First and last snow

Today February 15, is the patronal feast day of Brescia. Faustino and Giovita, warrior saints from the second century AD, are celebrated. During the siege of the Lombards in Brescia (VII century), they appeared on the city’s walls and defended it. A proverb says that San Faustino is the last merchant of snow. And just … Read more

Hazelnut catkins

It’s the 1st of February, and spring is suddenly here. The sun is warm, the air is fresh, and a gentle breeze. Everything is clear. The snow on the peaks is receding. I feel as if I am being reborn. And what wonder was seeing the first hazelnut catkins this morning, wandering around the Reserve! … Read more

Me and the fog

Mixing two excellent readings from my student days: Gorilla in the Mist and The Naked Ape. I am not a polar bear, nor do I dive into the Neva on New Year’s Eve. It is a knowledge to feel the moisture in the air, the cold of winter, on your skin. Despite the climate, I … Read more

The Magic of Light

What is the light that makes me transparent that illuminates everything I know that it goes through even the stone and makes it precious alabaster. Light also goes inside us; it flows along with the atoms, lighting up the photons. Light doesn’t weigh. I don’t know how much its quantum is. It scrutinizes our souls. … Read more

A red carpet made especially for me?

Nature rewards me: it’s true, it’s just a little play of mine, things that come to me. I can’t read Nature’s thoughts, that is, if she has prepared this red carpet because she was waiting for me. I am sure that Nature does not have the same categories as I do, and I am pushing … Read more

Everything’s gold

In autumn, everything is golden. The light that filters through the leaves is a joy to the eyes. The vines, after giving us the sweet bunches, now give us their colours. And these mulberry trees, now that there are no more silkworms, after giving us shade in summer, now give us this precious light; a … Read more

Autumn light

Our words carve out boundaries between one thing and another of what we see. We name this and that: the light, the leaves, the pond. We add with our adjectives something only human, but indifferent to nature: there is a “naked” man! Nature has no thoughts: it has other ways of coordinating, of not bumping … Read more

Fascinated by light

As the saying goes: nature is nurture. I feel attracted to light and I don’t know why. I know that there is something to be discovered, something that comes to me directly without the mediation & meditations of the mind. But all I have to do is look and I feel satiated, satisfied, filled with … Read more

Osmosis of difference – 2

As animals, we are very different from plants. Yet we love the green expanses of meadows, the great forests of beech or fir; we even like the grass or moss along the paths that invite us to walk barefoot (if not bare-skin). Something attracts us to nature, and it’s something we don’t have: the peaceful … Read more

Osmosis of difference

I was struck by this scene on the way out this morning. I’ve walked past it a thousand times: the light was probably different. I was struck by the oval lit by the first sun and the black of the foliage of neighbouring plants against the light. In the past few days, I have been … Read more

Vittorio’s new clothes

I liked the framing, the arrangement of the shapes, the colours. I could never have suspected an action on the part of the oak. Later I saw the shot on the monitor, and something attracted me, something very vague. I the picture, again and again. Until I saw myself dressed by shadow: the oak had … Read more

The flavour of corn

To morning at 6:30 a.m., nature is already awake: the sun has woken her up: every single being is spoon-fed! And the day begins to turn, to grind away the time, the hours, one thing after another. The light has already dazzled me: it has only taken a few minutes. I know that there is … Read more

Acanthus 40 days later

In 40 days, the acanthus plants bloomed. Following the flowering of a plant is a spectacle that amazes and enchants. Attention is drawn to this beauty (it has been the same for thousands of years: it does not follow fashions, it does not follow canons. Yet it is a strong call, just like any sunset: … Read more

Light is a stream

Light is a stream of energy that allow knowledge. Through the eyes, it goes to the brain and brings messages to my consciousness. Every living being benefits from light for growing and living. Plants don’t have eyes. They don’t move; they don’t need to know their place: but light is vital. Water needs light for … Read more

Reflections

Reflection is a word with multiple meanings. And just the reflection of the trees and me on the path flooded by the last rains led me to some reflections. 1) when we put a foot in the water, circles are generated one after the other that enlarge and move away: the circle is a geometric … Read more

The Healthy Embrace Of Nature

Last weekend, I was blessed with the opportunity to hike and explore along the Stillaguamish River, near Arlington, Washington. It was a beautiful day for a four-mile walk, even though much of the route was in public view and required that I remain clothed. Fortunately, as with many public-access areas, the “public” doesn’t wander too … Read more

Acanthus mollis

Going out for a walk this morning, I was struck by these two acanthus bushes, almost sentinels to a Cluniac chapel whose apse is visible. What am I doing there, naked? It is an experience, a knowledge, and awareness. Naked means that you let what has impressed you become part of you; it means that … Read more

Vitamin-D

Beautiful days to get out and soak up the sun (and vitamin-D) while walking: it’s nature’s pharmacy in covid-19 time. A simple snapshot of my life: it’s nice to see myself equal to the other creatures: the aspen tree behind me, the dog rose on my left at its blooming best. Without being cut (both … Read more

Are we made of light?

Today in Italy, we celebrate the feast of Liberation from Fascism. From the struggle of the Resistance was born our Constitution. Because of – or under the pretext of – the pandemic, the government has adopted unconstitutional measures. In the eyes of many Italians, not respecting the fundamental law, the government has delegitimized itself. In … Read more

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