The place was still full when I sat down around 3 o'clock, but by the time I finished my delicious lunch of rare tagliata, salad and two delicious glasses of their riserva vino nobile, I was the last customer of the day.
I went home for a bit to recharge my batteries, but got excited when I heard drumming nearby. I put on my coat and headed back up the hill to see what was going on.
Costumed revelers from the Gracciano Contrada were tossing colorful flags in the Piazza delle Erbe. I had seen a poster earlier in the day that the contrada was having a medeival parade, a Mass at their contrada church, then a big communal supper at a nearby hall.
The flag bearers continued their display, then all the costumed actors: the contrada king and queen and their court, all processed up the hill to the church for the mass. Everybody watching the spettacolo formed up behind them--me too-- and followed the beat of war drums and the waving of the flags. I felt like a local. It was fun!
At the piazza, the Christmas Market was in full swing. I saw my reflection in a window earlier today and decided that my gray coat and black beret looked drab so I planned to find myself a bright, Christmasy red scarf to add some color. Do you think I could find one? Not one red scarf in all the stalls. Sheesh!
While heading down the hill on Via Ricci, I came across a sign for a jazz concert at six o'clock. It was 6:10 but I went in and saw that the performance hadn't started yet. I bought a ticket and listened to the quartet play for an hour or so. They played some classic American jazz by Charlie Parker and Ornett Coleman, also a piece called "Bol Weevil Blues." It was funny to hear the Italian drummer try to explain to the audience what a bol weevil is. Most of the music was of the "fusion" variety that sounds to me like pigs being slaughtered. Not really my favorite and I'm glad the show only lasted an hour.
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