Lockdown Day 49

7 weeks in another time zone. The twilight zone. 

Quando la Pania porta il cappello, allunga il passo o porta l’ombrello. 

When the Pania wears a hat, lengthen your stride or bring an umbrella.

These mountains have stories to tell and in watching some are revealed. 

The Apuan Alps are the western coastal range between the Serchio River Valley and the Ligurean- Tirrenean sea. Barga rests on the opposite slopes of the Apennines. On both ranges are the medieval villages which have kept watch over the valley for centuries, and before that, other cultures for thousands of years.  

These mountain ranges have provided perfect points of reference for astronomers since before there even was such a thing named and the skies are fascinating to watch at all times for clues to the weather, which many of the older generation can read. Planting is done rigorously by the phase of the moon. 

Our planet’s movement is obvious as the sun sets each evening gradually traveling from a precise point on the Apuan range in the north west on midsummer night to a point south south west on midwinter night. Although to be clear, to my mind, the sun never actually sets, we go hurtling by, waving goodnight. 

A spectacular, but rare to see, due to weather conditions, phenomenon occurs twice a year, in November and January, when the sun sets above once and then through the enormous natural arch of Monte Forato, perforated mountain, in the Apuan Alps, in the event known as the double sunset. 

But every night it’s a delight to watch the skies here, as we pass all of the constellations and Orion seems to leap over the mountains as I sit in my kitchen sleepless. 

The moon is often a beautiful warm yellow, as it approaches the mountains. 

In the late 16th century astronomy was on many peoples’ minds. The native son, latin and greek scholar, poet, philosopher and humanist, Pietro Angeli, Pier degli Angeli, or as he was also known, Il Bargeo, taught at the University of Pisa. He and Galileo Galilei taught there within a year of each other, perhaps they crossed paths. 

There is quite a bit of ambient light in Barga these days and, although the night sky is still remarkable here, going out into the countryside it is spectacular. On a midsummer’s night you can have a VR experience with the depth of field confusion between fireflies and stars. Oh wait, that is reality. 

Now that we’re permitted to do vegetable gardening, and so many do here, many are preparing their “orti” for planting with each category planted in its phase, seed and gradually transplant during this waxing moon, with new plants at the full moon.

The sun, the moon, and the stars, and the clouds. Endless diversions when there has been nothing else to do but watch from inside during this quarantine. We’re all looking forward to being out and about. Whether it’s a Midsummer Night’s Dream or a midwinter’s tale, even in twilight, we can always dream.