Primavera "Finally!"

Apparently, Italians are no different than Americans when it comes to superstition. We have our Groundhog Day (February 2nd) and the Italians have April 3rd! I don’t know if this particular day on the calendar has a name, but all be damned if they don’t swear by its results. The story is pretty simple, f it rains on the 3rd of April, you can expect forty more days of rain and lots of it. Well, guess what, it rained on April 3rd and true to form it kept on raining! In total, I would estimate that we had twenty days of rain in April and on most other days it threatened to do so. The result was a tiring string of days where our body’s craved sunshine and we wondered if spring would ever arrive. I’m pretty sure that I’ve never been this white in my life!

On April the 22nd we had a glorious day of sunshine. The next days followed suite and Primavera finally began. It was sooo worth the wait as the countryside of Tuscany burst into an array of color with a backdrop of emerald green reminiscent of Ireland. We made it a point to venture into the rolling hills of Tuscany many times to experience the stuff that post cards are made of. Those that have been to Tuscany know that there are few places on earth that are more magical to explore and are more blessed with natural beauty.

Those that have not been, need only to close their eyes and imagine meandering down a long country road…. On one side are grape vineyards as far as the eye can see, having just given birth to the soft tender green leaves of spring. On the other side are rolling hills blanketed with long green grass, returning you to a childhood memory of stained jeans from freely rolling down them. As the narrow road makes its way up over the hill, off in the distance you see rows of cypress trees lining a path to a stone house that is several hundred years old. As you continue to drive, the fields of wild flowers are amazing. Poppies are not orange like we see each spring in California, but rather a bright red and mix with yellow and purple flowers to create a colorful contrast to the bright green grass. As you glance above, it appears as though an artist has taken her brush to the bright blue sky and has painted pink and silver clouds so divine you are compelled to reach up and try to touch them. As the road bends around the corner, you have a hard time believing your eyes as the landscape turns to a brilliant yellow. A field of mustard flowers dozens of acres long causes you to reach for your sun glasses as the sunshine glistens off the millions of pedals. Horses graze freely in the pasture off to the left and the remains of what must be an ancient Roman wall casts a shadow onto the rolling hillside. In the distance you see a man sitting on the side of the road. It’s as if he was waiting for only you, with his crates of perfectly round and shiny Sicilian Oranges. As you peel them, you notice they are dark red inside and juicier than any orange you have ever tasted.

You can open your eyes now. I have provided you with some photos to complete your day dream…

The hard thing for Anna and I is trying to figure out how we can recreate “The Country Drive” back home. It’s not as if California is an ugly state by any stretch (It’s no Tuscany either!) but the distance proximity doesn’t lend to such spontaneous excursions. We have at our disposal literally dozens of drives on any given day, that are within sixty to ninety minutes and some even less. The hillsides of Tuscany are checkered with literally hundreds of small villages that don’t even show up on a map, each of them with their own charm, history and allure for exploration. Indeed it will be tough to recreate the experience of the Sunday afternoon drive with the family like we have here.

For now, here in Toscana, we take in what Mother Nature has given us, a wonderful landscape and a bounty of color for the arrival of her Spring…