Primavera? Psych!

As we have indicated, winter has overstayed its welcome for our tastes. We’re tired of the warm clothes, scarves and the rest of the regalia. In late February we saw our first glances of the word that seems to make every Italian smile, Primavera (Spring in Italian). Florentines seem to lust for this time of year when the weather turns, the leaves return to the trees, the wild flowers start to bloom and things like asparagus, fresh peas and berries arrive at the local fruit and vegetable stands. One magical Sunday morning we woke to the glory of a sun filled sky, broken by puffy white clouds. The kids and I decided to take a walk around the countryside that is Marignolle, stripping off layers of clothing as the sun warmed our bodies. There are some trees here that I have never seen before which produce some of the most beautiful flowers that I have ever witnessed. One tree blooms bright yellow flowers that look like grapes dangling from their branches, while another dawns hundreds of little white blossoms that glisten in the sunshine while giving the impression that snow has recently flocked its stems. We walked for nearly 90 minutes meandering our way through the narrow roads that are lined with stone walls dating back hundreds of years. This is what we have to look forward to for the next several months I thought. Thank God for Primavera.

Not so fast said Mother Nature, I have a bit more Inverno (Winter) up my sleeve! Not more than 48 hours after our walk, a wicked winter storm from Russia came rolling down South like a boulder. It brought with it some of the coldest and most fierce winds that I have ever felt (Reaching up to 50 miles an hour here at the castle which sits on the top of a large hilltop). The result was over a week of temperatures below freezing at night and three days in a row where the high was in the upper thirties! The wicked weather was tolerable however as the site of waking up to fresh snow in the mountains that are no more than 30 minutes away was gorgeous.

Every morning I walk the kids to the front gate of the castle to await the arrival or Giovanni, their bus driver. This week saw us bundled up like we were headed for the Rocky Mountains on a ski trip! One afternoon the kids arrived home at around 4:00 and we had snow flurries here at the castle. For us California folk, this is a new experience and one that makes the thoughts of the arrival of spring a dream that we so look forward to. It’s interesting, having never lived in a place that has four full seasons, how much each of these four times of the year take on such a different perspective. The sites, clothes and food are so much more diverse in a place like this versus Southern California where you may have a few weeks of cool weather at most.

I have often said that the only reason that we cherish weekends so much is because there are week days to make us crave the two precious days of the week that allow us to do what we want. Those few days of glorious sunshine may not have seemed like a whole lot to our family and friends in California who experience sunshine throughout the year, however there is a beauty in not taking nice weather for granted too. Here in Florence, the experience is similar, where we patiently await the arrival of days that allow us to enjoy linen and cotton on our bodies once again. Those days will arrive soon enough and with a new appreciation for what Spring really is…rebirth.