sabato 15 marzo 2014

Profumo di violette - Love for Violets -


Quanto ad Amleto, e a questo scherzo del suo favor,
Tenetelo per una galanteria, ed un capriccio del sangue
Una violetta nella giovinezza della natura primaverile 
Precoce, non permanente, dolce, non duratura
Il profumo e il sollazzo d'un istante:
Non più.


Amleto, atto I scena 3,William Shakespeare, 1564 - 1616



Catharina Klein (1861-1929)



La viola mammola, o viola dorata, elevata a simbolo di quella semplicità che in fondo è propria solamente della grandi cose, è protagonista fin dai tempi più antichi di miti e leggende, a partire dalla lontana tradizione cristiana che la lega alla figura di Adamo: dopo avere commesso il peccato di superbia cercando di fare proprio il frutto proibito, cacciato dal Paradiso, preso dal pentimento, da un profondo senso di umiltà ed in preda al pianto, egli vagò per i prati della terra ed ogni sua lacrima che toccò il suolo fu da un Angelo mutata in viola.

Considerata nell'antica Grecia il fiore di Zeus, padre di tutti gli dei, e sacra ad Hermes, la viola fu celebrata al punto da divenire il simbolo stesso della città di Atene ( come ricorda Pindaro, i Greci chiamavano la loro stessa città "coronata di viole", un attributo comune anche ad Afrodite e alle Muse ) e figura mitologica, associata al mito di Io ( il termine Viola è derivato dal greco antico ' ion '), l'infelice ninfa, sacerdotessa di Era, di cui Giove s'innamorò perdutamente e che in gran segreto raggiungeva sotto le mentite spoglie di una nube per passare inosservato agli occhi della consorte e per avvolgerla completamente senza privarsi del piacere di possederla, cingendola in un abbraccio;




Correggio, Giove ed Io, 1532



un giorno Era, gelosissima, seguita la nube che misteriosamente prendeva forma per allontanarsi quindi dall'Olimpo, scoprì l'arcano e Giove fu così indotto a mutare la misera fanciulla in una leggiadra giovenca affinchè le ire della consorte non fossero suscitate; perciò Violetta fu da lui creata quale cibo delizioso per alimentare la giovane Io condannata per amore ad un infelice destino e fin da quei tempi così tanto lontani il fiore che reca questo nome è reputato cosa rara, ricercata e desiderabile, per la sua timidezza ( spesso passa inosservata nascosta tra i fili d'erba all'ombra dei quali cresce ), per le sua grazia, per il suo profumo che, insieme con quello di rosa e di giglio, avvolgeva i mitici giardini di Babilonia.

Coltivata nel Vicino Oriente da epoche remote, in Persia, già a partire dal XII secolo, fiorì prosperosa la produzione di olii essenziali esportati in tutto il bacino del Mediterraneo, ma fu presso l'antica Roma che la viola conobbe il culmine del proprio prestigio: 





John William Godward, Violets sweet violets, 1906





detail



il 22 di Marzo, giorno denominato 'dies violae' per le vie del centro della città si snodava un corteo che seguiva e venerava un tronco di pino ricoperto di ghirlande di viole, rito celebrato in memoria ed onore del dio Attis, cui la mitologia frigia attribuiva la nascita di Violetta ( Attis, marito della Grande Madre Cibale, fu un giorno ferito mortalmente da un cinghiale e le viole sarebbero nate dalle stille del suo sangue caduto al suolo ); dopo aver conosciuto un periodo di eclissi per tutto il medio evo durante il quale le viole furono coltivate esclusivamente presso i monasteri insieme con altre piante officinali, conobbero un nuovo e decisivo successo quando furono riscoperte dal mondo occidentale tra i doni d'Oriente portati dai Crociati sotto forma di profumi ed essenze all'Inghilterra della regina Elisabetta I e successivamente in Francia, dove, nel corso del 1700, l'Imperatrice Josphine e Napoleone Bonaparte vi avrebbero attribuito nuovi e più importanti significati.

Nel XVII° secolo lo scrittore inglese Samuel Pepys, membro del parlamento e segretario di stato, suggerì gli 'sleeping pillows', i cuscini del sonno, che verranno utilizzati anche dai reali inglesi: sfruttando le ben note proprietà soporifere dell'aroma della viola ( lo ionone in esso contenuto se inalato a lungo ha benefiche proprietà rilassanti) egli proponeva di utilizzarne i fiori quali ingrediente fondamentale per l'imbottitura di guanciali con spiccate proprietà sedative ed induttrici del sonno, e forse proprio per questo da allora viene anche detta ' dono del sonno ', simbolo di dolcezza, di pace, di tranquillità.

La Malmaison nel 1812



Coltivate alla Malmaison insieme con le amate rose, le violette divennero per Josephine espressione stessa del suo amore per Bonaparte, da che la prima volta che lo incontrò gli donò il mazzolino di viole mammole con cui aveva adornato il decolletè ed egli, dal momento in cui fece la sua conoscenza, alle viole legò la propria vita sentimentale, la propria carriera politica e la propria fortuna: Josephine contrasse matrimonio con un abito sul quale erano ricamate delle viole e mai si presentava al suo amato generale se prima non aveva appuntato un mazzolino di viole all'abito, anticipando così una delle tradizioni vittoriane; dal canto suo Napoleone elesse questo fiore, forse anche perchè memore della fortuna che ebbe nella Roma imperiale, a simbolo della Restaurazione, la viola divenne l'emblema dei bonapartisti e quando, nel 1814, esiliato all'Elba, gli si chiedeva quando sarebbe tornato a Parigi egli rispondeva : "Alla stagione delle viole, portando viole ", ovvero in primavera, e così fece.

' Caporal Violette' venne allora chiamato e quando sbarcò alla volta di Parigi, i mercati della capitale furono improvvisamente colmati da questi fiori che venivano acquistati dai partigiani per distinguersi e riconoscersi.
"Aimez vous La Violette?" era la parola d'ordine; la risposta corretta non era "Oui!" , sarebbe stata scontata, ma 
"Eh Bien. Eh, bien! Reparaitra au printemps." ( Benissimo ! Riappaiono in primavera )




... Ecco, se provate ad indossare qualche goccia di profumo alla viola, vi fate una tazza di un buon tè inglese ed indossate i vostri corsetti, vi prometto un viaggio nel passato ... nella Londra vittoriana, ovviamente, perchè la fragranza dalle dolci note cipriate della viola ci trasporta sulle ali del tempo !




Gustave Leonhard de Jonghe (1829 - 1893), Vanity



Quello della viola divenne infatti il profumo per eccellenza dell'epoca vittoriana, essendo il preferito per la toilette delle signore; le Ladies vittoriane amavano inoltre raccogliere violette, che in natura crescono spontaneamente un po' ovunque, 










Conosco una riva su cui alita il timo selvatico 
Dove la primula e la violetta annuendo cresce 
Quasi nascosta dalla coltre della succulenta vite selvatica, 
Con la dolce rosa moscata e quella canina: 
Ivi dorme Titania per parte della notte, 
Cullandosi tra questi fiori con danze e gioia: 
E vi getta il serpente la sua pelle di smalto, 
Ignorata, ma grande abbastanza per avvolgervi una fata. 

William Shakespeare, Midsummer Night's Dream









e conservarle negli album naturalistici oppure più semplicemente come fiori secchi, compresse tra le pagine di un libro, 









spesso per ricordo; il tè che si ricavava con le foglie della viola era al tempo rinomato per il trattamento di disturbi nervosi. 
Il commercio di fiori recisi crebbe enormemente da che i vittoriani cominciarono con l'appuntare mazzolini di violette ai loro abiti, acconciature e copricapo




 Hermann Fenner-Behmer,  De quoi écrire



( persino i gentlemen li portavano nascosti dalle falde dei loro cappelli o in vista all'occhiello dei loro cappotti) al punto che durante il secolo scorso era molto comune vedere venditrici di violette agli angoli delle grandi città della vecchia europa e soprattutto della vecchia Londra con le loro ceste colme dei mazzolini di questi minuscoli, delicati, profumatissimi precoci doni di primavera. 
Tale popolarità, quasi sinonimo della cultura vittoriana stessa, essendo allora i fiori parte di qualsiasi ambito del vivere dalla moda all'arredamento, condusse ad un vero e proprio boom nella coltivazione delle viole al punto che venne istituita una linea ferroviaria proveniente dalla Cornovaglia che raggiungeva Londra appositamente per portare violette fresche nella grande città.



Covent Gardens Violets seller, 1887



I Vittoriani amavano inoltre le violette candite utilizzate come decorazioni per torte e pasticcini, mentre il ripieno dal sapore di violetta rese raffinati e superlativi i cioccolatini artigianali che fecero la fortuna di rinomati pasticceri austriaci ( è questa una delle specialità della celebre pasticceria, cioccolateria e confetteria d'arte Zauner sita nella località termale di Bad Ischl, sede della Kaiservilla, residenza estiva della coppia imperiale d'Asburgo) e liguri ( in primis la confetteria d'arte Romanengo in Genova in cui ho già avuto il piacere di .. condurvi ). 











Il prestigio che acquistò questo umile fiore durante tutto l'ottocento è giunto fino a noi nella profusione di cartoline, biglietti augurali e stampe che ne recano l'immagine, per non parlare di etichette, di saponette o di essenze profumate che ne aspergevano l'ambito aroma ( I profumi del'epoca vittoriana erano ricavati utilizzando ingredienti che si ritrovavano in giardino, combinando le essenze aromatiche di maggiorana, timo, chiodi di garofano o rosmarino con quelle fiorite di rosa, lavanda, gelsomino e violetta )
fedeltà, modestia, umiltà, è il significato che vi attribuì la vittoriana floriografia perchè quello della viola è un fiore che quasi sembra neppure avere l'ambizione di mostrarsi ... e le violette mammole dal colore più intenso, dette viole blu, significavano amore, devozione e lealtà e se offerte in mazzo, " Sei la più bella "




Una viola da una pietra muscosa
      Seminascosta agli occhi! -
Fiera come una stella, quando solitaria
      Splende nel cielo.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850), da The Lost Love, CLXVII 



Vi confesso che le viole le porto nel cuore, tra i primi fiori che ho imparato ad amare, a raccogliere, ad annusare, accompagnano spesso, in modo del tutto non voluto, momenti importanti della mia vita ... Ho persino ricevuto anni fa in dono un libro di floriografia profumato alla viola .. non vi dico la gioia che si rinnova ogni qualvolta lo sfoglio, senza pensare al profumo che conserva tra le sua pagine !

 




Da che abito Tenuta Geremia ogni anno, quando giunge la stagione delle viole, un tripudio di fiori punteggia prati e boschi e saluta per circa un mese ogni nuovo giorno colmando il cuore con la loro delicata fragranza che la fresca brezza primaverile leggera trasporta.












Amo le viole perchè profumano di primavera, quella senza tempo, quella che non ha stagioni, la primavera del cuore ... 







Ho una sorella nella nostra casa,
ed una alla distanza di una siepe.
Di queste una soltanto è registrata,
ma entrambe mi appartengono.

Una venne dalla mia stessa strada
ed indossava le mie gonne smesse;
l'altra come un uccello fece il nido
fra i nostri cuori.

Il suo canto non somigliava al nostro,
aveva un'altra melodia.
Era in sè stessa musica,
come l'ape di giugno.

Oggi siamo lontane dall'infanzia, 
ma su e giù per i colli
tengo più stretta la sua mano,
che abbrevia le miglia,

e sempre la sua musica, 
nel passare degli anni,
inganna la farfalla:
e nei suoi occhi
restano le viole
che avvizziron da molte primavere.


Emily Dickinson, dalla poesia 14



Un abbraccio dal profondo del cuore a tutti voi, cari amici miei !

A presto 










Fonti bibliografiche:

Sheila Pickles, IL LINGUAGGIO DEI FIORI (titolo originale: The Language of Flowers), Gremese Editore, Roma, 1990









For Hamlet and the trifling of his favor,
Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood,
A violet in the youth of primy nature,
Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting,
The perfume and suppliance of a minute.
No more.


Hamlet, act I scena 3, William Shakespeare, 1564 - 1616



- picture 1 - Catharina Klein (1861-1929)


The violet, elevated to symbol of that simplicity which is basically proper just of the big things, is the protagonist since the most ancient times of myths and legends, from the distant Christian tradition that binds it to the figure of Adam: after committing the sin of pride trying to take the forbidden fruit, expelled from theParadise, taken by repentance, by a deep sense of humility and a prey to tears, he wandered through the fields of the earth and every tear that touched the ground was changed by an Angel in a violet.

In the ancient Greece considered the flower of Zeus, father of all gods, and sacred to Hermes , the violet was celebrated as to become the very symbol of the city of Athens ( as noted by Pindar, the Greeks called their own city " crowned with violets " an attribute common also to Aphrodite and the Muses ) and a mythological figure, associated with the myth of Io ( the term is in fact derived from the ancient greek ' ion ' meaning violet ), the unhappy nymph, a Hera's priestess, of which Jupiter fell madly in love and secretly reached under the guise of a cloud for not to be noticed in the eyes of his wife and to wrap her completely without depriving himself of the pleasure of owning her, surrounding her in an embrace;



- picture 2 - Correggio, Jupiter and Io, 1532



It was a day that, very jealous, Era followed the cloud that mysteriously took shape for then getting away from Olympus and so the secet was discovered and thus Jupiter was forced to change the miserable girl in a graceful heifer for the ire of his wife won't be raised, so Violet was created by him as delicious food to feed the young girl doomed for love to a miserable fate, and since that time, the flower that bears this name is considered rare, sought after and desirable, for it shyness (often goes unnoticed hidden between the blades of grass which grows in the shade ), for her grace, her perfume which, together with the rose and lily, wrapped the mythical gardens of Babylon.

Cultivated in the Near East since ancient times, in Persia as early as the XIIth century, flourished prosperous the production of essential oils exported throughout the Mediterranean basin, but it was in the ancient Rome that the violet knew the peak of its prestige:


- picture 3 - John William Godward, Violets sweet violets, 1906

- picture 4 - detail


on March 22nd, the day called 'dies violae' through the streets of the center of the city wound a procession that followed and worshiped a pine trunk covered with garlands of violets, rite celebrated in memory and honor of the god Attis, whom the Phrygian mythology attributed the birth of Violet ( Attis, husband of the Great Mother Cybele, was one day mortally wounded by a wild boar and violets would be born from the drops of his blood fell to the ground); after having known a period of eclipse throughout the Middle Ages during which violets were grown exclusively in the monasteries along with other officinal herbs, they met a new and decisive success when were rediscovered by the western world among the gifts brought by the Crusaders in the East in form of perfumes and essences, especially to Queen Elizabeth I of England and later in France, where, in the course of 1700  the Empress Josephine and Napoleon Bonaparte would have given them new and important meanings.

In the XVIIth century Samuel Pepys , English writer, member of the parliament and secretary of state, suggested the 'sleeping pillows' which will also be used by the British royals: exploiting the well-known sleep-inducing properties of the aroma of the violet ( the ionone contained in it if inhaled long has beneficial soothing properties ), he suggests using its flowers as a fundamental ingredient for stuffing pillows with marked sedative and sleep - inducing caracteristics, and perhaps because of it since then it's also called ' gift of sleep ', symbol of sweetness, peace, tranquility.


- picture 5 - The Malmaison in 1812


Cultivated at Malmaison together with the beloved roses, violets to Josephine became the very expression of her love for Bonaparte, for the first time she met him she gave him the bouquet of violets with which she had adorned her neckline and he, from the moment made her acquaintance, tied violets to his love life, his political career and his fortune: Josephine got marriage with a dress on which were embroidered violets and never presented herself to his beloved general before having pinned a little bunch of violets at her dress, anticipating a Victorian tradition; on the other hand Napoleon chose this flower, perhaps mindful of the luck it played in the imperial Rome, as the symbol of the Restoration, the violet became the emblem of the Bonapartist and when he was exiled to Elba in 1814, if he was asked when he would return to Paris he replied: "In the season of violets, carrying violets", in Spring, and so he did.

'Caporal Violette' he was then called, and when he landed to Paris, the capital markets were suddenly filled by these flowers that were purchased by the partisans to distinguish themselves and be recognized.
" Aimez vous la Violette? " was the watchword, and the correct answer wasn't " Oui ! " it would have been obvious, but
" Eh Bien. Eh bien! Reparaitra au printemps. " ( Fine ! It will reappear in Spring)


- picture 6


 ... Well, if you try to put a few drops of violet perfume, you make a good cup of English tea and wear your corsets, I promise you a journey into the past ... in Victorian London, of course, because the fragrance from the sweet powdery notes of violet leads us on the wings of time!

That fact became that the violet perfume was par excellence that of the Victorian era, being the favorite for the ladies's toilette and Victorian Ladies also loved gathering violets, which grow wild in nature a little everywhere,


- picture 7

- picture 8


I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania some time of the night,
Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight:
And there the snake throws her enamell'd skin,
Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in.

William Shakespeare, Midsummer Night's Dream


- picture 9

- picture 10


and keep them in their natural album or simply as dried flowers, among the pages of a book,


- picture 11

- picture 12


often as remembrance; besides the tea obtained  from the leaves of violets was at the time known for the treatment of nervous disorders.
The trade of cut flowers grew enormously from the Victorians began with pinning with bouquets of violets their clothes, hairstyles and headgear



- picture 13 - Hermann Fenner-Behmer,  De quoi écrire



(Even gentlemen often wore them hidden from the foot of their hats or in view of their crown coats) to the point that during the last century it was very common to see women selling violets at the corners of the great cities of the old Europe and especially of the old London with their baskets full of bunches of these tiny, delicate, fragrant early gifts of Spring.
Such popularity, almost synonymous with the Victorian culture itself, for the flowers were part of any aspect of life from fashion to furnishings, led to a boom in the cultivation of violets to the point that a railway line was established from the Cornwall to London specially to bring fresh violets in the big city.



- picture 14 - Covent Garden Violets seller, 1887



The Victorians also loved candied violets used as decorations for cakes and pastries, while the filling flavor of violets made ​​fine superlatives handmade chocolates that made ​​the fortune of renowned Austrian pastry (this is one of the specialties of the famous pastry, chocolate and art confectionery Zauner located in the little town of Bad Ischl, home of the Kaiservilla, the summer residence of the imperial family of Habsburg) and Liguria ( especially the art confectionery Romanengo in Genoa where I've already had the pleasure to lead you ..).


- picture 15

- picture 16


The prestige that this humble flower acquired throughout the XIXth century has come down to us in the profusion of postcards, greeting cards and prints that carry its image, not to mention labels of soap or perfume essences that sprinkled the scope aroma (Victorian perfumes were made ​​using ingredients coming from the garden, combining the aromatic essences of marjoram, thyme, cloves and rosemary with the flowering note of rose, lavender, jasmine and violet); faithfulness, modesty, humility, is the meaning that the Victorian floriografia attributed to it because that of the viola is a flower that almost seems even not to have the ambition to show itself ... and blue violets meant love, devotion and loyalty and when offered in little bunches, "you are the most beautiful!"


- picture 17


A violet by a mossy stone
     Half-hidden from the eye!-
Fair as a star, when only one
     Is shining in the sky.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850), from The Lost Love, CLXVII


I confess that I carry violets in my heart, they're one of the first flowers that I learned to love, to collect, to smell, often accompaning, in a completely unintentional way, important moments of my life ... I even got years ago in gift a book of floriography scenting of violet .. I cannot tell you the joy that is renewed every time I browse it, without thinking about the scent that it retains among its pages !


- picture 18



Since when I live in Tenuta Geremia every year when the season of violets comes, a riot of flowers dotting the meadows and woods for about a month greets each new every day filling our hearts with their delicate fragrance that the light fresh Spring breeze carries.


- picture 19

- picture 20

- picture 21


I love violets because they smell of Spring, without that time, the one that does not have seasons, the Spring of the heart ...


- picture 22



One Sister have I in our house,
And one, a hedge away.
There's only one recorded,
But both belong to me.


One came the road that I came—
And wore my last year's gown—
The other, as a bird her nest,
Builded our hearts among.


She did not sing as we did—
It was a different tune—
Herself to her a music
As Bumble bee of June.


Today is far from Childhood—
But up and down the hills
I held her hand the tighter—
Which shortened all the miles—


And still her hum
The years among,
Deceives the Butterfly;
Still in her Eye
The Violets lie
Mouldered this many May.



Emily Dickinson, from poem 14

58 commenti:

  1. E' davvero una gioia scoprire ciuffi di violette nelle aiuole del giardino, con le loro corolle che si inchinano per evitare la troppa luce.
    La violetta modesta , ma anche regale, simbolo di epoche , personaggi e dame di classe.
    Eppure incarti di violette hanno potuto rendere speciale il gruppo di venditori ambulanti della foto, nella Londra del 1887... incredibile che oggi siano sfiorati dallo sguardo di chi ti segue.
    Una serena domenica, Dany
    Franca

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. @ Franca
      se solo riuscissi a dirti realmente con quanta gioia pubblico i tuoi commenti mia cara, le tue parole sono sempre così espressive, colme di quella poesia e di quella sensibilità che li rendono così preziosi !
      Ti ringrazio infinitamente per tutto questo, ti auguro una piacevole serata ed una settimana colma di cose liete ❤

      Elimina
  2. Oh, I so love violets, Dany!
    I am patiently waiting for them to appear here, but now it's very, very cold, so I think it will be a while.

    These photographs are so beautiful, and those chocolates look so yummy!!

    You have a beautiful week, sweet friend. xo.

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. @ Lisa
      I'm sure that Spring is going to arrive there too, my sweet friend, and sooner than you can imagine your violets will bloom !
      I'd love to send you some of these delicious chocolates, they're from an old art confectionery in Genoa, Romanengo, rinowned for producing chocolates and preserves with rose petals and violets, they're really exquisite, and they're imported in the States too, maybe you already know them !!
      ♥ Big thanks and hugs to you my dearest Lisa ♥

      Elimina
  3. Proprio l'altro giorno, cara Daniela, osservavo la bellezza delle violette appena spuntate nel prato di mia suocera: a differenza degli altri fiori coltivati e ordinati nei loro spazi dedicati, le violette erano ovunque, solitarie o a gruppetti, bellissime. E' vero che si propongono umilmente, ma sono talmente belle che è impossibile non ammirarle. Mi hai fatto poi venire in mente anche un bellissimo servizio da te con le violette della nostra comune e cara amica Susy e l'eau de toilette alle viole contenuta in un'elegante boccetta sul cassettone della camera da letto di mia nonna... grazie per questo bel post e per i ricordi che mi hai stimolato. Ti auguro una bella settimana e aspetto il tuo prossimo post. Un bacio. Laura

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. @ Laura
      con quanta gioia apprendo dal tuo commento che sono riuscita a suscitare emozioni, evocare ricordi, non sai quanto mi faccia piacere leggerlo mia cara amica, è quanto di più bello mi si possa dire !
      A parer mio è merito delle violette, il loro profumo ha di per se un fortissimo valore evocativo !
      Ti abbraccio forte e ti auguro una lieta serata mia dolce Laura ღ

      P.S. ti confesso che preparando questo post anch'io ho spesso pensato alle violette di Susy ;) !

      Elimina
  4. Quanta dolcezza nel tuo post,mia cara Daniela,
    ed è bello scoprire le origini delle violette e quanto
    siano sempre state amate e osannate.
    L'immagine delle venditrici di violette, con la tua
    musica in sottofondo, per un attimo mi ha trasportato
    indietro nel tempo......magnifico momento!!!
    Grazie Daniela cara, tu sai come farmi star bene,
    momenti preziosi......
    Love Susy ♥
    P.S. e grazie anche a Laura, sempre così dolce....

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. @ Susy
      eccoti mia cara !
      Quante meravigliose parole, tutte per me, mi scaldano il cuore, davvero !!
      .... Preziosi sono per me i momenti che tu sai donarmi, dolcissima amica mia ♡
      ❇ Un bacio ❇

      Elimina
  5. Oh, I love violets, Dany, I always have them in pots in my garden ...
    even at this moment due mild temperatures we had this winter ...
    Those chocolates look so delicious, sometimes I buy old-fashioned violets bonbons ... delicious too :-)
    Lovely post !
    Have a wonderful week, dear friend !
    Hugs,
    Sylvia

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. @ Sylvia
      we who are so romantic, what would our life without violets !
      They are so lovely to look at, far too scented .. and so delicious ...
      Thank you so much for your lovely visits, my dear, it's always such a delight to read your comments ^^ !
      I wish you a wonderful week, my sweet Sylvia, colored with the first early spring shades ❥

      Elimina
  6. I love violets, Dany! I did know all the lore about them. I would often see them growing wild in cemeteries and open fields in New York. I have not seen any here in Colorado, although the mountains do have. many wonderful wildflowers I grew some African Violets in pots on my windowsills when I lived in New York, but gave them away when I moved. You've encouraged me to buy some again the next time I visit a garden store, Dany. I miss their beautiful velvet leaves and cheerful flowers.

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. @ Pat
      if only it was possible to send you some plants of ours, here we have thousands of them among woods and meadows, believe me, ... do you think how wonderful, violets coming from Tenuta Geremia growing in Colorado !
      Sending hugs, my dear friend, and thank you for yor sweet words ❀ ♥

      Elimina
  7. Well, you have decided it for me; the pots on my porch shall be filled with violets! My Nana loved violets, and so do you, so I shall now have two dear people to remember every time I see them! What a lovely post, Dany, just what I needed for my heart this morning. Have a blessed week!

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ June
      as dear as a sunray after a rainy day you come with your beautiful words !
      Yes, I love violets so much ... I hope one day you'll tell me something about your Nana, I'd love to, she was certainly very special if you loved her ...
      Love to you my friend, you've filled my heart with joy, thank you so much ✿⊱╮

      Elimina
  8. quanto si fanno amare questi fiori? le violette sono davvero speciali... ne indosso il profumo ogni giorno e se posso veste del loro colore
    bellissimo tutto
    baci

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ aboutgarden
      ... bellissimo è averti qui Simo !!
      Davvero, le viole sono fiori ... incantati, hanno un potenziale che secondo me va oltre quello che percepiamo e tu proprio te ne avvolgi, che meraviglia, tra colore e profumo, sei una Lady Violet a tutti gli effetti :) !!
      Ti confesso che io uso persino il profumatore per ambienti in bottiglia, quello con i bastoncini di midollino, alla viola ... mi piace percepirlo appena quando mi sposto da una stanza all'altra, così come mi accade quando esco nelle ore più fresche del giorno e mi trovo a passare accanto i tappeti che le viole fanno in natura seminandosi spontaneamente ...
      Un abbraccio forte forte forte ... fortissimo ! ⊰♡⊱

      Elimina
  9. Che splendore Dany, leggere i tuoi post è attingere ad un'altra dimensione, che non è quella in cui viviamo e che fa tanto bene al cuore !
    Ti auguro di trascorrere una meravigliosa serata di primavera, tra il profumo delle tue viole X
    Con tanto affetto
    Mavi

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Mavi
      ... dritte al cuore mi vanno le tue bellissime parole, mia cara !!!
      Un bacione, trascorri una dolce notte ^^ ❥

      Elimina
  10. Daniela, such a beautiful name. It is one that I hold dear to my heart since my sweet niece is also named Daniela. You are a great educator and historian sweet friend. I love to visit your lovely blog to learn all the romantic and inspiring stories. Violets are truly enchanting and one of my favorite flowers. My next post was inspired by this sweet color palette. I will post it on Thursday so please stop by for a peek. I also want to thank you for your beautiful and kind words. They really touch my heart.

    Hugs,

    Janet
    rosemary-thyme.blogspot.com

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Janet
      I feel a little bit confused after reading your wonderful words, my friend ... !
      I really thank you with all my heart, I'm far too glad you've enjoyed this post about these lovely flowers we all love and of course I'm going and visit you !
      Since I know your lovely blog I don't miss a post, how could I ?!?
      A big hug to you my dear ღ♥ღ

      Elimina
  11. Good Morning!
    Thank you for sharing this exquisite post with us.
    I have enjoyed the art, music and I am now inspired to grow violets in some of my favorite Terra cotta pots!
    Thank you for sharing your time and talents with us at Thoughts Of Home On Thursday.
    Jemma

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Jemma
      welcome at ~ My little old world ~, I'm so honoured to have you here and your so beautiful words fill my heart with such a gladness, I wholeheartedly thank you !

      May your day be blessed with joy ಌ•❤•ಌ

      Elimina
  12. This is such a beautiful post, Daniela! I never thought about Violets being so well regarded by the Greek and Roman cultures. They grow here, but our weather is much colder, and so I've always thought of them as a more Northern plant. I do love them! Ever since I was a very little girl, I would pick little bouquets, and they come up in the middle of our lawn, which doesn't make everyone happy about that, but truthfully, I'd rather have the violets cover the whole yard than to have grass. . .I have to share something further: Carl's parents were married shortly before his father had to leave for Europe during WWII. He sent back a letter to his young wife and enclosed were a few pressed violets that he found in a field in France. We still have that letter, and the violets, in a frame. It is one of my very favorite things from our parents, who are all gone now, but who were once young and in love.

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Cynthia
      I'm so overjoyed to have you here, my sweet friend, your beautiful words truly brighten my day !
      What a loving memory you've shared, so touching and romantic, my darling friend I'm so thankful to you for this ... Violets have always expressed love and devotion, you've the fortune to preserve something which will never die !

      Sending you so much love I wish you a most wonderful end of your week, thinking of you with so much sweetness ❀⊱╮

      Elimina
  13. The violets and art are so lovely. Thank you for sharing your beautiful post with us @Vintage Charm! Blessings, Cecilia

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Cecilia
      it's my pleasure, believe me !
      You're so very welcome, my new friend, and your words truly make my day, thanks most sincerely !

      May your Sunday be blessed with love
      ⊰✽*✽⊱ sending you dear hugs ⊰✽*✽⊱

      Elimina
  14. Beautiful images...carried me away to another place and another time...ti amo ❤️

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Beth
      I'm so grateful to you for your wonderful words, touching my heart and filling it with joy !

      Have a blessed evening and start of the new week, my friend,
      with love ❥

      Elimina
  15. Thank you for your words in this peaceful (and musical) space!

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Michele
      you're so welcome !
      Your so lovely words truly bless my heart, thans most sincerely !

      May the remainder of your week be filled with love
      ༺❀༻ fondly ༺❀༻

      Elimina
  16. My dearest Dany, your beautiful post filled my heart with good memories. I love violets, they are my favorite flower! When I was young my beloved grandmother offered me lots of delicate violets bunches, her favorite flower too. I think it's why I love them so much! I keep forever inside my heart my grandmother's lovely smile and the sweet perfume of violets. Over the years I have painted and embroidered many violets always thinking in my sweet grandmother. It's very difficult find them now here in the city. Not even in flowers shops to sale. I haven't balcony so I can only have african violets.
    I enjoyed to read all about violets, thanks so much for sharing.
    Wishing you a wonderful week!
    Hugs and love from Portugal,
    Ana Love Craft
    www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Ana
      I'm so very glad to have recalled to your mind such loving memories about your past and your beloved grandmother ... it's easy that our memories are linked to a scent ... I also love that of violets and having the fortune of living in the country I can feel the joy to see real carpets of violets in our woods and in our meadows ... can you imagine the perfume we can breathe when the wind blows ?
      I also use to perfume my home with a spray at the natural essence of violet, I cannot help but surrounding myself with this wonderful scent talking about past times for me too !

      Hope your week is off to a lovely start, I wish you so much love for the days to come, sending so dear hugs to you,
      my sweetest, loving, romantic friend ಌ•❤•ಌ

      Elimina
  17. I adore violets and your post was filled to the brim with charming images and information.

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Laura
      the words of this comment of yours really touch my heart, my sweetest friend, you're a so talented woman and ... they mean so much to me, sincerely !

      With so much, heartfelt gratitude, I wish you all my best for the week just begun, sending love and blessings to you ♥♡♥

      Elimina
  18. Dear Dani:
    Such a lovely posting of violets. I loved that photo of the ladies (and man) selling the violets as I have always heard about that but never saw an actual picture before - how lovely! Thanks for spreading so much beauty and sharing it with others!

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Bernideen
      lovely friend of mine, I feel so touched by your so beautiful words, I wholeheartedly thank you, you truly brighten my evening with joy !

      Have a happy day, my sweet friend, and may your March be filled with much love and joy,
      ஐ sending you blessings and dear hugs ஐ

      Elimina
  19. I enjoyed reading this and especially loved the romantic photographs of the violets! Just beautiful Dany!

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ JES
      your enjoyment means such a gladness in my deep, my dearest friend, I truly thank you so, so much !

      With all my heart I wish you a great month of March, blessed with Love and Joy, thinking of you with much esteem and gratitude *✿ಌ✿*

      Elimina
  20. Dany, what a beautiful, beautiful post. My Mum who passed away thirteen years ago, adored violets and grew them constantly. They are such a sweet unaffected little bloom. Would you come and share this special post at my Five Star Frou-Frou linkup at A Tray of Bliss? It would be a lovely memory for me to have of Mum. Love, Mimi xxx

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Mimi
      all friends of mine make me feel so glad when tell me of the memories that with my post I was able to recall to their mind ... it's such a precious gift they present to me ... And you, my new friend, you asking me to share it at your so lovely link-up party, make me a gift even bigger and precious ... I've just linked it and I'm following you with so much joy !

      With lot of gladness I wish you a most beautiful day, today,
      thank you for the mirth you've brought me here
      with so much, sincere love and thankfulness ༺❀༻

      Elimina
  21. Lovely violet pictures. Thank you so much for sharing with "Through My Lens"

    Mersad
    Mersad Donko Photography

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Mersad
      it's my pleasure, you know, my darling friend, thank you for your visist and your beautiful words !

      May your March be filled with joy and so much wonder,
      sending dear hugs,
      with heartfelt gratitude ♡❤♡

      Elimina
  22. I'm ready to see violets. I love them too! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ The Charm of Home
      sweetest friend of mine, it's my pleasure, sincerely !!!

      I wish you a most wonderful weekend ahead,
      sending love to you,
      with so much thankfulness and esteem ❥

      Elimina
  23. Beautiful and romantic - such a lovely post.
    Thank you for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2016/04/stop-looking-at-me.html

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ NC Sue
      you're most welcome, sweet friend, it is I who have to thank you most sincerely !

      Enjoy the weekend coming,
      sending love to you ✿≫∗♥∗≪✿

      Elimina
  24. Lovely.
    The fragrance of violets, divine.

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Marcia
      I welcome you with a warm hug, thanks most sincerely for visiting !

      I wish you a most beautiful weekend ever,
      my new friend ⊰✽Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ✽⊱

      Elimina
  25. Good morning, Daniela. hank you for the warm welcome, and for visiting my little corner of the land of blog. So happy to hear that you've tucked my address in your pocket for future visits. I'm lingering here today, listening to the peaceful melodies and admiring all the beauty.
    I've tucked your address in my pocket too. :)
    Much love.

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Marcia Pilar
      it's my pleasure, believe me !

      Hope you're enjoying your Sunday
      I'm wishing you a wonderful evening ahead,
      sending you gentle hugs and smiles,
      I heartily thank you ಌ❀ಌ

      Elimina
  26. Dear sweet Daniela, You have a wonderful romantic heart and I loved your beautiful post. And...I adore violets, vintage photos and the great poets. Thank you for an amazing post today.

    Hugs,
    Jeanne

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Jeanne
      I'm truly honoured by your so beautiful words, they bless my heart with such a deep joy you cannot even imagine, my friend !
      I'm so overjoyed by reading that you also love violets, they're so delicate flowers which don't pass unnoticed despite their shyness .. it's enough one flower in a lawn or, better, in a wood, to smell a wonderful scent.

      May your day be blessed with joy, Dearest One, I'm sending much love and gratitude to you ♥♡♥

      Elimina
  27. Risposte
    1. @ Jo
      it's my pleasure and my joy, sweet friend of mine, believe me !

      Hope you had a beautiful weekend, I'm sending blessings of joy on your week to come, with sincere thankfulness ✿*✿

      Elimina
  28. More beautiful photos.

    Thanks for sharing with SYC.

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Art and Sand
      grateful more and more both for having you here and for your so beautiful words I wish you most wonderful days to come, daearest friend, sending hugs, love and smiles to you ♡❤♡

      Elimina
  29. Sweet Dany, Violets hold a special place in my heart. Years ago my mother in law brought me starts from a friend. I had them all over in my garden at our previous home. I did not bring starts of them with me but they came in some of the other starts I brought and I find them popping up here and there. I love them and let them wander. Lovely images! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

    RispondiElimina
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    1. @ Jann
      Dearest One, I wonder why all of us have so many sweet memories linked to this wonderful, humble flower, it recalls to us what no other flower can ... I think it's just due to its unique scent ... !

      Thank you my wonderful friend, I wish you much love and much joy for the remainder of your week ❥

      Elimina

I THANK YOU WHOLEHEARTEDLY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS AND WORDS, SO PRECIOUS TO ME.