A Real Italian Wedding

Although we had not anticipated another trip to Italy quite so soon, when we heard there was going to be a wedding in our friend Maria's (owner of Roma II Pizzeria ) home town of Carlantino, we decided to crash it! Well, we didn't actually crash it. We were invited. Sort of.

Maria called the groom (a distant cousin of hers) and caught him "out in the field" working. She told him a couple friends of hers would be in Italy the weekend of the wedding, and she wondered if he and his bride would mind a couple extra guests. His response was the equivalent of: "Of course, the more the merrier!"

Carlantino is a very small town in the region of Puglia, in southern Italy. Since we had visited Maria's family there very briefly last year, it was a little easier to find this time, and we were really looking forward to spending more time with Maria's niece, Nicolina, and her fun-loving husband, Vincenzo, as well as several others we had met that day in October 2012.

Some of the family members we met last year. L. to R. Nicolina, Michela (her daughter), Domenico and Angelina (her parents/Maria's sister and brother-in-law), Antonetta (her sister-in-law), and Vincenzo.

We arrived in the area the day before the wedding, and checked into what turned out to be a lovely four-star hotel near Celenza Valfortore, only about 10 minutes drive from tiny Carlantino. It's called Relais San Pietro, and I highly recommend it. Their season was pretty much over, so I think we might have been the only guests, and the cost of our room was only €39 (about $52), including breakfast, which unfortunately, we did not have time to eat!

That first evening we were invited to have dinner at Nicolina and Vincenzo's home -- and what a dinner it was! Course after course of delicious homemade and homegrown food, accompanied by lots of good local wine! And when we were finished eating, there were the typical after dinner drinks: grappa, amaro, and I don't remember what all! Needless to say, we were "feeling no pain" (although a little bloated) when we left very late that night!

 Nicolina, Vincenzo, Maria, and me feeling no pain!

Carlantino at night from Nicolina and Vincenzo's terrace.

Unfortunately, all that merriment left us feeling less than well the next morning, and we had to meet Maria and family at the groom's house at 10am. There was lots of food in the tiny front room of the groom's family home, but it was so crowded, we skipped it. Instead, Maria's sister-in-law, Antonetta, gave us a tour of Maria's childhood home, which was just next door.

After the tour, it was time to walk down the street to the bride's family home, where a fairly large group of people had gathered outside. The groom went inside, while a couple of ladies (I'm thinking the bride's aunts maybe) moved through the crowd, offering sandwiches, cookies, and cakes.

Soon, the bride and groom appeared at the entrance of the house, where a white ribbon had been stretched across the opening. Together, they cut the ribbon to cheers and lots of photo snapping! Then everybody followed them down the street and into the church, where a group of ladies, including Nicolina on guitar, were playing music and singing traditional songs.

The ceremony was very long (about 90 minutes), but interesting, and different than what we are used to in Catholic churches back home. I was wishing I had a better understanding of Italian!

When it was finally over, the bride and groom visited a couple of the nearby cafe/bars, receiving toasts at each. Then they were showered with rice and little candies as they walked up the main street, followed by dozens of wedding guests, to where their car was waiting to take them to the reception.

Cute little flower girl looking on with a sweet smile.

Maria's bother, Pietro (known as Pete in Sacramento), 
and his wife, Antonetta, following the newlyweds.

Maria and her friend, Roberto, bringing up the rear. She was 
constantly stopped by old friends and relatives who wanted 
to say hello. I love this picture of her. A real Italian beauty!

View of Carlantino (on the right)with the lake below, from the highway
 leading out of town. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and the 
hour-long drive was one beautiful vista after another!

The reception was held at a beautiful ristorante called Villa Canonico, about an hour away, near the small town of Baselice, in the Campania region. 

Pretty much in the middle of nowhere, here was this beautiful banquet hall, surrounded by well-kept grounds. When we arrived, the staff was filling table tops near a swimming pool, with all sorts of delicious edible delights! Called the "Gran Bouffet Villa Canonico" on the menu, it listed forty different items in the buffet alone! Seafood of all kinds, meats, cheeses, vegetables, fruits, breads, pastries, soup, you name it, it was laid out and then consumed quicker than you can imagine by hungry guests! The only thing I can compare it to is a buffet on a cruise ship! But that was just the beginning!

The buffet having been consumed, everyone started heading into the main building to find their places at elegantly set tables. Once the guests were seated, the newlyweds arrived at the entrance, where there was yet another ribbon-cutting ceremony, more toasting, and more photos.

The bride and groom took their place at their special table, and that's when the real food started to arrive! Plate after plate was delivered to each guest, starting with a seafood salad (Insalata Catalana), followed by three different "Primi" dishes (one risotto and two pasta), and five "Secondi" dishes (lots of seafood) with roasted potatoes! Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of the food, but Sam may have gotten some of it on video. (When/if he gets his videos edited and posted, I will add the link.) 

Each of these dishes was enough for a meal, so of course we didn't eat it all. Maria and I turned down a couple of the plates - she, because of her gluten intolerance, and me because I was leery of some of the ingredients (I'm not a big fan of octopus!), plus, I just couldn't eat that much!

Lest you think that we were being force-fed, I need to mention that there were several "intermissions" during the feast. After eating one or two dishes, dancing or some kind of entertainment would ensue, so this lavish dinner was stretched out over several hours, which I guess is how some people were able to eat so much! Eat a plate of pasta, and then dance to burn calories before sitting down to eat another plate of pasta or seafood! When the guests weren't dancing, there were friends of the couple doing little "skits," which most found pretty funny, but to someone who is unfamiliar with local customs and couldn't understand (or hear) what they were saying or singing, it all seemed pretty silly, albeit very festive!

Maria dancing with Vincenzo the party animal!

The interlude we found most interesting was after the first three secondi, when suddenly, everyone seemed to be leaving their tables and heading out the back door. Outside, on a lovely, covered patio area, with a view of the surrounding countryside, there were tables set up with bowls of candies, platters full of aged grana padano cheese, chunks of very dark chocolate, bottles of whiskeys and other liquors, and a tray of cigarettes and cigars! Sam was pleased to have a cigar with some Jameson, as seen here in the "selfie" he shared on Instagram!

After our little break, we went back to our tables and were served two more meat courses before the final insalata mista (mixed salad), and more dancing! After all the traditional activities, like the toss of the bouquet and the garter, and a strange dance of the newlyweds where guests wrapped them with ribbons and saran wrap, we were then told to go outside again. This time, it was to watch the bride and groom endure many toasts of sparking wine with various family members and friends (and tons more photos) over their torta nuziale (wedding cake), while inside, the staff set up several tables with the gran bouffet di dolci e fruita (grand buffet of desserts and fruits). 

I wish I had pictures of this buffet because it was amazing! Every kind of fruit you could imagine, pastries and cakes of all kinds, and of course, the wedding cake, accompanied by sparking wine, amari, and coffee! A few dances later, we were ready to head to our overnight accommodations and a comfy bed with full bellies and lots of memories!

 (Click on photos to enlarge, and go to my Flickr page to see more photos from the wedding day.)