Well I just got back home last night from some gigs in Italy with piper/singer Judy Barker. Check out her MySpace. Judy plays Scottish smallpipes AND sings at the same time, which is quite a talent. Our good friend Antonio from The Box of Treasures Folk Club in Forli, Italy, had arranged these gigs for us and we are so thankful to him for all the work he put in.
The first gig was in a great place in Vignola, Modena, called Stones Cafe. This place is something else! It seems to be a sports centre/swimming pool complex which is the most accessible sports centre I have ever seen (take note in the UK with Disability Equality Duty!) and it has a cafe attached to it, as well as gardens and several outdoor pools as well, but it was a bit cold for that! Now the guy who runs this place is called Franco Longangnani and he has put a lot of thought into exactly what he wants out of the venue. He has thought of everything!!! From the 8 foot high banner when you enter the cafe with all the acts who will be playing there in coming months, to the place mats on the table, again advertising the acts, to the images projected on the stage curtain of us all and the fantastic opening music and light show. It was just amazing.
In addition, the whole show was recorded and there was a professional photographer there as well who took loads of great photos and we were each given a CD of the show and the photos the next day which was very very kind. Franco is also making up glossy books of all the acts who havfe played there which look beautiful. He really has thought of it all. Stones Cafe also has a MySpace, so check it out as well. Lots of great photos on there too. Here are a few examples of the photos which were taken by a man called Neganti Simon.
The other lovely thing about this gig was that we looked out into the audience to see our friend we met at Forli last year sitting there smiling back at us! Thank you so much for coming along Simona - it was great to see you. Here is Stevie and I with Simona and Roberto.
The next day Franco very kindly drove us 2 hours away to our next gig in Forli, where we met up with Antonio again and his friends. Here is Grande Giovanni "Big John", Franco and Antonio.
We then HAD to go for a big ice cream!!!! Which was lovely. Then it was back to the hotel to get ready and out for dinner to the best Italian restaurant I have ever been to. It was sooooo good I even had to take a photo of the meal.
Antipasti
Two different kinds of pasta - both fantastico!
Tartufo Bianco!!!
And here is Big John and Wee John in the restaurant. Brilliant guys. Even though Big Joh speaks as much English as I speak Italian, we get on great and he is a right good laugh!
And here is Steve and I with Antonio and Patrizia.
Lucky that Antonio is a doctor - Judy woke up that morning to find one side of her face was double the size of the other one! But luckily it went away.
Then it was off to the next gig which I think must have been in the best venue ever! Just look at this amazing church.
The acoustics in here were out of this world. I have never heard my fiddle sound so loud and full and it was a joy to play. And we had yet another nice surprise when Yuri, another friend we met last year turned up! He had driven 4 hours to get there for a one hour gig and then drove 4 hours back again and had to get up to go to work at 8 am! CRAZY GUY!!!! Here he is.
And then all too soon it was time to go home. It had been a brilliant few days in Italy with such lovely people and we want to say a huge thank you to Antonio, Franco, Patrizia, and Big and Wee John for all their help. They could not do too much for us. They drove us everywhere, fed us, organised all the gigs, even came into the airport with us and carried our cases and waited in the check in queue with us to make sure everything was ok. You could not meet nicer people. Check out The Box of Treasures Folk Club site here - they are on my top friends - and if you are ever in Forli make sure you check it out. They have had a greta bunch of people play for them in the past and hopefully this will continue for many years to come. Thank you everyone for looking after us so well and we hope we will be back soon - this time, with me being able to speak Italian a bit better!