Cathy and I stumbled upon the beginnings of a parade near the Duomo, when we saw people in costume around flats loaded with bottles of wine. You know those bottles of wine attracted me like flies to a cow pile! We went over to take a look as they assembled the oxen to pull the carts, and the costumed people into lines for the parade.
I remember reading about the parade in a local paper, and it was to celebrate the harvest of the grapes in the Tuscan area. The people were in medieval costume, with flags and instruments. The parade went from the Duomo to Piazza della Signoria were the "maidens" on the back of the wine cart, sold wine to the people in the crowd.
They assembled the group, and the oxen were giving them a lot of trouble. They seemed agitated and angry, and two men walked beside them, pushing them in the right direction and warning people standing on the side lines to stand back. The parade commenced, and the costumes were beautiful.
Cathy and I got some photos in the beginning, and then I blazed a trail through the back roads to Piazza della Signoria to get a perfect seat at Rivoire, one of the oldest sidewalk cafes in Florence. We got a front row seat, ordered a drink and waited for the parade to come.
It finally came and there was a presentation and flag ceremony at the Palazzo Vecchio, and all of the wine was sold from the cart. This was Cathy’s first day here, so a nice welcome!
1 comment:
Cathy's first day and she runs into a vino parade? Going to be tough to get her back to the US if the rest of her visit goes like the first day!
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