Il mio onomastico, Lamborghini and the theatre

Another tradition which is dying out is celebrating one's onomastico, or name day. These were always connected with the saint after whom the child was named and the celebration often rivalled the birthday.

18th August is my onomastico, the day in the Roman calendar when Saint Helena is remembered. All people with a name deriving from Helen, for example Eleonora and Elena, can claim today as their onomastico. There are two bars in Panicale and both have an Elena working there. I decided to see if the tradition is dying out.

We went to one bar and Elena was working so I asked her 'È il tuo onomastico oggi? She looked a little surprised and then said 'Si, ho dimenticato!' I had forgotten! Then followed a glass of prosecco, toasts, 'auguri e buon onomastico'. What a lovely result!

Elena at the other bar was not working today. Maybe she was celebrating!

This morning we went to Panicarola, a little village only about five kilometres away. Laura's Pasticceria had been recommended and what is an onomastico without cake. We bought the four cakes and the biscotti were a gift. People in the shops are so generous here.

Then we went to the Lamborghini estate to check it out. There is a winery, a golf course, an agriturismo holiday resort and a restaurant. Golf courses are not common in Italy and this one is only nine holes but considered to be quite interesting.

We then drove on all the way around the lake without finding a picnic spot and returned home to enjoy my name day purchases.

At 9 pm. ( the usual, if not early, time for evening events) we went to the beautiful little Teatro Caporale to see a free performance of L' Histoire du Soldat, composed in 1918 by Igor Stravinsky. The show was amazing - a monologue of great passion, a mini orchestra of seven with conductor and two dancers. It was all in Italian and once again I found I knew a great number of words but could not process it all quickly enough to keep up with the story line. The story is basically a parable of a soldier who trades his fiddle to the devil in return for unlimited economic gain. One man played the part of the narrator, the soldier, the devil and a few incidentals so it is a wonder I understood anything.

I heard the phrase Cosa ci posso fare? What can I do about it? A good comment! 
Maria would say Si pratica, pratica, pratica.