Marroni

I went back to my stomping ground before the summer above the Madonna del Sasso. Up through the chestnut woods in a balmy 25C with a delightful breeze. I didn't see a soul - a snake, lizards and a conclave of 12 dung beetles. Perhaps they all had souls. The snake moved with extraordinary speed and quiet over the brittle dry chestnut leaves.

Marroni are chestnuts - often known as castagne. Also used in slang to refer to the male reproductive organs. Apparently maroni are the cultivated chestnut, selected over years, reducing the number of fruits per clutch.