A Biker Church In Sinio?

Here’s the view from my window–well, a partial view anyways. I haven’t quite figured out what this little building is. Outwardly, it seems to be a church, but I haven’t actually seen it being used as such yet. I think people gather there for pranzo (lunch) once a week. And I think they have meetings there some nights. It’s also the spot at which local dirt bike riders rendezvous on occassion. So perhaps it’s like an American Legion or Moose Club of sorts. I’ll have to do some more investigation and let you know… That big gaudy sign out front is plastered with political ads because the vote for the new president of the province was this week. (The left side won).

This is Sinio’s circolo (club). It’s not like any establishment we have in the United States. This complex houses a school (on the second floor), the post office, a grocery store that’s sometimes open once a week (and sometimes not at all), and the circolo, which is kind of like a cafe, but more like a place for people to go (during the hours it feels like being open) to have a coffee, play cards, schlirp a grappa, etc. Carmela, the woman in charge of it, also serves lunch after mass on Sundays. It’s very cool and probably the most interesting part of this whole town. Everybody goes there at least once a week to catch up on local gossip and spend time with friends.

I keep hoping to meet someone my age there, but haven’t as yet. That’s okay though, because I’ve made pretty good friends with Enza (short for Vincenza), who is Gigi the furniture maker’s wife. Previously in the blog, I referred to her as Giga, but I found out a couple of days ago that people were calling her that because they couldn’t remember her real name (Giga is the feminine version of Gigi–her husband’s name). I would have to say that Enza and Gigi, Carmela (of the circolo) and her kids Beatrice (5) and Giuseppe (13), along with Armando (76), and this couple who own a chicken farm (and whose names I don’t actually know), are my best (okay…and only) friends here so far. But these people are so wonderful, I wouldn’t even mind if I didn’t make friends with anyone else! I love it here, and can’t remember a time when I was happier than I am now.