By all accounts, this winter in Viterbo was unusual. The vast majority of the time the temperature was well above normal. Then we had late January and most of February where it was very cold and we had more snow than has fallen at any time in the last 50 years. I have been told that the key ingredients which were missing for most of the winter were an overcast, drizzle/rain and wind. I can’t say that I missed them much.
The wind which cuts so deeply in Viterbo is referred to as la tramontane. It comes barreling out of the north having hopped the Alps and being trapped to the west of the Apennines which form a ridge down the spine of Italy. When they get howling they will hit a steady 45 mph. I was reminded of that fact during my 6 AM walk around the city walls this morning. The temperature was a reasonable 40 degrees, but the wind nearly took my breath away when I was walking into it and just about blew me on my face when it was hitting me from behind. When I did a little digging I discovered that tramontane is one of the traditional names for the winds of the Mediterranean. They were named by Flavio Gioia in the 14th century. There are eight of them, one for each of the cardinal directions and each of the directions between. Perhaps the most famous of these is the Sirocco which blows out of the southeast and has been known to deposit desert sand from Africa even as far north as Viterbo and beyond.
A second wind connection is found at the school. The rooms are referred to by letters: A, B, E, N and Z. That doesn’t make much sense unless you know the names of the Greek gods of the winds. A is Aeolus, the ruler of the winds in Greek mythology. B is Boreas, E is Eurus, N is Notus and Z is Zephyrus. These are the gods of the north, east, south and west winds, respectively.
The tramontane is essentially a boreas wind. The word boreas shares a common root with Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights. I teach my one class this year in Zephyrus, the bringer of spring and summer breezes. I guess that means it is my time now.
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