The inhabitants of Barga have by now become well used to the sound of a helicopter clattering overhead.
Our local senator uses one daily on his way to and from work in Rome and towards the end of the hot summer season, they quite often hear another helicopter, this time busily helping to put out forest fires. Sometimes there is another helicopter, this time from the Carabinieri, out on patrol and of course there is the very occasional helicopter ambulance rushing off some unfortunate person to the hospital further down the valley.
But today, it was a completely different sound. Yes there was a helicopter, but there was no smoke in evidence so it wasn’t putting out any fire and it seemed to be rushing backwards and forwards just below Sommocolonia for what seemed like hours.
It was only on closer inspection that the story became clear. Yes, there was something dangling below the helicopter but it wasn’t the usual water container this time it was something a good deal heavier.
The problem of construction work by ENEL who are putting in 7 new pylons for a new electric cable up to Sommocolonia on the side of the hill in an area where the ready mix concrete truck could not gain access had been resolved thanks to the helicopter bringing in the concrete by air.
Just another normal day for life in the mountains.