Two days ago I was "hunting up" all "my secret wisteria shrubs" in town, but: with the purple wisteria season now definitely over, though its main blossoms came out about ten days later than usual, what you get to see now is the admittedly, very lush and bright foliage of wisteria, with not a blossom in sight, at least not for now. So what I found on my quest was not the real glicine flowers, but a host of flower presents that Venetian shops have on offer now in spring. From wisteria to peonies, violets, roses and lilac, here is a flower presents itinerary for you to discover what Venice has on offer to celebrate spring with beautiful gifts made from flowers - from flower petals to fragrance.
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| This is the "famous glicine tree", so often photographed by bloggers and others, situated in the courtyard of Ca'Foscari, the Venice University. Entrance is free to all, enter via Calle Foscari. |
First consolation for all that came too late to see glicine flowering: Usually, the odd wisteria flower can be seen in June as well as through summer, even until September. Though the flowers will not last long, due to the summer heat.
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| Wisteria with lush green foliage, and not a flower in sight this week in the Giardini reali next to Piazza San Marco |
Second consolation: What I have found now in Venice is presents in gift shops and perfumeries, re-iterating the wisteria theme.
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| Wisteria only three weeks ago |
Wisteria is also a favorite with Venetians, not only with guests. I know of friends living on the Lido who ate the sweet inner core of the glicine flowers, they say it tastes like honey. And my grandmother used to fry glicine flowers, dipping it into pancake dough and topping with sugar.
If you love wisteria as I do, you might have been thinking on how to preserve wisteria all year long but I found it is hard to catch this unique fragrance. Still, some Venetian shops are giving it a try, and this is the result.
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| Shop window of Profumeria Franco, located right on the Rialto bridge |
In a different sestiere of Venice, in Castello's northern part, if you walk towards the Church of Ospedaletto from Campo San Zanipolo, starting out at the well-know pasticceria
Rosa Salva located right, you find the shop window of a gifts store selling tea pots adorned with glicine motives:
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| Ceramics tea pots filled with tea cookies, and adorned with glicine - that would be a fine present ... |
If we come to speak of flower presents, it is the café Rosa Salva it self, almost next door on Campo San Zanipolo, that is currently offering quite an impressive selection of flower petals - from violets to roses. The same is true for their cafe located on the Mercerie near Realto.
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| Rose, mint, and violet leaves currently on sale at Rosa Salva's. Ideal to decorate muffins, cupcakes or pastine alla mandorla ... |
If we stick with early spring reminders, it is
Monotheme Venezia, a brand on sale in a drogheria near San Polo, that has very effectively caught the
soft fragrance of spring violets.
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| Monotheme Venezia is sold here at a drug store in Rughetta Ravana (between Campo S. Silvestro and Campo San Aponal). |
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| And of course pastries and chocolates are sold, wrapped in paper covered with lilac motives (same store on Campo SS Giovani e Paolo as the teapots) |
Finally, if you come back to Piazza San Marco, there are two stores near Campo San Zulian on your way towards the Piazza, that sell flowers and fragrances. The first is
L'Occitane en Provence, the second, rather new, is the French brand
Reminiscence.
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| Reminiscence Store, Merceria: Flower notes: roses |
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| Spring notes at the L'Occitane store: from bergamot to narcissus |
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| Colorful flower presents |
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| Spring peonies products - front, left |
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