Anyone else suffering from cambio di stagione? After 11 years in Florence, my robust British constitution is wavering and I am starting to be afflicted by uniquely Italian ailments. As I write these words, my head is inclined to the left while my right ear is dripping with an almond oil-based tincture. I have been attacked by ‘change of season,’ or so my trusty pharmacist advised me, nodding sagely and murmuring, ‘l’è i’cambio di stagione,’ when I told her about my muffled ear complaint.
It is reassuring to know that I am not the only one suffering from this seasonal malady. On a recent business trip to Alba, my husband felt like he was coming down with the dreaded febbre—Italian man-speak for ‘man-flu.’ A Piedmontese restauranteur poured him a shottino of local dolcetto wine, heartily booming, “This will sort you out! Tant’ si tratt’ di camb’ di stagion’!”
Members of the Italian Reflections group on Facebook have reminded me of the dangers of not wearing a scarf at this time of the year. Tammy: ‘I got torcicollo: two weeks without being able to move my neck was enough for me to never leave home without a scarf again! Anyone else already wearing the canottiera della salute?’ Eugene: ‘Stay away from open windows! All you need is cervicale!’
Fever, fatigue, headache, lack of appetite are all classic symptoms of CdS, as well as a overriding desire to buy new boots, preferably over the Internet so as to avoid leaving the house and the risk of being ambushed by further CdS agents. The compulsive need to invest in new clothing is part of cambio di stagione: you put away your summer clothes, replenish your wardrobe with winter wear and—online research tells me—women change their type of face cream.
As long as wine, boots and beauty products are the benefits of this autumnal ailment, I think I can cope with a mild dose of earache.
