Let's talk Tubes.

More about Artistrada's music - another time.

I could tell you all about the music at the last couple of days of our village 'festa' - which was stunning.  Or about the ventriloquist, who wasn't.  Or about the food, which was yummy, or the drink, which still came in pint glasses and gave me a very bad hangover ... 'Vernaccia' may taste like Ribena but two 'glasses' on one night leaves a terrible kick the next morning.


But no.  Well maybe, later.  But for now I just want to talk about one thing.


Tubes.

Yes, you heard me right and no, I'm not still hung over.  Tubes.


There was a big tube, a medium sized tube and two little tubes.  They started life as very still tubes,  and then they grew.  Not only did they grow, they sucked up small children and handbags...

and at one point took a bit of an unhealthy shine to a very confused Italian gentleman.  They cleaned each other, they rattled when they were amused, they floated across the square like giant silver alien worms.  And then, just when you began to get quite fond of them ...


They became people.  Or to be more precise, they became a family.  

'Bedlam Oz' is a family group from - yes, you guessed it, Australia.  Australia and the UK, to be exact.  Their street performance act was one of the most original either of us had ever seen.  Dressed in what looked like giant air conditioning tubes (they prefer to think of the as 'Slinkies') they have a highly choreographed performance which sees them interacting with the crowd as well as with each other.


They were kind enough afterwards to share their 'spiedini' - kebabs - with us while we were all waiting in the square at midnight for the final 'procession of performers'.  They're a charming group who clearly love working together but, more importantly, love being together.


The act is very hard to describe, apart from saying it's a lot of fun.  I did wonder whether Italian people would enjoy it - and I need not have wondered because, of course, they did.  Italians are always up for a bit of fun and anyway, it's an act which doesn't rely on language, doesn't have any cultural barriers, and appeals to all ages.  What's not to enjoy?  The only person we met who didn't enjoy it was, inevitably, English.  Sad man.


It's so hard to describe what it's like that I made my first foray into the terrible world of You Tube video clips just so I could share this one with you. So far it has taken three days and it's not even close to uploading itself ... I will keep trying though.


So you see, one way or another my life over the last couple of days has been full of ... well ... Tubes.  Life in Italy, whatever else it may be, is never boring.