Red And Green All Over

  For years I've enjoyed seeing the very classic photos depicting fields of red poppies in Italy. Usually in calendars, on postcards, or in "coffee table" type photo books on Tuscany. I was so excited to start seeing these wildflowers popping up along all the roadsides and in all the olive groves. 

  I recognized them long before they began to actually bloom. The small plants have the same texture and color of the foliage as the hybridized and annual large poppies we buy at nurseries back home.

   I've had these in my gardens in pink, soft lavender, purple, dark maroon and yes, red. What a thrill to see them just as they should be, coming up throughout the countryside, perfectly matched with the greens of the fava bean plants and the olive trees, or poking up through the wheat fields. They are everywhere right now.

Poppies and fava beans near Macchie.

 Along with the shockingly blue sky, this combo of red and green is a real joy. And no, not at all christmas-y, either! I can't get the camera out fast enough... I feel so lucky to be able to enjoy these last blasts of color before we head back home.

Love the red, yellow, and olive green together.. 

  Then there are the little vignettes that pop up along our morning walks. You couldn't plan these shots if you tried. It's the whole "site-appropriate" thing I've been noticing so much on this trip. We pass by the two scenes below all the time, and -Boom!- now there are poppies added into the mix!

Already a beauty scene, but with poppies, even better.

Gorgeous with the texture and colors of the stone wall.

  As I am enjoying the landscape changing throughout this trip, some of my favorites to watch are the wheat fields. When we first arrived, they were just coming up, all electrified green and new. I could still see the soil they were growing in. Now, in these last days of our visit, these same fields are lush, tall, waving in the breeze, with the grain so visible...I want to chew on them.
  The color of these fields has changed dramatically, with the heat coming on. I imagine they will be golden before too long. But for now, this transition green is so soft, so gentle. I just can't stop myself from climbing as close as I can get into the fields....

Sparkles of light on grains.

   We took a little day trip up to Citta di Castello this past week, and it was an entirely new landscape to enjoy. The same, but different. We just had to keep stopping along the road to take it in.

An olive grove just outside of Panicale, on our way to Citta di Castello.

A different landscape, but the same color combo.

   The valley we went through to get to Citta di Castello, is just over the hill across Lago Trasimeno, the lake we look out at everyday here. So close, but a very different type of country side. The valley isn't very wide, and it reminded us a lot of the coastal valleys we have nearby our home in California. Big difference? Red poppies, not orange!

Such a happy little wildflower.

Johnny waits in the Cinque Cento, while I get "the shot". A great white road.

So perfect with the color of this stone house.

  We took a long walk nearby just a day or two ago, and the grain fields had me once again mesmerized. Could they have changed that much in just a few short days? Taller, plumper and even a hint of the gold to come....

  This time, I couldn't resist, I broke off one perfect, stiff flowerhead. I needed to hold it in my hand and see the amazing symmetry of this green wonder up close and personal. I had to run my thumb up and down, to feel the perfectly arranged grains. The long, pointed ends of each grain are so thin, but still flexible at this stage. As the weeks go by, they will get very stiff.

  There is a scene in the film, "Gladiator", I keep thinking about. The gladiator (Russell Crowe) is dying and dreaming of his family and home, walking through his wheat fields and brushing his hand across the very tips of the golden grains. I can feel the stiff flower tips, and the almost oppressive heat....I can imagine the rustling sound from the warm wind, and the never ending birdsong.... I get it.

It's all too much for me.

  On this same day, as we were driving the short distance back to Panicale, we came across just a few more poppies. This time, they are along side a big new roadway that is going in. Sad to imagine this change so close, but we think it will make things easier for the locals. Who knows.
  We love the tiny country roads, and are never in a big hurry. But we are on vacation, just passing through for a month or two. We are living in La La Land while here. The rose tinted glasses do have to come off, on occasion, even in our beloved Umbria.....
  In any case, whether by man or nature's hand, there are hundreds of poppies along side the construction zone, softening things up, just a little.

Everything changes, I guess, but the poppies make it easier to take in.

  Next year, when we return, we may be too early for the poppy display. If so, I am so grateful to have had this chance to see what all the fuss is about. Now I can add another little gold star next to my list of all the hundreds of sights I've dreamt about seeing. Mille Grazie, Italia...... Love your red poppies and gorgeous wheat fields!