Going to Italy in June? Here's a must see!

Our first trip to Italy together was for a month starting the first week of June.  Most of that trip was spent visiting family and the majority of our stay was in Molise and the surrounding regions.  Well, a quick trip north for a half marathon near in Jesolo Beach near Venice, and a trip south to the ruins of Pompeii.  Oh yes, and then there was Rimini, but I digress.  Back to the matter at hand...

The Mystery

Zia has left us eggs from her chickens in the refrigerator and some hearth made bread.  We make a quick omelet and grab the best seats in town—right outside the back door, seated on a brick patio with the view of the small town perched on the mountain before us.  The sun is welcome as the night was bracingly cool.    We are to meet up in Campobasso with family in a short while.  We are travel logged and  yearn for a few hours to let the whole atmosphere soak in, but have been propelled forward by the caffeine rush of our well stocked kitchen.  We arrive in Campobasso and it is a Saturday, the car to parking space ratio is a mini New York scene, but on this day it has ballooned.  We have heard there is a parade we must see.   As we arrive near the center of Campobasso, waiting family has lasered in on our location and are flailing their arms, motioning for us to park at a gem of a spot—right near the action.  Not much of a parking spot but at least space for us to squeeze a small Fiat into, as we squeeze out the doors we realize it will be next to impossible for the adjacent cars to get in without at least a kiss between the doors of their cars and ours; we move on anyway, everyone is excited for us to see this event.  As we get out of the car there is a crowd ahead of us, hurriedly leading us towards the commotion.  The street is lined on both sides with young and old straining to see the impending parade and vying for a better spot.  So well regarded and such a sight to see that people from all over Italy and beyond come to watch-- it is like none other.

It is the Misteri, or translated, the Mysteries.  There are 12 "Mysteries", a mix of saints, angels, devils, and madonnas.  The 13th float is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 
 People who learn about this make certain their travel plans allow them to get to Campobasso while they are in Italy during Corpus Domini in June.  The procession begins and flocks surge forward to vie for views.

The men on whose shoulders the parade is lifted upon have entered the street.  Dressed in tan smocks that are cinched at the waist with a cloth belt the men look as though they have traveled back in time to the Roman Ages.  The gait of the men affects how the floats move and you will see them bounce and sway.  I see pass by me at eye level the small foot  belonging to a child, as I take in the whole picture, I look up and  realize they have suspended the children of the city in midair!  Each float is at least a couple stories tall and the participants in this drama are cleverly cloaked so they appear as though floating in the air.  The underpinnings are concealed by the draping fabric of their costumes, but suffice it to say this looks still a bit dangerous, and not all comfortable.  I saw more than one child that from my best guess was supported only by perhaps a board under the stomach of their prone bodies.  The participants seem thrilled to be a part of this and the man powered “float” slowly makes its way down the street in step with the music procession.  Marching bands interspersed between the floats keep a lively atmosphere, angels float high in the air, the devil reclines from the lower level giving his best Gene Simmons impression and the whole lot of them are blessed by the bishop in front of the City Hall.

There are crowds on every street and alley, people hanging out of their windows watching from above.  Music playing, people young and old, families that gather and then follow the event with a celebration at home.  Ahh, it's a joy just to remember...

There is even a museum in Campobasso devoted to this tradition--and yes, we went there too!

The crowds begin to thin and we make our way from the center of town to celebrate the day with family, and that is repeated in every other home! 

This year Corpus Christi is June 10--still enough time to make travel plans.