good morning ischia! tuesday 31st december 2013
New Year's Eve in Ischia
GOOD MORNING ISCHIA! TUESDAY 31ST DECEMBER 2013
Welcome to our Ischia blog, Good Morning Ischia! Here you can see the entry for 31st January 2013.
Good morning Ischia!
It's a better start to the final day of the year here in Ischia. We had torrential rain all day yesterday but that's now given way to some light cloud and we're set for much better conditions over the next few days. After being soaked for the last 24 hours or so the island is gradually drying out, just in time for this evening's celebrations. Temperatures today should be similar to those of yesterday with a predicted maximum of 15° Celcius (58° fahrenheit) and a minimum of 12°C (54°F), but feeling warmer without all the wet stuff.
As it's New Year's Eve I've simply chosen some fireworks to represent the final blog entry of the year. The island will be an explosion of colour at midnight tonight as the islanders and visitors alike welcome in 2014 with pyrotechnic fervour.
Throughout the year I've been struck by the regularity with which fireworks are used in Ischia (rather than being regularly struck by fireworks I hasten to add!), hardly a day goes by without hearing a mild distant explosion or the sight of a colourful rocket hurtling towards the night sky somewhere in the distance.
Fireworks are used by hotels and restaurants to mark birthdays, weddings and other special occasions but the biggest displays are reserved for the religious festivals "festas" such as Santa Restituta or Sant'Anna where Castello Aragonese is decorated in an amazing display which simulates the castle being ablaze in flames as the climax to an evening of festivity in Ischia Ponte. I have to say though that in my opinion the greatest exhibition of the art was during the Festa di San Michele in Sant'Angelo on the 29th of September. The communities of Serrara Fontana and Barano joined forces to put on a magnificent display that stretched from Sorgeto all the way to Maronti beach that was truly spectacular. The co-ordination and timing of the event was just as impressive as the fireworks themselves and definitely an event worth visiting the island for every September.
Tonight will see another demonstration of Ischia's passion for pyrotechnics with big public displays in Sant'Angelo and Ischia Porto. There'll be a party atmosphere in the piazzetta in Sant'Angelo with music and dancing and something similar at Piazza Antica Reggia at the bottom of Via Roma in Ischia Porto.
Anyway that's all from me for today and for 2013, I always find it interesting watching the news clips as different parts of the world welcome in the New Year in different time zones so whichever part of the world you happen to be in I wish you a great evening and of course a very happy New Year.
Until next year!
Dion Protani
Tuesday 31st December 2013 - [email protected]
Today's Saint's day/Name day: Pope San Silvestro, Fiore, Melania
Today in history: Marie Curie receives 2nd Nobel Prize (1911)
Born on this day: Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins (1937), French impressionist painter Henri Matisse (1869)
Sun-rise (alba): 07:27hrs - Sun-set (tramonto): 16:45hrs
It's a better start to the final day of the year here in Ischia. We had torrential rain all day yesterday but that's now given way to some light cloud and we're set for much better conditions over the next few days. After being soaked for the last 24 hours or so the island is gradually drying out, just in time for this evening's celebrations. Temperatures today should be similar to those of yesterday with a predicted maximum of 15° Celcius (58° fahrenheit) and a minimum of 12°C (54°F), but feeling warmer without all the wet stuff.
As it's New Year's Eve I've simply chosen some fireworks to represent the final blog entry of the year. The island will be an explosion of colour at midnight tonight as the islanders and visitors alike welcome in 2014 with pyrotechnic fervour.
Throughout the year I've been struck by the regularity with which fireworks are used in Ischia (rather than being regularly struck by fireworks I hasten to add!), hardly a day goes by without hearing a mild distant explosion or the sight of a colourful rocket hurtling towards the night sky somewhere in the distance.
Fireworks are used by hotels and restaurants to mark birthdays, weddings and other special occasions but the biggest displays are reserved for the religious festivals "festas" such as Santa Restituta or Sant'Anna where Castello Aragonese is decorated in an amazing display which simulates the castle being ablaze in flames as the climax to an evening of festivity in Ischia Ponte. I have to say though that in my opinion the greatest exhibition of the art was during the Festa di San Michele in Sant'Angelo on the 29th of September. The communities of Serrara Fontana and Barano joined forces to put on a magnificent display that stretched from Sorgeto all the way to Maronti beach that was truly spectacular. The co-ordination and timing of the event was just as impressive as the fireworks themselves and definitely an event worth visiting the island for every September.
Tonight will see another demonstration of Ischia's passion for pyrotechnics with big public displays in Sant'Angelo and Ischia Porto. There'll be a party atmosphere in the piazzetta in Sant'Angelo with music and dancing and something similar at Piazza Antica Reggia at the bottom of Via Roma in Ischia Porto.
Anyway that's all from me for today and for 2013, I always find it interesting watching the news clips as different parts of the world welcome in the New Year in different time zones so whichever part of the world you happen to be in I wish you a great evening and of course a very happy New Year.
Until next year!
Dion Protani
Tuesday 31st December 2013 - [email protected]
Today's Saint's day/Name day: Pope San Silvestro, Fiore, Melania
Today in history: Marie Curie receives 2nd Nobel Prize (1911)
Born on this day: Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins (1937), French impressionist painter Henri Matisse (1869)
Sun-rise (alba): 07:27hrs - Sun-set (tramonto): 16:45hrs
|
|
