Small fires that shine in the night, among the rows of Alto Adige. The evocative photos are making the rounds of the network. But what is it about? They are small anti-freeze candles, wax containers that the farmers have fixed so as not to lower the temperature below zero among the vineyards, the apple orchards and the apricot plantations, threatened by cold temperatures. This way you succeed in avoid freezing of buds and flowers.
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Because it was from 1987, for over thirty years, that the month of May was not so cold, as provincial meteorologist Dieter Peterlin confirms. In Solda, in Val Venosta, -9 degrees were recorded, in Selva di val Gardena -7, in Dobbiaco -6. and Vipiteno and Brunico -3 degrees. "This night -2 degrees were recorded, so we went to light the fires," explained Andreas Huber, master cellar master who arranged three hundred candles on a hectare of land: in this way he tries to raise the temperature by 3 degrees and don't let it go below zero. This method is used not only in South Tyrol, but also in other regions: in Emilia Romagna antifreeze candles are called lòm a merz, lights in March.
In some areas of South Tyrol anti-frost irrigation is also being practiced: it is created a frozen layer on the trees to keep the temperature near zero and prevent the flowering from being damaged. And, also in this case, the effect is magical: the landscapes of the valleys shine with the gleams of the ice.
