Notte Rosa

Before getting back to my mom and aunts visit to Italy we must share our 4th of July abroad.
Taber's team was scheduled to play Rimini the weekend of the 4th. Being the number 1 beach resort in the Adriatic Sea, we had been looking forward to our visit. Adding to the excitement was the news that on the 4th Rimini was holding their annual "notte rosa" ( pink night). Which is dubbed summer's New Years Eve. The entire Rivera is a 24 hour non-stop pink party. Bars, shops, restaurants, and cafes stay open through the night, all decorated in pink.

Taber and the team left for Rimini on Friday afternoon. They had a game scheduled for Friday night and a double header on Saturday. Rimini's baseball team is one of the toughest teams in the Italian league. Their team is packed with foreign and Italian talent. A few of the players having experienced time in the Big Leagues prior to playing for Rimini. To the surprise, and delight, of Reggio they beat Rimini 2-0 on Friday evening. Taber had a excellent series. He continues to play very well in Italy and, more importantly, is enjoying his time on the field. After the game and to celebrate the win, the team enjoyed a brief night out. In Rimini, the beaches turn into bars at nightfall. Creating a lively atmosphere.

I, along with Bianca and Chelse,a took the train to Rimini on Saturday. Once reaching the train podium, it became apparent the entire town of Reggio was also voyaging to Rimini. We were lucky to find three open seats on the train, unlucky to find three open seats next to a window that did not open. On an ordinary day this would not matter. With the degrees reaching 85, the humidity at 90%, and the train over flowing with Italians (who, from the smell of it, forgot to shower and put on deodorant), a seat next to a functioning window would have been favorable. The setting on the train was similar to a question one would be presented in the game "would you rather". I had a constant hot flash for two hours...definitely not looking forward to menopause. Little did we the train would be the easy part in our trek to the baseball game. Between the three of us, we were able to find the city bus that would drop us off at the field. Prior to getting on the bus two people confirmed this, the ticket issuer and a bus driver. They both assured us "bus number 9" would take us where we wanted to go. Bus number 9 driver disagreed with them. Two minutes into the air conditioned bus ride, he informed us the bus did not go by the "stadio di baseball" and we needed to exit immediately. Assuming it would not be a long walk, we set out on foot to find the field. An hour and a half later and after stopping for direction three times we saw the stadium lights...what a glorious sight it was! What was not such a glorious sight was seeing bus #9 pass us 100 yards from the field. Yes, bus #9 the one we got off of did indeed go to the baseball stadium. By that point we were so relieved to have found the field we considered it part of the adventure and tried not to dwell on it. Ok, we verbally attacked the bus driver as the bus drove by and complained about it to Taber and Jake but eventually let go of our angry thoughts.

Reggio was unable to pull off another win but put up a good fight. The excitement of Notte Rosa served as a good distraction to the loss.

Not wanting to make the hour hike back to the center and not being able to get in touch with a taxi, Taber worked his socializing magic to find us a ride. As predicted, Taber made a friend and found us a ride within 10 minutes. We arrived at the heart of Rimini where our eyes were flooded with the color pink. Pink lights, pink balloons, pink outfits, pink wigs, pink sunglasses, pink drinks...pink everything! Stephanie Clarno, you would have been in pure bliss.We gathered with several Rimini and Reggio baseball players at "Life", a usual hangout of the team. At 4am we decided it was time to try another bar. The instant we stepped outside the clouds opened up and rain poured out. Along with the rain, thunder, lightening, and wind exploded right above us. Sending all Notte Rosa goers running for cover, except for the handful that transformed the flooded streets into their dance floor. Not wanting to brave the storm, we remained at "Life" for the remainder of pink night. The storm not only dictated the rest of the night, but also the following day. Our original plan was to sleep on the beach. Because of the rain, it would not have been the best accommodations and all other hotels/hostels were sold out for the night. At 7am, not having anywhere to sleep and the bars closing, we meandered back to the train station and caught an 8am train back to Reggio. It did not take me long to fall into a deep sleep where I remained the entire train ride. Taber, miraculously, fought the urge to close his eyes and remained awake the entire 2 hour trip. Within 10 minutes of arriving home we both crashed on the bed and fell into a coma. Taber remained in this state for a full 25 hours, waking only for 20 minutes to devour pasta.
Notte Rosa was an amazing spectacle and a memorable way to spend our 4th of July. We later found out, an incredible 2 million people are estimated to have partied the night through! We were happy to be included in a highlight of Rimini's night life.