In this early spring, which in many parts of Italy resembles a late winter, with the vines already sprouting, the fires in the vineyard return to provide striking, but also troubling images. Like those coming from the social profiles of Abbazia di Novacella, one of the oldest wineries in South Tyrol, whose rows of vines were filled with lit candles to defend the bud-filled plants from the cold.

“Tonight the temperatures around the monastery dropped below -2 degrees Celsius. So we had to protect the vines from frost damage with warming candles”, the winery explains on Facebook. Images, those coming from Novacella, taken by the winery’s director, Werner Waldboth.