Winter Wonderland...
As the inevitable festive season approaches, we take a break from the Italian language lessons and I thought I'd slip in a quick blog before the year ends and before we push on into 2018 with more Brexit negotiations. Here in Italy, Christmas is a much lower key affair than I have witnessed in the U.K. There isn't the same manic hysteria with people desperately panic buying packets of vol-au-vents, sausage rolls and bottles of egg-nog in the packed festive aisles. Here the supermarkets are flogging pallet loads of 'Panettone's and 'Pandora's, along with big prosciutto hams and strong sheeps cheeses....but strangely, no Port? It only really starts to get underway here from 8th December, on the night of the much disputed and misunderstood 'Immaculate conception' actually, then it moves at a slower pace up to the main festive days. Here there are a few seasonal decorations up on folks houses around here and they appear to be a little more reserved than us. ...