Ferragosto takes place every year on August 15th and is probably best described as the high point of every Italian's summer. It's the day that marks the middle of the last summer month and most people spend the day (eating) with their families whether at the sea or in the mountains. We were in Pacentro and, following tradition, headed out into the mountains to spend the day with Massi's relatives who still live in Abruzzo. The men in the family set out early in the morning to lay claim to the best picnic spot and the photograph above is basically what our view looked like. The women followed suit by first cooking up a homemade lasagna in the oven and then heading up as well (with this freshly-baked lasagna in their laps, which I thought was hilarious!). However, this reminded me that the Chinese culture and the Italian culture are not so different because on every family vacation to Hawaii, my grandma would bring us steaming hot bowls of instant noodles directly to the beach for lunch! I'm not sure if that's evidence that our cultures are superior or that we're all just the same level of crazy. When I say that the whole day is spent eating, I mean the WHOLE day is spent eating. The campfire was already blazing by mid-morning and we grilled what was likely an entire lamb (or two) through the course of the day. Luckily, there was also the lasagna, a tomato salad, bruschette, a cake, cookies, and a watermelon to eat, otherwise who knows how we would have survived. You will never face a fate of starvation in the company of Italians. There are a few more photographs below of Ferragosto, as well as what a typical Italian family lunch might look like (we were at an agriturismo just outside of Scanno, a town nestled in the mountains in Abruzzo).
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