La Bellezza: It's that wild beauty I miss!

Entrance to a nearby house in Italy: what a lovely welcome home!

Since my last post, I've returned to the States, spent three days minimizing the jungle of weeds that had sprung up in the yard during my three month absence, and plunged into 50-hour work weeks that will last until the end of June. Ergo, I've had very little time to write.

Poppies were blooming everywhere!

As people continue to ask me if  I've "adjusted" to being in Kansas again, I've been thinking about the differences between my life here versus the life I have in Italy, and am eager to share some of those thoughts in an upcoming post. For now, the biggest difference I'm noticing is the absence of wildness, the profusion of flowers, the pungent perfume of flowering trees and bushes that were so prevalent. I miss the vibrant views and scents that are a constant at this time of year in Italy. When I take walks here, I see square yards with neatly mown lawns, but there are few flowers and no scents wafting down that street, as there are in Zagarolo. Sure, we have many flowering trees in  April and May, and the city does a great job of creating vibrant displays of flowers through the summer months, but lately I've mostly seen green: trees and grass.

How I miss the profusion of fragrant Gelsomino (Jasmine)!!!

Until I have time to write at length, here are some photos I took of various plants that were blooming EVERYWHERE in Italy. From Puglia to Liguria, Veneto to Lazio, Tuscany to Basilicata, I miss the constant presence of poppies, jasmine, ginestra, roses and other blooming flowers, vines, bushes and trees that were evident during my travels this spring.

Ginestra (broom): a sweet smelling bush we don't have in Kansas

At least my yard has a  few blooming flowers, but it's a meager show compared to the wild beauty that was always on display in Italy. However, as a solace, I bought a sweet bouquet this week for only $3! The rich colors are vibrant enough to make up for the lack of any scent. I'm hoping there will be more bouquets like this to sustain me through the summer.

I'm a sucker for purple and red bouquets.

And I have a small atomizer with  the scent of flowers from the Tiglio (linden) tree that Lucia bought me last year when we visited a park in the mountains of Trentino. I spray the honeyed scent of Tiglio in my bedroom before sleeping, and it seems to sweetens my dreams. Or as they say in Italy, it brings me sogni d'oro (dreams of gold)!

Tiglio flowers (http://bellabiker.blogspot.com/)