Abstract Azzano Decimo, northeast Italy, was hit by major hail events in August 2021 and July 2023. The second event broke the European hail size record, whereas the first event led to nine 10-cm-sized hailstone samples that were preserved for subsequent examination. This essay presents the involvement of ARPA FVG - OSMER 1 with both events, along with the meteorological and cultural backgrounds: hail in Italy is far more frequent and severe than naïvely expected from a stereotype of Italy. The severeness of hail of this area can even be felt vividly through the tradition of Italian music, especially in Summer of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons . Also touching on social–economical aspects, including various technologies used for hail prevention, this essay suggests how our history and culture can be deeply influenced by the severe weather events.
Agostino Manzato (Tue,) studied this question.