the future of San Giorgio in a public meeting after Easter.
There is a two day, an under 16 football tournament in San Giorgio and Orciano this week. There are teams from San Giorgio, Orciano, Mondavio, Calcinelli and two teams from France. Age restrictions are to be strictly applied and so the San Giorgio team, which normally fields some 13 and 14 year olds, will bring in some new 15 and 16 year olds. So perhaps now San Giorgio has a chance of bringing home the trophy.
Sam, the cat, returned from her day at the Vet’s. She was staggering a bit after the anaesthetic but able to eat and drink and climb on the sofa for a cuddle. She had already lost her two fangs and the vet removed another couple of teeth which were rotten. So we have decided to call her gummy. She continues with her anti-biotics to ensure the gum inflammation but otherwise appears to be in good health.