Abruzzo sightseeing on your holidays for two here in Spring has to include the wonderful free display of eye-catching Abruzzo flora on the edge of the Parco della Majella.

On the ground, the predominant colour is white, broken by splashes of yellow. The white flowers are spread so thickly that from a distance, you'd swear the fields were covered with snow.

The yellow flowers are easily-identified: Rape - the flower stems, looking like a junior version of broccoli, much-loved here as a vegetable.

The white flowers are more of a problem. Meadowsweet ? No. Ladies Bedstraw ? No. Vervain ? No. Haven't a clue. Sorry. They have a lovely vanilla scent; dark green toothed leaves and reach about 60cms. Any suggestions ?

Easier to identify, red poppies - a flower of high-summer in England - in full bloom here in  March. The blue of vinca and muscari - Grape Hyacinth. Still trying to figure whether these were changing from dark navy to light blue. Or the other way round ! In any event, these were for more vividly-coloured here in the wild than in some garden cultivars I've seen. The pink flower on the right might look pretty - but plant at your peril as it might be fine in the wild, but can take over your garden in a blink. Oxalis Violacea - a relative of both wood sorrel and clover (the leaves are a giveaway). 

Now - a couple of absolute treasures. A floral highlight of your holidays for two ! On the left, an Iris. To be more precise, a species Iris - but that's as far as my knowledge goes. The colouring is incredible. The outer petals a chocolate brown, rimmed with a golden yellow; the inner lime-green melting into acid yellow. Growing quite happily in full sun on stony soil by a roadside. About 45cms tall - and quite profuse.

We spotted the Narcissus in scrubland. Again, a species variety; again, that's about all I can tell you. Like the Iris, this was growing in full sun in poor soil. The larger clumps were just starting to go over, but this smaller plant was at its peak. Pure white swept-back outer petals with the broad, shallow trumpets of the purest gold. Each stem carried at least half-a-dozen blooms, with the plants growing to about 35 cms.

Another gallery for you. Great thickets of yellow Broom in sunny, light-wooded areas. Wild Borage, given away by its crinkly, cucumber-scented leaves and by the Gentian-like intensity of its blue flowers. And a white blossom. Perhaps not almond. (Doesn't almond blossom have a dark stain at its centre ?) Apple ? (But doesn't most apple blossom have a pink centre ?) Maybe pear ? We should know once the fruit starts swelling !

And saving the very best until last. For just two or three weeks in early March, the whole length of the Val di Sangro turns pink as tens of thousands of cherry trees come into bloom. This is a commercial crop; a special and renowned Abruzzese cherry, famed for its juicy deliciousness. And the variety ? We tried in vain to find out. It's the 'Abruzzo Cherry' of course ! There are cherry festivals in June - we'll find out more then. For now, just be seduced by perfect pink blossom against a perfect blue sky.

And take a closer look at the cherry orchard above. See the mountains of the Parco della Majella in the background ? Abruzzo sightseeing at its finest - and free as well ! And at this time of year, even the shortest stroll will reveal Abruzzo flora at its finest too ! 

(Click on pictures in text for larger images) 

Abruzzo flora, Abruzzo sightseeing, holidays for two, Parco della Majella

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 at 6:18 am and is filed under Sightseeing, Where To Go, About Abruzzo. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.