La Festa di Santa Rosa

Today is the Feast of Saint Rose of Viterbo or La Festa di Santa Rosa.  It's one of the oldest standing holidays in all of Italy; certainly it is in Viterbo, about 700+ years.  It's a local holiday, so most of shops and stores are closed so that all can honor their patron saint through prayer, enjoying the beautiful weather, traversing the streets that are lined with merchants selling anything from local produce to balloons to clothes.

La Mini-Macchina

The boys marching to the
mini-macchina

However there are three days of events that lead up to today, which I believe is a bit anti-climactic.  The first night is called "La Mini-Macchina" or a smaller version of "La Macchina" which occurs two days later.  It is a parade for the patron saint, and the smaller but still impressive statue of Santa Rosa is carried by 100 boys between the ages of 12 to 16 (just guessing here).  I sense that it is a right of passage to be chosen to do this, as it is a precursor to being chosen to lift the REAL macchina later in life.

Brad Park (English teacher) preparing
some bread for the celebration
of the Corteo at the school

The beginning of the procession
of Il Corteo Storico

The next day is Il Corteo Sortico di Santa Rosa, or the Parade of Saint Rose's heart.  Again, the parade winds its way through the old town, this time right down La Via Annio, which goes right by my apartment and the school.  Several of the teachers gathered at the school to watch the Corteo.  This parade features different time periods of Viterbo, from when Santa Rosa was alive hundreds of years ago up until more "modern times," through the early 1900s (I think..), culminating with a float covered with flowers and box at the top symbolizing the heart of Santa Rosa.  The float is being moved by several men underneath it with long wooden beams supporting it on both sides.

The Bishop of Viterbo in the
procession of Il Corteo Storico

The float carrying the heart
of Santa Rosa

Last night was the really huge event, called La Macchina.  It is a parade that begins somewhere around 7 in the evening and does not end until after midnight.  There are many bands (see left and the two below) from neighboring towns that parade through the local streets of the old town, almost like a "warm-up" to the big event that is to come later in the day.  With each passing band, the crowds swell beyond the capacity that these poor little streets can handle.  La Macchina is a float about 100 feet tall, quite ornate as the design swirls up to the top where a statue of Santa Rosa stands.  It takes 100 men to carry this monstrous structure, which easily clears any building in the old town.  It was an unbelievable site!

Our view of the macchina was pretty impressive too (see right).  Normally, I would be hosting a party for the viewing of La Macchina, because the route passes right the windows of m
y apartment.  However, one of the American faculty, Whitney Hermann, and her family rented an apartment that has a huge terrace that overlooks La Piazza Verdi, which is one of the stopping points on the route of La Macchina.  In fact, the owner was a bit reluctant to rent the apartment to Whitney because he can usually get several thousand euros each year for this night alone!  So, needless to say, I was off the hook for hosting because Whitney's terrace was an absolutely amazing vantage point for optimal viewing of La Macchina!

As La Macchina was getting closer to our terrace, all of the lights in the town were turned off so that the only light you could see was either coming from La Macchina itself or all of the cameras flashing (see left).    The neighboring streets and the piazza were blanketed with very proud Viterbese citizens erupting in thunderous ovation as La Macchina came into view.  Just like us, people were viewing the spectacle from their home windows above the streets of La Piazza Verdi, inviting friends and family over for the celebration (see right).

The final band (see left) that comes through La Piazza Verdi leads the 100 men (see right) up to La Porta Romana, which is where the procession begins.  La Macchina parades through the streets, making stops at several other plazas before it gets to us.  La Piazza Verdi (where we are) is the last stop La Macchina makes before it heads up a fairly steep hill, where La Chisea di Santa Rosa (St. Rose's Church) lay.

The 100 men, who have been carrying La Macchina to various other plazas prior to La Piazza Verdi, take a break by resting the fortress on two planks prepared in the middle of the plaza before taking La Macchina up the hill to its final resting place.  The picture at the right shows the men preparing to lift La Macchina one last time before heading up the hill to La Chisea di Santa Rosa. Click on the link below to see La Macchina being lifted off the planks and leaving La Piazza Verdi up the hill.

La Macchina is 100 feet tall
and takes 100 very strong
men to lift and carry it
through the streets of
old Viterbo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtWruggdPTQ&feature=youtube_gdata

In these next two pictures you can see just how many people where at this site, the last stopping place of La Macchina before heading up the hill.  The picture at the right is what La Piazza looked like at around 10 p.m..  The picture just below it is what la piazza looked like just after la macchina went up the hill to the church of St. Rose.

 Here is a view of the crowd in La Piazza Verdi viewing in amazement the 100 men running la macchina up the hill from the wide screen set up.  Because the hill is steep, the men need to run it up the hill to build enough momentum to make it to the top.  It is a pretty incredible feet by these men.  You can see the look of sheer pride by the Viterbese people of what these men are doing in honor of the town's patron saint.  The whole scene was one I will not forget any time soon!

By 12:30 everyone moved from the Piazza Verdi to another site not far away to watch the fireworks, which signifies the end of the celebration.  For me, it is the end of 10 days of vacation from work.  The honeymoon is over and it's now time for me to get ready for school, which officially begins for me on Monday, September 9.  There is lots to be done between now and then!  So much to be done....