The Colorful Month of June
Agriturismo La Volpe e l’Uva, near Perugia. I sure enjoyed my morning coffee on this patio.
I’ve spent time the past couple of weeks in both Tuscany and Umbria, enjoying the late spring / early summer that is one of the loveliest of seasons in Italy. Temperatures are quite warm (but not yet uncomfortably hot) during the day, with cool mornings and evenings. A perfect beginning to “aperitivo season” when the evenings are ideal for enjoying a get together with friends sitting outside on a lively piazza. Bright orange Aperol Spritzes are now dotting tables everywhere, adding a definite burst of summer color.
One of the best things about June in Italy is the range of colors painted by nature as the trees and vines get their leaves and the flowers bloom. Look closely and you can find small clusters of grapes forming, the earliest hints of olives, and tiny figs that hold the promise of August sweetness. The scent of Jasmine in bloom is the best sort of perfume.
The countryside is stunning as the bright yellow blooms of Ginestra (in English we would call it Scottish or Spanish Broom) mingle with the greens of the vines and olive trees.
The beautiful countryside near Perugia in Umbria filled with Ginestra in bloom
In towns, flowers fill window boxes and pots. They spill over walls, sneak into crevices, and take over abandoned doorways.
Lucca in June
Even the railroad tracks are dressed up by the last of the spring poppies.
In Lucca, the garden of Palazzo Pfanner is the place to go for the best variety of colors and flower varieties. Especially stunning are the rows of hortensia (hydrangea) in white, pink, blue, and purple.
I enjoyed seeing June burst into color in Italy. Next up for me will be the desert blooms of New Mexico; I’ll enjoy those until I return to Lucca in a few weeks.
