Buckeye souvenier

Across the Field

Ascoli Piceno has a monthly Mercatino Antiquario on the third week-end of the month. This is a large event that fills Piazza Arringo, Piazza Roma and Piazza del Popolo as well as the streets around Chiesa San Francesco. Most of the antique vendors are regulars from Marche and adjoining regions and they usually set-up in the same locations each month.

We always enjoy strolling through this mercatino, especially on a sunny day, to see what is being offered.

During the last mercatino we stopped at a vendor that has musical carousels and there was a small red box with a large block “O” on the table that caught my eye. As I opened it it began to play a song so familiar to me…”Across the Field”, the fight song for The Ohio State University. Valerie and I were stunned to find this here in Ascoli Piceno, a small music box playing the Ohio State Buckeyes’s fight song with a miniature marching band!

We asked the vendor why she had these and she explained that two of them were sent by her supplier and she had no idea why or what the song was nor the meaning of the band. We explained marching bands and the Best Damn Band in the Land’s participation in the spectacle of football Americano. She offered us a discount and we snatched up our souvenir.

The next day we went back to ask the vendor if she had any luck with the second one and to our surprise she said a woman who spoke perfect Italian had purchased the second Ohio State music box early that morning.

I guess I’m not the only one here in Ascoli Piceno with good taste in college teams!