The sixth of January, here in Italy, we celebrate La Befana, it is a National bank holiday and a religious celebration.

Nowadays the festivity is mainly orientated to amuse children with little gifts and numerous festivals across the country. La Befana is an old ugly witch that flies on a broomstick carrying candies and sweets to well-behaved children, charcoal to naughty children.

This year La Befana has amused everyone here in Abruzzo with an incredible snowfall that will pass to the history. The snow started to fall on hilltop villages during the afternoon of January the 5^th.

The 6^th of January at around lunchtime, it started to snow even along the coast; it is very uncommon to have snow along the coast, but this winter it has been an exception. By dinnertime everything was white and all the roads were very quiet, no traffic, no noise, no people. Shops all closed and numerous bars and restaurants had to shut down earlier because of the bad snowstorm in course.

The atmosphere was breath-taking and magic.

A friend took some photos of the ancient city of Vasto during the night of the 6^th of January; Vasto with its castle, churches, monuments and the narrow roads of its historic centre has never looked so beautiful as under the snow with all the Christmas decorations still on.

Thank you Befana, for this beautiful gift!