just in case you don't believe me...

It's officially hot, with health warnings for the area, and, as we are on the slopes of Monte Asprano getting the sun all day, our little microclimate is even hotter than the official forecasts predict unless we can find a breeze (and a cold beer to bring some sense into the equation).  We are still "enjoying" (read suffering) Caligola, the sixth scorching anticyclone sent to us by dear neighbouring north Africa, and on Monday we welcome number seven without a break... the hottest days are predicted to be between the 19th and the 23rd.  Roll on the 27th and 28th when we might have some cooler weather! The Centro-sud is frizzled, fried, cooked, cotto... even my herbs under the tree that are watered frequently are turning up their toes.

For a short period the house stayed cool, but now that the stone walls are warmed right through the average temperature in the kitchen is 28, the cantina up to about 25 because I have left doors open to get air right through.

Prima "Caligola", poi "Lucifero": una vera "HOTSTORM"  >> Video

E' arrivato "CALIGOLA", il sesto anticiclone di quest'estate infinita. Caligola infiammerà l'Italia fino a Lunedì, quando lascerà lo scettro del caldo a LUCIFERO, settimo e ultimo e più forte anticiclone dell' Estate e che promette fino a 40°C a Bologna, Ferrara, Firenze, 39 Roma, 38 in Veneto, 36 a Milano, 37 a Bolzano. E' una vera e propria Tempesta di Caldo, una "HOTSTORM", quella che si sta per abbattere sul Mediterraneo in un crescendo rossiniano della colonnina di mercurio.  I giorni più caldi anche al nord da Domenica 19 e fino al 23.   Caldo ad oltranza al centrosud fino al 27-28, mentre al nord in arrivo piogge diffuse dal 25-26-27 seguite da aria fredda dal Mar del Nord.

Today I am grateful for double glazing and an oscillating fan.