Bagpiping mystery solved

Thanks to Italian Notebook, the bagpiping mystery has been solved. Apparently the players were Zampognari.

As they say in Italy at this time of year, "Tanti auguri" to all 3 of our readers.

Bagpipe "music"

Last night after work, I was peacefully doing yoga at home when all of a sudden, I heard this horrible cacophony. I went to the window to see what it could be. It turned out to be two people with bagpipes standing right outside my apartment building. Is this the equivalent of Christmas caroling here? I don't know. No one was gathering around to enjoy the concert.

Anyway, although these people were technically playing the bagpipes, I wouldn't call them musicians. In fact, it was as if two people who had never seen or heard bagpipes before had picked them up on the street and randomly started poking at them and blowing into them. There was no discernable melody or harmony, and they were not in unison. It was just loud noise. What was that about?

Eventually they went away. (Actually, they were there for a mercifully short amount of time.) Maybe people tipped them to stop playing.

Fashion consciousness starts early

Today, on my way home from work, I saw a mother pushing her approximately 18- to 24-month old daughter in a stroller. The little girl had a pacifier in her mouth. She was also wearing fashionable and beautiful knee-high leather boots.

Italian women begin their fashion consciousness training early in life, I guess.