12.18.05

Uhh … I think he wants them to move

Posted in Uncategorized at 4:14 pm

Tonight there was a free concert in the center of town given by a drum group from Assisi. They wore medieval clothes and played some amazing … whatever it is that drum groups play! Songs? They were really loud - probably around 20 members just pounding the tar out of these drums. It sounded like what armies must do right before they go to battle.

The concert was right by the fountain in Perugia, which is right outside the duomo (cathedral). It started at 6:00 PM. And so did mass at the duomo. About five minutes in, the priest comes running down the stairs, right up to the first drummer he comes to. His arms were flailing and the drummer barely flinched. The most the priest got out of him was a shrug of the shoulders - and he never missed a beat. So the priest moved on to someone else who looked like they were in charge. He obviously wanted them to move since mass was about to start.

There are many stereotypes about Italians. Most of them are exaggerations, but the ones about wild gestures during conversation and shouting matches during an argument are pretty much right on. So the priest and the man in charge started flailing and yelling. The crowd noticed and snickered a little. Eventually, the drummers moved … about 20 feet. Clearly enough for them to say they moved but not enough to make any difference to the handful of people that were attending mass.

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