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Published: August 31st 2015
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The Wedding
A group photograph of family members Saturday was the Wedding Day for Diego and Elisa but not until mid-afternoon. We visited Concordia Saggitarius to view the Roman ruins around and under the Basilica. There was a wedding happening at the Basilica so we skipped that but the surrounding area is managed as a Museum which is surprisingly gratis. We walked around below ground under the Piazza which had been dug out, propped up and paved over to show the original building remains. There is an area of 5000sq m of an old Basilica with the original mosaic floor. Amazingly we were allowed to walk all over it and see the site up close. The engineering that has been done to shore up the site is amazing. It’s well worth a visit.
In the afternoon we went to the farm where the family were all ready to depart to the church for the wedding. We were to follow Piero in his car which was just as well. We went on a route that we would never have been able to follow without a GPS. On and on we went for 25km until we came to a little church in the middle of the countryside down a gravel
road. What a beautiful spot. We gather that the church is significant because other members of the family were married there. It was a very old church, small, painted with ancient frescoes and surrounded by tall trees. There wasn’t a lot of room in the church for many people but we managed to get ourselves in for the service which was a full Nuptial Mass. There was no liturgy but people seemed to know all the words and replies off by heart. It was a long service, made longer by the fact we didn’t understand the language. Compared to home, it was a marriage service followed by a Communion service. Very symbolic and quite different to our garden and church weddings. Those standing outside would have been grateful for the shade from the trees and a running spring with cool water. Following the throwing of rice and taking of photos after the wedding, we followed in convoy back to the farm.
The family farm was a wonderful venue for the wedding. It is in the quiet countryside surrounded by vineyards. A large marquee had been set up beautifully for the wedding celebration with the house and sheds used for
The wedding marquee at the farm
There was also a tent for the band and another for the children storage, refrigeration, electricity and cooking. Another area was set with nibbles and drinks. A tent was provided for the children and another tent for the musicians. The musicians were fantastic – we believe a local band who played all the music we know from the 60’s. Music to clap, dance and sing to and all in English although we believe the musicians didn’t speak English.
We were seated for the meal with we 5 Kiwis, Pierina and Piero, a couple from further south and Nevio, an Italian Canadian who of course spoke excellent English and acted as our interpreter. Further along was Nico who got steadily louder as the night went on. Courses of food were spaced out throughout the night starting with pasta, then risotto, then BBQ’ed meat and finally dessert and coffee. In between we danced and forgot our ages and had a good time. We were particularly taken by a little girl who wanted to dance with everyone, to be swung around and jumped about. After midnight she was still in full swing.
I should of course mention the bride and groom responsible for this gathering. Diego looked very handsome and scrubbed up very well
The mosaic floor
On the floor of a recovered basilica beneath the existing one at Concordia Sagittarius for his marriage. Elisa of course looked stunning as a bride. She is slight, not very tall and of fine features. She had a gorgeous dress and her headdress was particularly appealing for her. They made a lovely couple and we trust they have a long and happy life together.
Whereas at home our after wedding function would have some formality with speeches etc, this one wasn’t. It was a relaxed celebration with no speeches and just a time to enjoy the being together and having a party.
We eventually left at around 1am after a long and enjoyable day.
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