FROM 8 TO 8
29. AUGUST,
PIAZZA SAN GIOVANNI BATTISTA, MONTESCAGLIOSO

8.00	DING, DING, DING in the bell tower. My sitting is commencing. A guy with a Calvin Klein hat is already here. He is standing near the rubbish bin in front of the Obituaries on the corner. Other oldie who usually wears a cowboy like hat (presumably Cesare), brought pieces of cardboard and stashed them in the shut doorway to use them later to sit on them on the stairs. CK and Cesare are having a discussion about the latest death in the town. It is eight o'clock and there is nobody to take picture of me.
8.10	The trash van came and is taking away the rubbish from the bin.
8.20	The dog couple came. They are licking me saying hello to me. They sit with me.Old dragging foot gentleman commented on the dogs liking me. Oldies begin to pile up in the square. Women are just passing by, they don't stop to talk.
8.30	The door behind me is opening and elderly man looks out. Surprised why am I sitting there he turns and shuts the door. He came out with his wife They didn't complain. Population of the square are just old men at this time. Two of them are having the conversation across the street. Everyone passing is checking the Obituaries. Anybody new?
8.40	Alenka came and took a picture.
8.50	Alleanza Nazionale's door opened. I didn't see who did it. A melon car stopped at the corner of the square. He begins selling and talking across the street. The toilet peeper is coming down the street.
9.10	Everybody is gone. I'm alone.
9.20	Owner of the house (the one who shut the door) is waiting for his wife at the traffic sign. A dog is coming back. He just stopped for a moment and now both dogs are following the Hungarian group going to the breakfast. Old woman and two men are standing in front of the Obituaries and are talking about who died. It was Mamma. Four new old men came and they are looking at me with suspicion. No hello.
9.30	Two girls came and they tried to make a phone call. Without success. Presidio Turistico office opened. The owner is going somewhere and he asked sitting old man to watch the office for a while.
9.40	Two old men sitting, watching.Four old men discussing loudly. I don't understand a thing and I'm not trying any more.The same is talking on the phone. One of them sat near me on the neighbours doorstep. He took a piece of cardboard from the shut doorway to sit on it. Fancy man with a mobile sits on the bench in front of me having a conversation on the phone. There are more and more people coming (old men) . Three of them are smoking cigarettes. Again conversation about the dead people.
10.10	Alenka came and is taking a picture. Dogs came back and they are sitting near me. The owner of the steps where I am siting came and Cesare also. I took his place so he is a bit nervously leaning on the tree.
10.20	Olive factory owner has again brought group of people and he is having a presentation of his products. There are seven of them. One of them has brought a chair. It looks like they are all a little nervous because they are clapping with their hands from time to time. They are in the sun now but nobody moves.
10.30	A man sitting next to me is singing something and claps his hands. A five year boy came. I had to drop off kids at the pool and Vesna took my place for a minute. Next to me is a boy (before mentioned) playing with the plastic pistol firing little propellers. There are ten old men in the square. And slowly they start to move on my side which is in the shadow. They asked the boy with the gun to bring them cardboard. They are having a conversation with this boy. Boy starts to shoot with propellers in to each one of them. Not missing even one. From far mamma which is the real mamma is observing the situation and has evertyhing under control.
10.40	Nina has brought me breakfast. Grandfather told his boy not to shoot at his friends because it is not nice. Fancy man is walking in circles and again his phone rings.
10.50	Two girls which phoned before came with full bags and try to phone again. No success.
11.00	Alenka and Sophie came and they are taking a picture of me. Melon man on the other side of the street is selling melons and they cost 0,50€. Everything is slow. More and more people came. We are 19 now.
11.10	Somebody is drilling in a flat near by. Cesare is talking to Nina pretending that he is been working in Germany for many years but when Nina starts to talk in German he doesn't understand a word. Oh three women on the another side of the road are speaking now for almost an hour.Young man is trying to make a telephone call without a card. No success. He sat on the bench. Maybe he will try later.
11.20	Mass of people is moving up the main road. Melon guy has enough. He sells three melons in the whole morning so he is leaving now. His car has an American flag on the back. Young man tries to phone again. No success again so he is leaving. Near the trash bin (favourite spot for dialogues) two middle-aged men are having a conversation. Grandfather and grandson want to phone. No success. A child eagerly wants to get the coins out the phone. Grandfather is mad. Two of old men (constants of the square) returned chairs to Presidio Turistico office. They left. Fancy man is still sitting on the bench and his phone rings again. Next to me is a man sitting on the chair. He doesn't hear well. Old woman try to speak with him but it is too much effort.
11.30	The last old man (constant) returns a chair stops for a moment in front of Obituaries. He goes away.
11.40	Alenka came. Employee in Presidio Turistico is observing me. She comes near me and she asked me what am I writing. Alenka says that I am a writer. She smiles and goes away. A boy came to the phone. He tried several times. No success. An elderly woman comes several times to take the water from fountain in the square.
11.50	A girl came to phone without coins and without telephone card. No success. Fancy man is leaving. Oh no he comes back again but with a magazine. There is a bell ringing in the tower.
12.00	Melon guy came again. The police drove by. Miss in the orange shirt set near the fancy guy. The city bus stopped. A mailman came by. Fancy man and miss in orange shirt left. A boy near the fountain is establishing that it begins to rain. It begins to rain and I am alone.
12.10	People passing by with umbrellas. Elderly woman came out of the shop with six bags. Five of them she has in her hands one is on her head.I moved myself from stairs to Obituaries where is dry. In the house across the street on top of Alleanza Nazionale is a loud music and a loud singing.
12.20	A blind old man with a horn on his stick and his dog just passed by.
12.30	A blind old man passed again and he greeted me. He crossed the street inspite of dense traffic turned and went down the street.
12.40	Rain again.
12.50	Nothing changed.
13.00	Young man on vespa trys to kill himself on the slippery road. Drunk old lady came and asked me if the neighbours are at home. She explained me that mamma was her friend and that she hanged herself. We are sad. Man with a green lorry parked by and he sticked new Obituary on the wall. Pasquale D'Aquine died. Tomorrow is going to be a funeral at 5 p.m. Sophie came and she took a picture.
13.10	Nothing.
13.20	Nothing.
13.30	Nothing.
13.40	Nothing.
13.50	Nothing.
14.00	Nothing.
14.10	A car stopped by and the man asked me who died today. I had to read the Obituary because he had poor eyesight. A nice old lady came and she told me if it is going to rain heavily I should hide myself from the rain in Alleanza Nazionale.
14.20	Nothing.
14.30	Second group of dogs. Small dog, middle dog and the big dog (sheep) sit next to me. A Moroccan handy man in his working suit came to phone with a phone card. A success. He warned me not to pet the dogs because I could get fleas.
14.40	Dogs are still sitting with me. On the square are just me, dogs and the guy with the Calvin Klein hat (without a hat). He is leaning against the traffic sign.
14.50	CK guy moved on the stairs where I was sitting before. He took my place.
15.00	He moved to a bench. Middle-aged guy interrogated me who I am and what am I doing here. He introduced himself as an American Italian who has a family in Montescaglioso.He is playing with coins in his pocket.
15.10	CK left. Dogs are licking me every five minutes. There is a guy standing across the street on the corner. He is picking his teeth (Mr. tooth pick).
15.20	Licking attack. Dogs start to bark if somebody looks at me suspiciously. CK came and sat in the doorway under the bell tower. Another guy came.
15.30	Licking attack. On the square four young guys got together and they are speaking very loud. Child from the apartment across a street is screaming for five minutes 'FALA PAPU'. Somebody is repairing the antenna on the top of his apartment.
15.40	CK moved to trash bin and he is discussing about Pasquale. He died 69 years old. They are leaning on the trash bin. One of the younger guys is playing with his mobile and he is listening to his ring tone tunes. The owner of the steps where I was sitting before came to his steps and took his place.
15.50	Tooth pick guy is still standing on the corner. Old guys are slowly beginning to pile up again.
16.00	Melon guy opened his car store again.
16.10	CK left. It begins to rain. Two guys hide from the rain under the same roof near the Obituaries like me. We are waiting to stop raining.
16.20	Miracle happened. Latvian group came and they succeeded to phone with coins. Melon guy left.
16.30	Tooth pick is still standing on the corner. He got company. Bold guy and the boy. Dogs are still with me.
16.40	In the square is now five dogs. Sheep dog attacked a hairy dog. Dogs guard me.
16.50	People are looking at the new Obituary . Infront of tourist office there is a nun, an old woman and two guys talking to the employee.
17.00	Dogs are still near me. Guy who has the keys of the tower already left . We wanted to photograph the square from the tower. There is one man carrying a water heater across the square.
17.10	Two boys came. They brought some toys in boxes.
17.20	Boys brought out all the toys and they installed them. Toys: Action man, instruments, toy cars, axe. It looks like they are going to sell it. They tried to stick a calendar with football players on the tree behind them.
17.30	Dogs are still here.
17.40	Polizia Municipale is walking up and down on the street near the square. Two guys checking out Obituaries.
17.50	On the square are just kids.
18.00	8 kids, 5 old men.
18.10	Alenka is still not here. I moved back to the stairs. Next to me on the stairs there is a small guy called Pippo (plastic pistol kid). Grandfather came and told the older kid that he has to go to buy a cigarettes for him. He doesn't want to so grandfather is angry. But he has to go.
18.20	Group of five people stopped in front of Obituaries. It looks like kids are arguing because of the toys.
18.30	I went to pee. Carla changed me on my place. Dogs are gone.
18.30	Alenka came with the camera. She is taking picture of Carla. Meanwhile big movement of cars and old people. Business is slow for the boys.
18.40	Old man brought chairs from tourist office. They are sitting in front of it and they are reading newspaper. All of them one newspaper. Kids argue again.
18.50	There are a lot of people around they are sitting on the benches. Two old guys came with a little girl. They observe the business. Pippo plays on saxophone. One kid is trying really hard to sell the toys to old guys. Prices are reasonable.
19.00	Eighty year old man (I presume) is moving across the square with snail speed. Kid is really bugging him with his toys.. What would he do with them? He asks me From where do I come from. He tells me that his old friend died and he has to check when the funeral will be. He sits on the bench in front of me. Something crashed in the doorway behind me. Kids scream.
19.10	A lot of traffic on the street. Older kid began with the auction of his toys, he is screaming his lungs out. Pippo is showing his round, small, bottom because mother is helping him take a wee wee at the back tree in the square.
19.20	Pippo has to eat, mother is chasing him across the square with a bowl of pasta.Pippo is eating and running.
19.30	There are the same people in the square as in the morning. Tjallin came and made kids a good bussiness. He has bought almost half of their stuff. They nearly run out of supply as artists tourists buy almost all their stuff. Older guy (snail speed) with the walking stick tries to smack Pippo on his behind every time he comes in his reach.
19.40	Mother has everything under control. Word spreads like fire more and more kids come.There are almost 15 kids there. Polish people try to call on the phone. They try in vain.
19.50	Toothpick left. Kids are racing with (skiro) scooters around the square. Obituaries again. More and more old people several of them are leaning on trees standing on the street. More youngs than olds. Alenka is coming to take last picture and save me from my misery. An interesting device this camera. Kids want to take a photo so they can look themselfs in a little screen. We are taking a group photo. My ass hurts and I am waiting for the bell. Time on the belltower is already 20.00 so I leave. I hear the bells while I am walking towards the office.
20.00	It is pretty exhausting just sitting around for 12 hours and not doing anything. I admire this people.

Jani Pirnat

Thanks to:

• Alenka Gregoric (secretary and photographer)
• Sophie Hope (photography)
• Anna Richardson (translating)
• Barry Sykes (editing)
• Sarah Carrington (technical support)
• And all unpaid extras of Montescaglioso