I may have mentioned once or twice that the weather here in Liguria is, well, stupendous. (We’ll discount the anomalous 2 weeks of nippiness that froze our buns in our poorly-insulated house.) For someone who finds the weather an essential part of the quality of his daily life (just like food or wine) and who is easily swayed by constant rain or gray skies, Liguria is the perfect cure.
Equally important is peacefulness. In the hills above Levanto, there is real quiet. At midday when everyone is at home eating, and not even the sounds of an Ape are there to interrupt your thoughts, you hear nothing but the natural world around you. A few hours ago I was standing underneath a mimosa tree, breathing in the last days of its heady scent, when I pricked up my ears at an odd noise.
A high-pitched hum,
chafing against the silence:
Bees drinking in the sun.
When the world slows down enough to hear insects at work by the hundreds and the sun shines warmly on your face in February, you know you’re in a special place.
