Sant' Antonio di Abate
January 17th is the feast day of Saint Anthony of Abate, the patron saint of animals. This is an important day for much of Italy and people up and down the boot take their animals, from horses to turtles, to the church for a blessing. Being the country town that it is, this is also an important day for Trivigno.
We first experienced this here two years ago, unfortunately last year I was in the US. The town festa was moved to Saturday, to attract more visitors from nearby towns. Large bonfires are built in the two larger piazze and there were several stands serving various foods (pasta, sausage sandwiches, roast meats and grilled bread).
The festivities began with an ox cart carrying local children into the piazza, the lighting of the bonfires and some traditional dancing. This was broadcast live on the local RAI channel. The music and dancing continued well into the morning hours. We could hear the band playing as we slipped into bed.
This morning the smell of smoke was evident when we headed out for a caffe and remnants of the fires were still burning in the piazza.
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