Winter Wonderland...
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. Italians don't go mad crazy with the lights, trying to create a 'Griswold' effect, instead opting for religious Nativity scenes (Presepi), which are popular in the towns at the Christmas markets as this was made popular by 'Francis of Assisi', a cassock wearing old lad that lived up the road from here, near Perugia.
Christmas Eve traditionally is marked as 'fish' night, with Italians tucking into several courses and huge 'piatto's' with a variety of fishies....probably with chips, mushy peas and thick gravy and a sneaky battered sausage! Once all this is eaten they will be off up one of the many large churches to sing and chant and swing incense about in the traditional Catholic style they refer to as a 'Mass'.
On the day of the birth of Our Lord, a massive feast is prepared of pasta and meat courses, fizzy wine and stodgy cakes that probably take all day to eat and much like the UK I presume various unwanted family members come round, get pissed and fill their faces until they are full to busting...then leave.
The 26th is known as 'Santo Stefano', and a public holiday too....I can only imagine that more eating and merryment takes place?
There is also a misconception that Italy is bathed in all year round sunshine...absolutely not!...Yes, it's generally sunny 😎 during the day but temperatures are cold now with most mornings very frosty. Outside the Cinghiale evade the local hunters and continue to dig up the frozen tundra that is now the Olivetti's and the pool remains frozen over....Brrrr!
Winter field work continues here at La Cesa, clearing up in the woods, keeping ditches clear and composting all the leaves fallen leaves.
Anyway, it's time to shut the door and crack open the sloe gin, catch up with the 'Peaky Fu**in' Blinders' while we chuck a few more hardwood logs on the house fires to keep out the cold, thus stopping 'Babbo Natale' squeezing his lardy 'pancetta' fat-ass down the chimney!
Buon Natale!
One for the kids....A bit of a vintage festive groove to get you in the mood from Doris Day.
Sent wi' th'ipad
Comments
Post a Comment