5 Things I'm Loving About Spring in Calabria

Finally, FINALLY, the winter rain seems to have stopped, and the sun is making a daily appearance. My energy is changing; I feel cooped up in the house after months of it not being very nice out, so I'm outside enjoying nature as often as possible.

Here's what I'm in love with right now.

1. Reconnecting with Nature

As I said, I'm walking a lot more right now. The great thing about Davoli is that there are tons of different paths I can take to keep things interesting.

I can do the 45-minute loop around the town, which inevitably takes longer if I run into friends who want to chat or invite me to coffee. Or I can take one of four paths that lead into the mountains. Those are always a steep challenge! There's also a sweet gravel road that passes by a giant, abandoned palazzo and ancient, crumbling monastery. So I'm never bored!

What I'm loving right now is that every path has different flowers in bloom. Even when I tell myself I'm not going to collect wildflowers, I always do, because I find something new. Today, it was wild garlic, which I am crazy for. I plan to dry the flowers and make garlic salt. I enjoyed the flowers and stems on a tomato salad for lunch today!

2. People are in Their Gardens

I'm not the only one itching to get outside these days. On my walks, I see lots of people cleaning up the fields that had filled with weeds (or, in my world, yummy medicinal plants) in preparation for planting.

Even people who work full-time often have at least one plot of land where they grow veggies and maybe raise chickens. We have two gardens with chickens, as well as some land in the mountains that we don't cultivate. And there are a couple of fields next to my in-laws' house.

Since I don't personally have a garden, I plant a lot in pots, and I plan to elbow out a corner of the spring garden at their house for some things. I sneakily spread lavender seeds in the field without telling anyone (my father-in-law and Fra's uncle always have opinions about everything, so it was easier to plant the seeds without alerting anyone!).

3. Fava Beans and Strawberries

Since we eat the seasons here in Calabria, I'm always so excited when something new pops up. This is fava bean season! We don't really enjoy them in the U.S. (except with liver and a nice Chianti!), but they're versatile and delicious. I love sitting outside under the shade of the oak tree at Fra's parents' house, popping them out of their pods and eating them raw. Mamma also cooks them in pasta.

Strawberries, too, are making an appearance at the markets. We also have a small patch of strawberries that are absolutely delicious freshly picked. I sprinkled a few white strawberry seeds there too, so we'll see how they are in a few months.

4. Changing our Wardrobe

It's not that I love doing the work of changing out all our heavy coats and sweaters for lighter clothes, but I am so happy to shed those layers in favor of my breezy dresses. It's also an excuse to buy more tops!

The cambiamento di stagione (changing of the season) is actually a two-part process for me. I'm not ready to pull out shorts and swimsuits, and I may still need lighter sweaters. So I do it gradually, swapping out a drawer of heavy, long socks for lighter ones, until everything's in place by summer.

5. Light! So Much Light

I'm one of those people who gets dragged down by shorter days in the winter. I loathe running errands in the late evening when the sun has set. But now that daylight savings has hit, we're in full sunshine mode. The days stretch on (which is also great for drying clothes on the balcony faster), which makes me feel more productive.

I know that in a few months, it will be hotter than hell here, but for now, the weather is absolutely perfect. I'm taking advantage of these gorgeous days of spring in Calabria!