Monday, November 12

Che tempo fa??

Okay, I know that once you're reduced to talking about the weather, things are not looking good on the creative front..but, stick with me here..I don't really want to talk about the weather, but rather, the weathermen (and, I realize this is not pc, but, in Italy, I have only seen weathermen). But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Today's headlines screamed, 'cold front on the way!' 'Temperatures down 7 degrees (which is a lot in centigrade). I left the house totally prepared...and almost died from sun stroke.

Now, I know it's a Michigan thing, because when we all ended up in New York City, everyone complained about the weather forecasts. I mean, in Michigan, you can set your clock to their "light flurries in the afternoon". Right on cue, at 12:05 pm, you look out your window, and behold! Light flurries. (Of course, one could argue that that's because there are always flurries in Michigan).

But whereas Americans know predicting the weather is a total joke, they give us funny guys and clowns to give you the daily reports. They dress up in raincoats, toss funny suns around (best depicted in Steve Martin's L.A.Story), the works.

In Italy instead, they bring out their Maresciallo of the Corps of Army Engineers or Navy Brigade, all dressed up in their finest, brass buttons and all. I half expect them to salute at the end of their predictions. These guys, oh so serious, go at it giving you a play by play so thorough you'd think they were channelling Einstein. And yet, I plan for rain, there's sunshine. Wild storms predicted? Light sprinkles fall instead. I can't figure it out...it must be the seas that throw things off a bit.

But, living in a city where, as the saying goes, there are Four Seasons in a Day! well, before I take the dog out, we both just stick our noses out the window.

3 comments:

Shelley - At Home in Rome said...

I think the Meteo is RICH for analyzation and ridicule. Have you ever checked out the Channel 4 (Emilio Fede) forecast? OMG, surreal. Now THERE'S a female "forecaster" for you. She even tells a joke of the day and flirts with Fede, it's pretty gross but strangely like a train wreck, you just can't seem to look away no matter how much you know you should....
And, can we talk about the maps? They are so generic, a sun can cover nearly an entire region. How long did it take you to figure out that the 3 lines = fog?
So, I hear you on this one, no lack of creativity on your part as far as I'm concerned!

Anonymous said...

but do the italians actually need a forecast? i mean, as soon as it hits nov 1, they pull out the wool stuff--cold or not. same goes for summer. hot or not, no more beach come sept.
you are a hoot!
xo c.

Irreverent Italy said...

Oh yes, I will be sure to talk about the infamous Telegiornale...As for Emilio Fede, well, he's my replacement for Saturday Night Live.