Catching the tail end of Bosco di Nanto's sagra, we honestly didn't know what to expect. What would they serve? Would it be busy? What kind of entertainment would they have? Little did we know, none of it mattered. Except for one: our introduction to the Italian urban cowboy.
Firstly, we immediately went for the sagra's specialty: trippa alla parmigiana. well, correction...I went for the tripe. The rest of the group were put off from trying after it was revealed that tripe is the cow's stomach, and that regardless of what was done to it, it will stink to high heavens. Sure enough, after sitting and diving into a bown of tripe, the smell was overpowering enough to make it unappetizing. It was good, but stopped me from eating the entire bowl. I didn't want it to go to waste, so Bella the dog ate the rest of the bowl with gusto. Either way, I later realized it might have been equally rude to give a dog what the town may consider its specialty. Oh wel....
Next to the dining area was a big dance hall, with DJs playing country classics. We decided to stick around to see what happens, and were all pleasantly surprised to see Italians with cowboy hats, shirts, and boots streaming in, ready to line-dance. First, a few handful were dancing, but an hour later the whole floor was busy with people slamming boots and clapping hands, perfectly in tune with the music. I personally didn't participate, not only because I couldn't dance but also because it seemed woefully inappropriate to crash a Western party without the proper attire.
This guy was not shy of his passion! It was a revelation, this love for American culture. Of course, I know that Italians love other aspects of American culture, I just didn't know they had the same passion for this aspect of it. Weird and charming, but the over-use of the Confederate flag was a tad disturbing...
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