July Letter: A mouthful of summer flowers
Wild caper bushes grow out of ruins and Roman walls but I haven't picked any blooms
Have you ever smelled a wild caper flower?
Despite the myriad of wild caper bushes growing out of rooftops and ruins across Rome I’ve never been close enough to a caper in bloom to take in the fragrance. Violet threads poke out of buttery white and waxy petals exuding a hint of ocean spray.
They smell like summer.
The delicate capers that get tossed in salads and sprinkled across Italian dishes are actually flower buds. Pickled or salted, the could-have-been blooms are suspended in time. They are hope in one bite.
They taste like summer.
Like my summer hair, untamable in the rising Roman heat and humidity, these salty cream puffs enjoy the protection of ancient walls and forgotten corners of the Eternal City and bloom to their delight. Or at least, to mine.
I didn’t have the heart to pluck a flower from this wild bouquet growing out of a wall on Aventine Hill. I didn’t want to disturb the arrangement.
The hope of summer.
How is your summer going? Any of you visiting Italy right now? What’s your favorite way to eat capers? Let me know in the comments.
Until soon and buona estate!
Michelle
P.S.: if you’re feeling a bit meh about your summer (there’s so much pressure to have a good summer, right?) and you enjoy pen and paper you might be interested in downloading my free Summer Journal Prompts to write yourself into your ideal summer. The prompts might take you somewhere interesting! They are printable in two different sizes, too. Enjoy and a presto!
*A note to all my lovely paid subscribers: I’ll be taking a summer break to escape the Roman heat so billing will be on pause till I’m back and/or time will be comped to your account.
A start to the Roman Summer
Quick question for you before you read: Grazie mille for answering, and now on to a taste of summer in Rome ⬇️ Apparently it’s summertime already and I’m not ready. It’s 90 F/ 32 C degrees so I’m finally wearing sandals. Even though in May we had had a few unseasonably warm days, I stuck with Spring sneakers* …
"They are hope in one bite."
Perfect xx
Beautiful post-- your writing reads like poetry. Love :"They are hope in one bite". I had NO idea that's what that plant was. Have to say, after 30 years of summers in NYC, I was so blown away by the smell of Rome in late June when I was there. Summer in NY is not a period anyone looks forward to on an olfactory level. But between the jasmine and citrus trees (and capers, who knew?), Rome is transporting.