Spring tends to creep up on city dwellers from Northern Europe. One day, they notice an avenue whose trees are suddenly covered in leaves. The next day, the prunus trees on the squares are wrapped up in pink flowers. As they leave the city, they start to see small colourful spring flowers sprinkled on the hills.

At the beginning of May, sitting at the terrace of a cafe, it hits them – spring is here, in all its might, like the earthy rhythms of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.

However, in Maremma, spring arrives step by step, silently. It starts appearing in February. The air is still cold and the nights can still bring frost, but the almond trees have started to bloom. Their white flowers contrast with the sky, suddenly of a more intense, darker blue. Daffodils are then the first flowers to come out of the dark, wintery ground.

It is then time for the pear trees to bloom. Their bright blossoms contrast with the tender green of the young wheat that has just started growing in. In April, more fruit trees start to awaken from their wintery sleep: apricot, cherry, and plum trees, each with their own pop of colour. The dark green meadows are covered in yellow and white flowers.

In Maremma, the arrival of the spring is closer to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, as it softly spreads towards the calm of the summer.

Life at Villa Ambretta

Living in Maremma, at the Villa Ambretta, allows us to enjoy the beauty of everyday events and things – this blog seeks to share this renewed joy with you.