A Visit to Chiocchio…Part 1

One Saturday morning a few weeks ago, Hiltrud sent me a text inviting me to meet her in Greve that afternoon at 4. There was to be a concert in the piazza given by Greve’s sister city in Germany (I must confess I never got the name of the city). She had been active in nurturing this relationship between these sister cities for many years (until it got “too political”) and had friends among the contingent of 30 or so people who had bussed down to Italy for the weekend.

As the church bells rung out 4 PM, a brass quartet, in matching black slacks and white shirts, climbed a makeshift stage. For the next hour, music, that universal language, had a crowd of Germans, Italians, Americans and Brits singing and clapping along as one. The song choices transcended national boundaries- Broadway show tunes, songs made famous by “Ol Blue Eyes”, jazz classics and a brass rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

Greman quartet including the town mayor (far right) play in Greve’s piazza

Hiltrud mingled with friends, fluently switching from Italian to German to English. When she introduced me to Utrud, a close friend who had traveled from Germany, she invited me to join them back at her home where her son and daughter-in-law were preparing tea.

And so I got to see Chiocchio ( Chee- oak!- ee- o) and meet one of Hiltrud’s 3 sons- Enrico, and his wife Barbara.

Enrico, Hiltrud, Urtud, Barbara