Special Events
PRESENTATION OF THE BOOK "I TEMPI SONO
MATURI", LUCA MERCALLI, 2004, CDA&Vivalda Ed.
The well-known meteorologist and writer Luca Mercalli is the guest of honour for the 2004
edition of the Cervino International Film Festival, who will present his new book. He
provided us with some biographical notes about his profession: everybody talks about the
weather, what its like and what it will be like tomorrow. More then ever today, the
weather forecast is reliable and we are able to plan our lives around it. Furthermore, we
are even more inclined to worry about weather predictions due to our knowledge that
humanity has played its part in climate change.
Although we are confronted with all this information, at
times contradictory and superficial, we know very little or nothing of the world that
operates behind the weather charts. It is a fascinating world where the vanguard of
complex science and advanced computer systems, blend together with the art of
interpretation and the beauty of a clouded sky. That is why Ôthe time is ripe' for these
pages to shed light on commonplaces and atmospheric prejudices. The book can be used as an
instruction manual for both those who would like to understand how to make better use of
the various weather forecasts found on television, on the internet, in newspapers and
those who would like to make this science a creative hobby, or even a career.
LUCA MERCALLI
The 24th of February 1966, when the first winter air was beginning to blow through Turin,
polluted even in those days, carried by an expansion of high pressure from Africa. On that
day the minimum temperature was 4 degrees and the maximum 18. It had just finished
raining, and the horizon of the snow covered Alps was already indicating his future
scientific laboratory of clouds and glaciers, where he has researched the secret climates
of a distant past for twenty years.
Today, he is the president of the Società Meteorologica
Italiana, the major national association in this area, which was born in 1865. He is the
founder and editor of the prestigious Italian meterology magazine "Nimbus", a
professor of atmospheric science, an author of 75 scientific publications, a journalist
for "La Republica", "Alp" and "Rivista della Montagna", as
well as the meteorologist for the RAI Tre television programme, presented by Fabio Fazio,
"Che tempo che fa".
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