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It's 9.30 on a hot and sticky August night in Barga.
The temperature has been up in the high 30's all day and it feels
like its still climbing.
Four men are carrying a heavy wooden statue of St. Francesco
along the streets on their shoulders. They are following the
local priest who is struggling to keep ahead of the local 30
piece band. Don Piero's voice is amplified through a loud speaker
which is being carried aloft by a young man walking ten paces
in front of him. All in all, a strange aural trick is taking
place as this arrangement gives the impression that the young
man is speaking. One wonders if he is tempted to mouth the words
and join in the game?
Seems like most of the town is lined up along the narrow streets
watching the men struggle with their heavy load . As is usual
at most Italian religious festivals, there is a healthy buzz
of background noise of people greeting each other and even one
or two guesses at how far out of the town stretch the waiting
line of blocked cars.
One hour after the start of the procession, all is once more
back to normal until next year when once again the four strongest
men will be again picked to carry their load. |
download a 2 minute MP3 file of the procession
