Fair is fair

There is nothing more "rural real" than a county fair. Or country fair. Or, in this case, a fair in another country.

We had a terrific time today at la Fiera Ghirlanda - the Garland Agricultural Fair. Like county fairs back home, it had prize pigs, giant cows, lots of vendor booths, high calorie food and rugged cowboys. Most Americans, I believe, would be surprised to find that Italy is a cattle-raising country with its own cowboy traditions.

In this part of Tuscany, the prize cattle are of the Maremma breed. They are huge and have headsets that rival Texas longhorns.

At this fair, many of the cowboys/girls were part of a drill team known as Butteri d’alta Maremma. Watch how you say that, partner. "Butteri" can translate as "butter," but in this case it properly translates as "cowherds." Or Italian cowboys. 

Whatever their label, they were a joy to watch. With matching suits and almost-fedorra hats, they had a sense of style and grace much different from what we see on the rodeo circuit. It was, in a way, a cross between home on the range and English dressage.

But I have to get one of those Italian cowboy hats.

The team rode beautiful tall steeds, but also brought out a traditional cart pulled by oxen. It was a crowd pleaser. Almost as much as all the food in the fairway.

The fair was packed with vendors hawking "antiques", toys, kitchen gear, clothing, junk and treasure.

And food. Lots of food. Italy produces an endless variety of processed meats -- salame, porchetta, prosciutto, etc, They were all there, along with Peroni beer. And Italians are experts at making sweet treats the names of which I don't know but the taste of which I crave.

We stopped at a booth to try one of the many varieties of brittle and, as usual, begged forgiveness with "Parle un po Italiano..." We were rewarded with a big smile and "It's alright, I'm as Canadian as you can get."  Sarah, it turns out, is an expatriate from Calgary who sells treats with her Italian partner when she is not teaching yoga.  It was delightfully relaxing to have a conversation in English -- accompanied with pinenut brittle.

Again just like the fairs back home, we ended the day pleasantly worn out -- but ready for our next adventure.