Well this Christmas Day in Abruzzo has to be our strangest yet, courtesy of a 100-130 km/h hot blasting scirocco, that left us almost feeling we were celebrating Easter rather than a mid-winter festive feast!
The temperature was a balmy 23°, and for those locally who weren’t having the traditional Abruzzo aspic-style turkey, plumping instead for, say, roast capon courtesy of an electric oven, Christmas Day lunch was forced toward a simpler gentler fare due to the elements depriving us of electricity throughout the whole day. This meant no ADSL too; thus conversation, board/bored games and candles were the essence of this Christmas Day in Bascianella, all to the disconcertingly relentless backdrop of the Banshee wind outside. A change from the chilly snow-clad Christmases we had become accustomed to in previous years.
Listen to the Mad Scirocco Christmas Wind in Abruzzo
Author: Sam Dunham
Sam is a freelance SEO content creator and IGCSE Geography and English teacher at Istituto Cristo Re in Rome. She also runs the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, sharing stories and insights about this captivating region.
Alongside raising a teenager, Sam hosts guests at her family’s traditional home, the Little House of the Firefly in Abruzzo, offering a warm welcome and insider tips on local culture, food, and hidden gems.
