As if things were not already bad enough after the recent earthquake, the rains came down here in Amatrice this afternoon.
Just as hundreds of people gathered for yet another funeral service, this time for 37 of the 291 victims of last week’s tremor, the first of the autumn temporali (downpours) struck.
In some ways, the angry, grey sky was perfectly in harmony with the sombre mood here.
In the improvised chapel, a huge open-sided tent with freshly spread gravel for a floor, relatives and friends of the dead sat around the coffins, each absorbing their pain in their own way.
Some people sit quietly but others simply cannot contain their distress.
One couple sit silently on either side of a coffin on which sits the photo of an elderly, white-haired lady. A huge wreath of flowers bears a simple message, “Mama, We Love You”. Further down the row of coffins, one woman is howling her sense of pain and loss, screaming out the name of her loved one at irregular intervals.
Long embraces
Elsewhere, friends and relatives bump into one another among the coffins, there are long embraces and the tears flow yet again.
Fittingly, behind the altar at this improvised chapel, you see three things.
Firstly, there are the glorious hills that make this area a summer holiday draw.
Secondly, immediately behind the altar are the ruins of the Don Minozzi orphanage, now an ugly heap of cement, twisted steel and mortar, topped off with a chaotic collection of sun panels.
The third thing you see is a statue to Our Lady Of The Snows, a local Madonna who normally resides in Preta - yet another earthquake-struck village just down the road from Amatrice. This Madonna is now perched on a large pile of rubble as a grim reminder of why we are all here.
Then, too, of course, there is a crucifix hanging from the stanchion that holds up the tented roof. In the far distance you can see the village clocktower, with the clock still stuck at 3.36 - the time at which the earthquake struck last Wednesday morning.
Sense of community
There is a strong sense of community here. People fought to have this service held here in their own town, and not 60 kilometres away in the regional centre of Rieti.
Police had wanted to stage the service in Rieti because of security considerations linked to small size of Amatrice, to the weather and to the ever-present threat of aftershocks.
The chapel is so crowded that VIPs such as President Sergio Mattarella can hardly make their way down the aisle.
Around them, some people hold up white balloons to recall the number of children who died in the tragedy.
The balloons perhaps prove local Mayor Sergio Perozzi was right when he said this morning the decision to hold the funeral here is right: "Sometimes, sorrow and grieving count for more than security considerations."
