Special Report

 I ordinarily write a blog post once per week, but yesterday was a highly unusual day so I am filing a special report.

Yesterday was John the Baptist Day in Florence.  John the Baptist (St. Giovanni) is the patron saint of Florence, and the importance of his feast day is right up there with Christmas in the Florentine calendar.  I only know this because the housekeeper who comes every two weeks told me she couldn't come yesterday because of the holiday.

Three major events are held on June 24th each year.  The first is a lengthy parade of people, cows and horses all dressed in Medieval costumes. All of them have their heads firmly on their shoulders. Thankfully, there were no reenactments of what happened to John the Baptist! I took these photos and videos from the television. We were advised to watch from home.









Do note that yesterday it was 94 degrees in Florence!  I don't have photos of the women participants, but most of them were wearing velvet gowns. 

The second event is a football cum soccer cum wrestling match in a specially constructed arena filled with sand and watered down so it becomes mud.  "The "game" is violent. No protective gear other than mouth guards is used.  We could not make heads nor tails of the rules, but it seems that if a player pins you down, he gets to sit on you indefinitely. Every fifteen minutes or so, someone would be carried off the field on a stretcher. The Florentines love it.  Again, we watched the game on TV.  It makes an American football game look like a performance of Swan Lake. Try to use the full screen when watching this video.


The reason I so urgently want to share this experience, is so I can say that while the Florentines only PRETEND they are in the Middle Ages, the US Supreme Court has ACTUALLY TAKEN US BACK THERE!  I was not shocked, but disgusted to hear the horrific news out of the court yesterday.  The way those justices LIED during their confirmation hearings was a grotesque display of dishonor.  Today I am truly ashamed to tell people where I am from.  Zack arrives for a visit on Monday. He has asked to look at real estate. I think he is only partially kidding.  We, in PA, simply MUST elect Josh Shapiro to the governorship.  Whatever it takes!

The third event of the day was a grand fireworks display over the Arno River.  We experienced this event live. It was spectacular indeed, but did little to lift my spirits after the insult of the day. 


I don't think there was a person left at home. After two years of cancellations, EVERYONE showed up for the event.  The walk home was a free-for-all.  Cars, motorcycles, strollers and hordes of people all vying for a few inches of personal space on the crowded streets. I can only hope the protests in the US are as well-attended.




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