In Italy the symbol of the Day of the Holy Three Kings is an old lady called la Befana. On the eve of January 6th this characteristic creature on a broomstick, looking more like a witch than a kind grandmother, visits the children to fill their socks with candies (if they had been good) or lump of coal (if they had been bad).
Sometimes I’m wondering about the phenomenon of little towns in Langhe and Roero. Each of them, more or less popular, manages to organize a nice event practically from nothing, often even finding the reason to encourage the citizens to go out or attract tourists visiting surroundings. One of many events in Cherasco can be a good example: Mercato dei prodotti alimentari and Mercato del cioccolato d’autore.
From the next weekend the busiest time of the year in Langhe and Roero vineyards is going to start. The grape harvest (la vendemmia) is just around the corner. This summer, except a couple of rainy days, the weather has been cooperating and nobody could complain about lack of sun. Therefore the harvesting period this year is a little bit earlier than usually.
