The swan bent its supple neck towards the water and looked at itself in the mirror for a long time. Then he understood the reason for his tiredness, and for that cold that gripped his body making him tremble like in winter: with absolute certainty he knew that his time had come and that he had to prepare to die. His feathers were still as white as the first day of his life.
He had passed through the seasons and years without staining his immaculate robe; now he could also leave and end his story on a high note. Raising his beautiful neck, he walked slowly and solemnly under a willow tree, where he used to rest during the heat. It was already evening.
The sunset dyed the water of the lake purple and purple. And in the great silence that was already falling all around, the swan began to sing. Never before had he found accents so full of love for all nature, the beauty of the sky, water and earth.
Its sweet song spread through the air, barely veiled in nostalgia, until it slowly died out, together with the last light on the horizon. it's the swan - the fish, the birds, all the animals of the meadow and the woods said with emotion - it's the swan that dies.
Leonardo da Vinci
Harvest rites
The great harvest lunch. It was customary, once the grapes were placed in the vats and the cellar cleaned, while waiting for the wine to ferment, to have a dinner to celebrate the harvest in which all the harvesters, friends, relatives, the owners of the farm and also the passing or colorful people like an organ grinder, as well as important guests like the parish priest. The wine (still must) quickly went to the head and what was said was said. This derives from the custom of making sweet wine from very young wine to drink during vigils. Those who couldn't bear the fescennini left. Fruit of the Lord. A gentle custom was that of the grape harvesters to leave on each tree a small bunch hidden at the top which was called the fruit (or the grasp) of the Lord, because on the fruit trees a small part was not picked, leaving it to those who needed it. or to animals, in particular birds. This gesture demonstrates how our ancestors were aware that the countryside is a pantry of God, open to men, but intended for all creatures.
Fettunta
Typical Tuscan preparation coming from the tradition of tasting the new oil at the mill by sprinkling it on a slice of good bread. In reality, a more elaborate dish is served to buyers and visitors: a toasted slice of stale unsalted bread, rubbed with a clove of garlic, sprinkled with oil and salted to the taste of the eater. Additions are sins for which everyone is personally responsible. It is also used to call it with the Lazio term bruschetta, thus justifying the imaginative additions, such as a rub of tomato, up to the point of toasted bread in which the slice is loaded with a stew of small pieces of tomatoes, flavored by leaving them in their liquid with oil, salt, herbs, garlic, aromatic herbs such as pepolino.
Lifestyles
The plastic
Plastic is a great discovery that has improved the quality of life, to the point of becoming one of the main causes of pollution on the planet.
From 1950 to today, world production has increased from one and a half million to 245 million tons per year, posing challenges especially with regards to the disposal of non-biodegradable waste. Evidence of this is the gigantic accumulations of plastic waste created in the oceans, with an extension reaching millions of square kilometers, an area larger than the surface of the United States.
According to the UN Environment Agency (UNEP), around 100.000 marine mammals, a significant number of turtles and one million sea birds are killed every year by plastic, through ingestion or entanglement. However, since it is a petroleum derivative, the first impact occurs through the extraction, transport and storage of hydrocarbons. It follows the process of transformation into plastic with the related production of harmful emissions.
