Today is an Italian national holiday known as la Festa della Repubblica. It celebrates the day in 1946 when Italians voted to become a republic. In Italy, most people go on holiday for a long weekend, affectionately known as il ponte or the bridge. Most took yesterday off to make it a four day affair. In New York, the Cipriani Group held a huge party last night at their location on Wall Street to celebrate. In a book that I read recently called Gringa Latina, an Italian woman and her husband who lived their entire adult lives in Peru used to hold a huge party on that day for the town. I found that somewhat touching. I never really celebrated July 4th or Memorial day all the years I lived in Italy. Who knows, I guess everyone is different.

I was invited to the Cipriani party but didn’t attend. I’m wined out for the moment and frustrated as many are by the economy. My somber mood was made even darker after I read an editorial by Bob Herbert in Saturday’s paper about the violence still going on in Darfur. When will that holocaust end and why isn’t the United States doing anything about it….I would like to organize something to help in someway but am not sure how. Reading that editorial was like a long ice cold shower. Man’s inhumanity often leaves me speechless. I know this is a wine blog but sometimes you just have to mention something so egregious and hope someone else takes note and that people do something…

On a cheerier note, I’m going to see my favorite man in the Fall and I am truly excited…Bruce will be back in town in September and I will be “waiting on a sunny day.”