On the night between June 28^th and the 29^th, according to an ancient tradition, is the night dedicated to San Pietro sailing ship.

This tradition is well known in the regions of Veneto, Trentino e Lombardia. It consists on putting a jar full of water in the middle of a garden or a balcony, and pour an egg white inside it. During the night, the egg white will create abstract shapes that look like a sailing ship.

According to the tradition, during the night the apostle San Pietro (who was a fisherman) blows inside the water giving life to the sailing ship.

The farmers used to read the shape like an old school weather forecast: wide open "sails" meant sunny days and a great vintage to come. Closed and tight sails meant cloudy and rainy days.

But, like most of the romantic stories, it has a scientific explanation: the white egg is thicker than water and, thanks to the thermal excursion between day and night, tends to stay on the bottom.

The soil, after a sunny day, spreads the heat to the water molecules leading them to go up to the surface, dragging up the white egg. This is how the sails are made in the traditional veliero di San Pietro!

And how they say, "Se piove a San Pietro, piove per un anno intero" (if it rains on San Pietro's day, it rains for the whole year).

Cin Cin,

VM