My Hidden Garden

I blogged about this spot some three years back when I spent a month studying in Arezzo. Each day on my way to school I passed a church which held a statue of the Madonna that I fell in love with. There was something about this piece of art that just spoke to me and I frequently stopped in, usually on my way home from class. One day as I walked by on the tiny sidewalk outside the church, I noticed that a large wooden door that was always closed had been propped open. Little did I know that when I peered inside I would find this charming little passageway, filled with plants. Of course I quickly pulled out my camera and took a shot, unsure of when the door might be open again.

This past May I was living in different part of the city and didn’t pass this area unless I made of point of going that way. Of course I visited the church a few times (including Easter mass which brought me right back to being a kid as listening to the service in Italian reminded me of the Latin of the past) and each time the door to my secret garden was closed. One morning on my way to the tiny supermercato near my old apartment lo and behold, there was my garden. I took this picture that day and I was filled with a sense of joy that this special place was exactly as I remembered.