Viva gli sposi!

Yesterday our friends, Ilaria and Edu got married. Our previous Italian wedding experience was pretty sedate - no one got drunk, no one danced, and it just wasn't very festive.

Ilaria and Edu's wedding was completely different. It took place in Calcata, the town where they live, so already a bit off the beaten track in more ways than one. Calcata is a town renown in Rome for its artists community and hippie-ish culture and many Romans head out there for day trips on the weekend. There was definitely an eclectic mix of people in the crowd.

Ilaria who is my age is very atypical of other Italian women I know. She's lived in different countries, had two children out of wedlock, has now married Edu, 13 years younger and the father of her youngest child. She is an artist specializing in recycling glass and makes a mean mosaic - she does amazing work. Her and Edu opened a small artist/fair trade/organic crepe shop in Trevignano Romano. She's vegetarian also and our mothering styles are very similar. Besides my friend Stefania, she is one of the few Italian friends I have who shares a lot of the same philosophies and opinions. Believe it or not, I have not found it that easy to become friends - I mean REALLY friends - with Italian women as a foreigner. I have many superficial relationships here, but nothing like the kind of relationships I have with American girlfriends.

Well, back to the wedding. The ceremony was also in a town hall recited by the mayor, and although it was dry and boring (decidedly unromantic to have civil codes read out loud at a wedding), it was peppered by some of the eccentrics in the crowd who kept bursting out with sentiments. Afterwards, in piazza, a funky version of "Here comes the bride" and other songs were played by a group of street musicians and Ilaria and Edu and the family posed for pictures. The bride looked radiant in a gold strapless gown, orange shawl, white veil and ruby red shoes.

Finally, we all made our way about 2 kilometers out of town to another called Faleria for the reception which took place at a huge casale out in the countryside. And then the food began! Two English women who had known Ilaria when she lived in Nicaragua had flown out from London for the festivities and thought the antipasti portion of the reception was dinner! Oh no - at an Italian wedding the food and wine just keeps coming and coming and coming.

Throughout the night someone would spontaneously yell out "Viva gli sposi!" which means, "Hurray for the newlyweds!" and everyone would whoop and whistle and clap. This was inevitably followed by chants of "Bacio! Bacio! Bacio!" ("Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!") Lots of children, impromptu jam sessions by the various musicians there and lots of wine made for a very fun evening. If all Italian weddings were like it, I'd try to get to invited to another one as soon as possible!