Or, if you prefer it in English: Summer!
It’s surely here now? Or, at least, it f’sure feels like it to me!
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| "Gonna be hot! Gonna be damn hot...!" |
The best (worst?) day being early last week, when the ‘overnight low’ was 23 and that day’s high being 33 celcius! And this is just the recorded temperature, the “feels like” could easily be 1 to 3 degrees warmer than that.
Great (early) beach weather, of course, and many locals have, in fact, been flocking to the nearby beaches, especially as we can now boast a half-way decent local bus service.
I have to say though, it’s not so great when you’re trying to paint the interior of your house ... with all that that entails!
My own fault really: “Be careful what you wish for...” and all that. Especially as I was lamenting the ‘cold’ weather here back in my March post, openly admitting to the world that I’m a complete big girl’s blouse when it comes to the Winter chill.
So now, I guess I just have to get on with getting on! It is nice to be able to walk about the sweltering streets in only shorts and a tee though.
Even if it is in between slapping on layers of undercoat…
One Up … All Up!
As I’m writing this entry, around 8:00am on Sunday 29th June, the bells on the local churches are going batsh*t crazy.
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| Bell, Duomo (Cathedral) di San Giorgio |
Around a half-dozen hideously-loud bangs, about 30 seconds apart, that revibrated all about the valley we’re living in here in the old city.
I have to suspect that both those who set off those pyrotechnics and the bell-ringers are in collusion. That is: “If I have to be up way-early on a Sunday morning ... then you have to be too!” My poor wife, who does like a sleep in, f’sure didn’t get one this sunny Sunday!
Why this ‘double cacophony’ of thunderous bangs and ear-splitting rings?
That’d be because today marks the “Festa di San Pietro Apostolo” (“Feast of Saint Peter the Apostle”). An important religious feast day here in Modica, and throughout Italy and further afield, of course. Very important here though, as he’s one (of the three) religious ‘patrons’ of our city.
Oh, and please don’t feel in any way upset for us here: This ain’t a ‘one-off’.
Nope! It’s a fairly regular occurrence, here in the deeply-religious South. The “Festa di San Giorgio” and the “Madonna Vasa-Vasa”, to name but two, are also very happy to bang-and-bong at 8:00am when it’s their turn to be celebrated.
Still … mustn’t grumble!
It was our choice to move here…
End With A Bang!
One other thing about the many religious festivals here?
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| All sorts of pyrotechnics here! |
Sicilians, and Modicans in particular it would seem, love ‘em! They’re a fixture in many, if not most, of those celebrated here. And I’m not just talking about the larger, more well-attended ones, like the aforementioned “Festa di San Giorgio” and the “Madonna Vasa-Vasa”.
No, even those smaller, more ‘intimate’, religious days celebrated out in the countryside around Modica will end that day’s festivities with an (albeit smaller) pyrotechnic display. I know, ‘cause we’ve attended several over the years.
Now, and apparently, fireworks have a rich history here in Italy, dating right back to the Middle Ages.
While likely legend rather than fact, it’s explorer Marco Polo who is said to have brought firecrackers to Venice in around 1292. Which, I feel sure, would’ve pleased the locals no end!
What is fact though, is that while gunpowder and early forms of pyrotechnics originated in China, Italians are considered pioneers in the field in Europe. It being during the Renaissance that they began modifying until-then military rockets, experimenting with different compounds to create a wider range of colours and increasingly sophisticated aerial displays.
And it’s Italians who’re credited with developing the first true ‘airborne’ fireworks, alongside other types like the widely-known ‘Roman Candle’. No surprise, given that name, of course!
Anyways, they surely do put on wonderful shows today. They may last only five-or-so minutes, but they end festivities with a real bang here!
Sorry ‘bout that…
