Today we went to the cemetery to visit the tomb of my great grandparents. Whilst we were there we ran into Giovanni Brbuio an old friend of dads. Dad and him used to knock around in a group of three or four and Giovanni was his best mate. Dad's nickname for him was 'mezzo cartuccio', which translated means 'half bullet'. This was his nickname because he was only very short. Giovanni got a huge surprise because he did not recognize dad. He recognized Paolo but not dad. He called it a miracle that dad was here and that he had run into him at the cemetery. After the cemetery we went to visit a friend Sergio Sandrini, another member of the group of four villains that used to frequent the fields of Fossalta. We dropped in for coffee with Sergio and stayed for a short while. We met his wife and the conversation turned to the old days. Dad was in his element! After coffee we went to Portoguero to visit Jordano's brother, another cousin of dads. Jordano is dad's cousin who lives in Brisbane. We then returned home to the farm and had a few minutes to spare before we went to lunch at Francesco's house in Staglio - only a few minutes away. Again, pasta, cooked main course with salad, cheese, coffee and cakes. Not sure if I can keep this up!
After lunch Giacomo took us to have a look at Peurtoguero, a quaint town that has significant Roman ruins and history. We went to the Duomo and Baptistry and had a wander through the old town, including a quick visit to the Roman museum.
When we arrived home there was great activity at the house. Gabriele, another cousin and chef, was slow cooking a huge BBQ full of sausages, ribs and chicken. He was slow cooking using only ashes from fire. We went to mass at the church at Fossalta. Didn't understand much, but it was special being with dad in his church, which had not changed much since his childhood.
We cane back from mass with Bruna (Gianni's sister and another cousin) to find a whole lot of cousins and their children. Had arrived. In total, there were 16 cousins who sat around the table and enjoyed a feast of neat, polenta, cheese and sweets.
Cousins: Francesco and wife Savia and daughter Sabrina, Gabriele and wife Franca, Giacomo and wife Maria Angela and daughter Nima and her boyfriend Francesco, Alberto and wife Maroochi, Giuseppe from Aqueila and wife Nerina, Bruna, Emilia and her daughter Alexandria, Paolo, dad and I. What a gathering! We ate and drank and laughed and reminisced until midnight. It was a very special occasion for dad and he enjoyed every minute of it. You could see that his heart, whilst with his family in Australia, also was very much with his cousins in Fossalta di Porteguera. What a serial evening!