On the twelfth day of Christmas...

 
It's hard to believe we are already ensconced in 2013. I thought I would be able to manage a 'Twelfth Day of Christmas' post with plenty of time to spare, but ended up getting distracted by the photos I was selecting from...so now it's officially (the wee hours of) Epiphany in Italy—and time to say 'buona Befana' (read a few details about La Befana in this post). Some of the world is still enjoying the last of those famous 'twelve days' though, so I will carry on with what I started.

As I was sorting through photos earlier today, with an eye toward finally putting together a holiday greeting, I came across a lot of red. Since I began participating in last year's ROY G BIV color challenge just after the 'RED' month (but had always meant to make up for it at some point), I decided to focus on red this afternoon. Between making our first-ever tiramisù (delicious! I'll translate the recipe we used & post it at some point), the engrossing search for red & a movie night with my daughter, I never did get to the holiday cards—maybe some people will find their way here...

First are a few images of a cyclamen plant that my mother bought when she and my father first arrived in Italy mid-December. Pleased though I was (I had been meaning to buy something Christmas-y, so it was such a nice surprise to find it on the dining table), I must admit that I've never had a true appreciation for cyclamens...maybe this is because they are as common as poinsettias here during the holidays. It seems the best way for me to find beauty in something is to spend some time getting to know it a little better. This often means pulling out the camera, so I brought the cyclamen into the studio one afternoon and took a fresh look at it through the lens.

I found the velvety petals to be very beautiful when considered individually, especially the almost haphazard way they unfurl. I also liked finding the tightly rolled buds hidden among the reddish-purple stems. But I think my favorite discovery happened when I crouched down and looked up at the undersides of the flowers...they are surprisingly 'structured', and in fact, almost appear to be inside out—as if the underside is actually the inside of the blossom—much like an umbrella that's been turned inside-out by a strong gust of wind (perhaps you can see what I mean in the lower right image).

The lighting was a little harsh/cold, so I tried to tone down the images to compensate for the contrast between the red & white. (The photo at the top has been blatantly photoshopped; I liked the composition of the mass of petals, but they were rendered overly vibrant in the available light...I do miss the abundance of warm sunshine and its assistance with photo-taking!)

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Below are a few more red-themed images, taken at Florence's rose garden/in the studio:

• the early stages of the fruits of a miniature pomegranate tree
• a fragrant Modì, an apple I discovered this past fall—a beautiful balance between crisp & sweet
• my favorite Venetian glass bead necklace
• brand new leaves emerging from a festive-looking bush
• a split pomegranate that the birds have been enjoying 
• detail of a favorite embroidered wall hanging I bought in Beijing several years ago

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And—to conclude the 'Twelve Days of Christmas'—a twelfth & final image, with the faintest hint of red-tinged leaves soon after sunrise in Montepulciano last week ...

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{Jennifer Coyne Qudeen & Julie Booth are proposing a continuation of the 'addendum' to ROY G BIV for January—this time a combo of black & white. Click here for the guidelines if you'd like to play along on the third Thursday of the month (17 January).}