a curious Yankee in Europe's court

Piazza della Repubblica, Rome (Jan 16, 2011).

Fruit orchard in Consandolo (Emilia Romagna), Italy – December 24, 2010.

For those who live southeast of Rome, a familiar and most visible alert that the Christmas season has arrived is the annual appearance of a huge white neon star on the mountainside just above the village of Rocca di Papa.

In English translation, the name means Fortress of the Pope. It derives from a 12th century Pope, Eugene III, who lived in Rocca di Papa, according to Wikipedia.

The photo above was taken a few days ago by a friend, Tarcisio Arzuffi, who generously offers me photos for my blog sometimes.

Persimmons are easily found in supermarkets and fruit stands in Italy this time of year.  The fruit is native to China and known as Kaki. Here in Italy, they are known either by the Chinese name, or by the Italianized spelling, Cachi. Recipes here (in Italian).

The photo is by my friend Tarcisio Arzuffi, taken this week in his backyard in Grottaferrata.

Yesterday when we were in Rome I snapped some shots of the Tiber river, swollen and muddy brown from the heavy rainfall here for the past few weeks. Having forgotten my camera, I used our Blackberry, hoping its two megapixels might serve well enough.

I was struck by how much the photos have the appearance of oil paintings. Perhaps a combination of the late afternoon, overcast weather and a nature palate of browns and unilluminated greens.

This photo was kindly donated to me yesterday by photographer Thomas Klann. Grazie tanto!

UPDATE: To see a recent photo by Thomas of a snow-covered lake in Switzerland, click here. It’s exquisite!

Monkey at Sanjay National Park, India — photo by Tarcisio Arzuffi, May 2010