ISCHIA ON SUNDAY - THE WEEKLY ISCHIA BLOG: SUNDAY 2ND NOVEMBER 2014
Chiesa di San Gorgio, Barano
ISCHIA ON SUNDAY - THE WEEKLY ISCHIA BLOG: SUNDAY 2ND NOVEMBER 2014
Welcome to our weekly Ischia blog, Ischia on Sunday. Here you can see the entry for Sunday 2nd November 2014
Good Evening Ischia!
As if by magic, my very first typed words this evening are accompanied by a distant tolling bell chiming a cheerful if somewhat single-chord melody, emanating from somewhere in the region of Panza I would hazard a guess but most certainly coming from one of the village's churches. Surveying the early evening scene I notice I am being watched by an inquisitive cat who looks startled when he realises we've established eye contact, causing him to look in another direction only to be startled once more, this time by the curious sight of a bright orange pumpkin glaring its flame-glowing teeth at the poor feline.
It's Sunday the 2nd of November, an important day in the Italian calendar, otherwise known as "Il Giorno dei Morti" (The Day of the Dead in English), when people all across the country pay tribute to loved ones, visiting cemeteries and attending masses in honour of those who have passed away. This follows on the heels of the 1st of November which is "Tutti i Santi" or "La Festa di Ognissanti" (All Saints Day in both cases), which comes the day after Halloween (derived from "All Hallows Eve" or "All Saints Eve" I'm arguably reliably informed by Wikipedia). This all explains the cat-scaring pumpkin which we carved ourselves just a few days ago, mainly for its aesthetic value but if it happens to keep us free from evil spirits into the bargain then that can only be a good thing can't it?
The weather has been very settled for the last week and the dry run has continued for what must be at least a month by now but a quick look down at the bottom of the blog will tell you that rain is on the way. I won't say unfortunately because well, you need a bit of rain don't you and our poor garden is suffering! Temperatures remain steady at a maximum of 21° Celcius (71° Fahrenheit) tomorrow morning and it feels surprisingly warm right now at around 17°C (62°F) but by Tuesday things should start to turn a bit wet and windy, maybe until Saturday when it will hopefully be a bit brighter again.
With a mini holiday beckoning (I'm escaping the oncoming rain but unfortunately heading towards other rain), I shall keep things nice and brief this evening but will give a little mention to this week's photo which comes from Barano. To be precise it's from the little village of Testaccio which you pass through on the way down to Maronti Beach. This particular scene is I think one of the prettiest views on the island and can be seen from the main road between Barano and Ischia Ponte. On a clear day you can see sunlight reflecting off car windows on the island of Capri in the distance and the beautiful, quirky shape of Sant'Angelo just down to the right. The church shown in the photo is la Chiesa di San Giorgio, one of a staggering 70 or so churches in Ischia and I think one of the most pleasing on the eye.
Ok that's all from me for this week, I'll be back with more next Sunday from a secret location a little way north of here. Have a great week and don't forget to ask if you have any questions about Ischia, no matter where we are we're always happy to help.
A presto
Dion Protani
Sunday 2nd November 2014 - [email protected]
Today's Saint's day/Name day: Tobia Beata, Il Giorno dei Morti
Today in history: The first ever crossword to be published in a British newspaper can be found in the Sunday Express (1924)
Born on this day: Ischia - related legends Italian film director Luchino Visconti (1906) and American actor Burt Lancaster (1913)
Sun-rise (alba): 06:34hrs - Sun-set (tramonto): 16:59hrs
As if by magic, my very first typed words this evening are accompanied by a distant tolling bell chiming a cheerful if somewhat single-chord melody, emanating from somewhere in the region of Panza I would hazard a guess but most certainly coming from one of the village's churches. Surveying the early evening scene I notice I am being watched by an inquisitive cat who looks startled when he realises we've established eye contact, causing him to look in another direction only to be startled once more, this time by the curious sight of a bright orange pumpkin glaring its flame-glowing teeth at the poor feline.
It's Sunday the 2nd of November, an important day in the Italian calendar, otherwise known as "Il Giorno dei Morti" (The Day of the Dead in English), when people all across the country pay tribute to loved ones, visiting cemeteries and attending masses in honour of those who have passed away. This follows on the heels of the 1st of November which is "Tutti i Santi" or "La Festa di Ognissanti" (All Saints Day in both cases), which comes the day after Halloween (derived from "All Hallows Eve" or "All Saints Eve" I'm arguably reliably informed by Wikipedia). This all explains the cat-scaring pumpkin which we carved ourselves just a few days ago, mainly for its aesthetic value but if it happens to keep us free from evil spirits into the bargain then that can only be a good thing can't it?
The weather has been very settled for the last week and the dry run has continued for what must be at least a month by now but a quick look down at the bottom of the blog will tell you that rain is on the way. I won't say unfortunately because well, you need a bit of rain don't you and our poor garden is suffering! Temperatures remain steady at a maximum of 21° Celcius (71° Fahrenheit) tomorrow morning and it feels surprisingly warm right now at around 17°C (62°F) but by Tuesday things should start to turn a bit wet and windy, maybe until Saturday when it will hopefully be a bit brighter again.
With a mini holiday beckoning (I'm escaping the oncoming rain but unfortunately heading towards other rain), I shall keep things nice and brief this evening but will give a little mention to this week's photo which comes from Barano. To be precise it's from the little village of Testaccio which you pass through on the way down to Maronti Beach. This particular scene is I think one of the prettiest views on the island and can be seen from the main road between Barano and Ischia Ponte. On a clear day you can see sunlight reflecting off car windows on the island of Capri in the distance and the beautiful, quirky shape of Sant'Angelo just down to the right. The church shown in the photo is la Chiesa di San Giorgio, one of a staggering 70 or so churches in Ischia and I think one of the most pleasing on the eye.
Ok that's all from me for this week, I'll be back with more next Sunday from a secret location a little way north of here. Have a great week and don't forget to ask if you have any questions about Ischia, no matter where we are we're always happy to help.
A presto
Dion Protani
Sunday 2nd November 2014 - [email protected]
Today's Saint's day/Name day: Tobia Beata, Il Giorno dei Morti
Today in history: The first ever crossword to be published in a British newspaper can be found in the Sunday Express (1924)
Born on this day: Ischia - related legends Italian film director Luchino Visconti (1906) and American actor Burt Lancaster (1913)
Sun-rise (alba): 06:34hrs - Sun-set (tramonto): 16:59hrs
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