It happens each September, as predictably as turning the month on the calendar. And yet each year it hits us like a sudden change in the rhythm of our whole community: the tramontana winds from the mountains blow through our narrow coastal region, bringing the cool northern air.
A distinctive sign of the month of September, the mountain winds sweep away the humidity and the last clamminess of late summer. They also sweep away the hordes of tourists - those broiling flocks that pack the beaches, and those who like to travel our steep hills by bike in colorful skin-tight leotards.
When the September winds blow, the air turns crisp and clear, the sea becomes as flat as a pool table and cobalt blue, and our little roads are again liveable and driveable. These are the best days of the warm season for us locals, as summer wanes in splendid style.
(photos from one September day at the street market - I hardly ever go there during the hot summer months, because parking would be impossible).
