Donazione Update: The Waiting Game

Ciao! For everyone who has been sending me emails asking
about the festa competition…. Tonight is the night that the winning rione will
be announced. So stay tuned.

It has been a crazy, crazy, hectic, HOT, fun filled
week.  All the plays have been
played, everyone has done their best and now it’s up to the judges.   Del Monte’s play or spettacolo
was a moody, after the battle scene with fantastic gory wound make-up, great
use of a shadow screen to simulate the battle and a tale of intrigue and
deception. Del Borgo was a visual extravaganza with eerie witches, flag
throwers, Death on stilts, and a dramatic, lone knight in shining armor.  Del Verziere’s spettacolo was the Cecil
B. DeMille inspired tale of the battle of Perugia. We had a cast of thousands,
a horse, chickens, scary looking soldiers and a tragic love story. As always,
I’m utterly amazed at the overall production quality, the amount of hard work
and dedication that it takes to pull off these spettacolos is staggering.

The tavernas are packed every night, turning out mountains
of food, filling the air with smoke and the aroma of roasting meat.  The piazza has been packed, literally
bursting with people, until the wee hours of the morning. And each morning,
everyone is sleeping in just a little bit later.

It’s late afternoon, and I can hear the sounds of the Del
Verziere taverna being readied for tonight and I actually just got a whiff of
tomato sauce. But most of all, you can feel the tension in the air. Small
groups are huddled together discussing the merits of each of the plays as they
glance around at their neighbors wondering what the outcome will be.  Objectivity may be in short supply, but
passion is alive and well in Montone.