All the Carnevale celebrations planned for this weekend have had to be abandoned because of snow and the children are very disappointed. They insisted on wearing their costumes all day regardless. The steep road to the estate has frozen underneath the snowfall and we haven’t been off the property since Thursday.

We’ve made a snowman with stick arms akimbo, surprise biscuits for Marco and crogietti. Crogietti exist all over Italy with different names (cenci, bugie and chiacchere) and are fried pastry strips with honey… it’s probably a good thing that they are only made at Carnival time.

Marco has been shaking trees all day to try and prevent snow damage. He’s a man who loves his plants and our mimosa and cypress trees should survive intact thanks to his efforts. The vines are dormant so they are not at risk. Actually the snow just means there is a higher level of water in the ground to which they will have access later in the year (a good thing).

It was when I started taking pictures of the childrens’ toys trampling heart biscuits to commemorate the combination of Valentine’s Day and the Year of the Tiger that I realised I was losing it. Mercifully Scirocco winds are predicted for tomorrow and with any luck the road will thaw, we’ll take the children out in their fancy dress and I will be able to stop baking.

Photos of snowy Il Palazzone can be seen on www.facebook.com/ilpalazzone