Rose

KM: Walking through Castiglion Fiorentino a few days ago, I was amazed at the beauty in not only the people, but also the landscape. There are so many different historical monuments available to the eye, along with some you must go walking to find. As we explored the town, I was continually in awe at the beauty in the flowers I saw. One that stuck out from all the others was the pink rose pictured above. After some research, I found that in Tuscany, the rose blooms in May. This is possible because there tends to be an abundant rainfall. The climate provides ample sunlight and extremely fertile soils. I was impressed by not only the vivid colors in this particular flower, but the surrounding buds that are springing out of the vine. The flowers surrounding the larger one have not bloomed. In order for this to occur, the buds must break for the flower to expand. Though their origin does not have a set date in history, roses have been an important part of the Italian culture along with the heavily Catholic population. Catholic Italians honor the Virgin Mary through the rose. Though the rose is not my favorite flower, I am glad I chose it for this short research. I’m very happy to share it with you, because I know I won’t look at another rose without remembering the beauty my eyes have seen on this trip.