The incredible summer weather in this area and the more or less total lack of rain for the last couple of months has meant that agriculture has been suffering.
There is at the moment in force a ban on using water for hosepipes or washing cars and all eyes are on the weather forecast where rain is expected later on this week.
One of the side-effects has been that certain vineyards have actually started picking their grapes for the vendemmia this week.
We are still in August and grapes are being picked when normally here in this valley, the vendemmia takes place at the end of September or even sometimes at the start of October.
Just one look at the images in the vineyard and the differences between picking grapes in August and September can readily be seen.
Temperatures in the high 30’s turned it into a contest to see who could survive a day in the sun and those who actively went for it and enjoyed a chance a top up their sun tan.
Mario Riccardi talking about the new vineyard which he has been working on for the last couple of years (in Italiano)