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Our Families Italian wedding Adventure June 2013

Barb Cabot

10+ Posts
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Trip Report “Our Families Italian Wedding Adventure June 2013”
In June of 2013 our eldest daughter Aria was married in Palazzo San Gervasio, a small hilltop town in the region of Basilicata in southern Italy. The wedding took place there because her husband to be was born in that town and it is where the majority of his family reside (he is the youngest of nine children). At the time this was my third trip to Basilicata and the second Italian wedding I had ever experienced in Italy. I’m not sure, but it seems from what I’ve been told that the southern Italian families still adhere to many of the old traditions. Weddings are a big deal worldwide but here in the south they remain “a very big deal”. The festivities that precede and follow the wedding are monumental with many parties with the family and with the neighbors and community at large. The wedding celebrations span at least a three day period. I hope to show in the following blog posts how extensive the celebrations are.
All of the preparations before we arrived were planned and executed by the groom’s family. His sister’s and brother’s , nieces and nephews all were involved. There had been constant communication with the future bride and groom about every detail from flowers, to music to accommodations for guests who would be arriving from various parts of the United States and from Western Europe. Palazzo is a tiny town, you could drive through it very quickly and it is rare that tourists come through here. The few B & B’s are taken up by friends and family when they visit during the summer months (especially June and August for the special religious holidays). The B & B directly in town is called Palatium S.G. and I have reviewed it in the Travel to Italy Review section for accommodations. Here again is the link: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/5897120?guests=1&adults=1
The second night of celebration before the wedding day is a very old Italian custom. This night is called “La Seranata”. It is open to all the neighborhood and is something very special to experience. All the friends and family gather in the street in front of the brides home. (In the case of my daughter she is at the groom’s parents home). In olden days the groom or suitor would go to the home of the young woman and would serenade her below her window. If she would come out from the balcony it would mean that she accepts his proposal of love. Of course, now it is just more of a fun tradition as we know this wedding will take place the next day. Still the whole event is wonderful, and so much fun. My future son in law had to sing (the d.j. helped accompany him with music) and everyone (all the neighbors friends and family) filled the street cheering him on. There is a little game they play and at one point the doors of the balcony open and people begin to cheer and a broom stick with a doll on the end is poked out of the balcony. No bride yet! He has to sing more and still another tease, this time a bird flies out on a stick. Finally the bride comes out and the crowd goes crazy, cheering. She has said “Yes to his pleas of marriage.” He throws a rose up to the balcony. She catches it and then comes down the stairs to join her groom. It is quite a spectacle and so much fun. Then there is food and dancing all night long in the streets below. Then everyone up bright and early the next day for the church ceremony and the festivities of the reception to follow.
The wedding site is called Villa Ester. This is a beautiful venue just 5 minutes drive outside the city proper. They are a full service site and really know how to create an elegant wedding. I have never experienced any thing like this extravaganza. Let me just say and this is not an exaggeration you will arrive after the church wedding service to an outdoor appetizer and wine service that will last for at least an hour with tables of beautiful hors d'oeuvres, wheels of cheese served by white gloved waiters. I was forewarned by my daughter not to go crazy here as the rest of the day until the wee hours of night would be a seated dinner service consisting of course after course for another eight hours. How does one consume that much food? Well in the grand Italian style there is much dancing and entertainment between courses. Around 10 PM there is a break and everyone goes outside to the courtyard for a grand fireworks display and then you return to the main ball room where they have set up tables of desserts. I mean every kind of dessert and pastry you could dream of, plus a fountain of chocolate and fruits to dip therein. Then, and yes, there is a then you return outside to a lovely garden seated area where the wedding cake is in a giant sea shell. Cake is served and more dancing outside. Around midnight white gloved waiters wheel out another table with plates to serve Pasta! Oh my goodness. It just goes on and on. Villa Ester is also a hotel so guests may choose to stay there. Here is the link:
http://www.hotelvillaester.it/hve/
Over the recent years with a great many people becoming interested in visiting areas of southern Italy like the historic “Matera” in Basilicata, tourists are discovering a different aspect of Italy. It truly is a wonderful and most different side to a beautiful country. Southern Italy provides an earthy and in many ways untouched by massive tourism experience. I highly recommend a trip south.
The following multiple posts from my blog follow the journey of our daughter's wedding.
I hope to share with you , the love, the sense of joy and of course the food and celebration of this special time in Italy.

Here is my first blog entry:
https://followbarbsbliss.blogspot.com/2014/06/good-morning-palazzo-san-gervasio.html

"Pizza Italian style with Friends" https://followbarbsbliss.blogspot.com/2014/06/pizza-italian-style-with-friends.html

"La Serenata Part I"
https://followbarbsbliss.blogspot.com/2014/06/la-seranata-part-1.html

“La Seranata part 2”
https://followbarbsbliss.blogspot.com/2014/06/la-seranata-part-2.html

"Part 3 Dancing the Night Away"
https://followbarbsbliss.blogspot.com/2014/06/la-seranata-part-3-dancing-night-away.html

"The Morning of the Wedding- the Bride and Groom Get Ready" https://followbarbsbliss.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-morning-of-italian-wedding-bride.html

"The Morning of the Italian Wedding the Family Gathers Before Church" https://followbarbsbliss.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-morning-of-italian-wedding-family.html

"The Church Wedding Ceremony in Italy" https://followbarbsbliss.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-church-wedding-ceremony-in-italy.html

"The Italian Reception Begins with Cocktails and Appetizers" https://followbarbsbliss.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-italian-reception-begins-with.html

"Il Ricevimento- the Reception Continues" https://followbarbsbliss.blogspot.com/2014/06/il-ricevimento-reception-continues-june.html

"The Bride and Groom"
https://followbarbsbliss.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-bride-and-groom.html

"The Post Wedding Family Lunch" https://followbarbsbliss.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-post-wedding-family-lunch-june-28.html
 
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