St. Anthony in the North End

St. Anthony looks so young and innocent. He is holding a child in his arms. Why is the size of the child always off in relationship to the adult? There is a statue in the cemetery in Stoughton with the same issue. Child is too small. Well, saintliness overcomes rules of proportion, and one doesn't want to quibble with the fantastic feast the North End puts on for the saint and the faithful and even the tourist trade. The whole freshman class of Stonehill College seemed to be in attendance. They must think they've come to a really cool part of the country. They have.

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To Italy and Back In A Day

Today is St. Anthony's Festival in Boston's North End, with bands, street food, parades, the effigy of the saint laden with lucre and spectators galore.

Hot day, but cloudy with a breeze blowing through the North End. Plenty of Italian Ices, Gelati, beer and beverages to slake the thirst.

The first band we encountered played the theme from the Godfather, although that's probably not the name of the song, and I will find out for you. We came to the square where the saint, a nice looking young man holding a child was being carried about, weighted down with green bills, with more to come. A true spectacle, and with the hordes of people, many speaking Italian, the heat, the noise, the smells of peppers and sausages you might have imagined you were in Boston, no I meant Italy.

After viewing the festivities, we stopped into a nice little family run trattoria and had a good lunch, modest but very tasty.

When did a decent lunch skyrocket to $65.00? Wine, salad, entree and coffee. How did this happen? For two, of course. We beat it back to the subway, and came on home, sated with sounds, smells, sights and a full belly. Poor, but happy.

Buon Giorno,

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