What do parking lots look like in your local cities and towns?

In my vicinity, they are asphalt slabs often squeezed between 2 buildings – functional but unmemorable. And most are, but in Tuscany… ah, Tuscany! I came across some memorable parking lots, especially outside of small villages. Some had hanging flower baskets on their light standards, while another had well-trimmed shrubs encircling it like a garden tennis court. Another had a fantastic futuristic public toilet that looked out of place amidst the town’s medieval walls in the background, but it was a shining, design-forward space bullet and not a plastic-porta-potty! La Bella Figura!

I love it when the everyday mundane gets a dose of “why-not-add-some-beauty”! My Mini Vacations piece #38 pays homage to one of these beautified parking lots in Volpaia, Tuscany. Taken from a 2009 travel photo, this parking lot had flowers and planters along some of its walls. And I had never seen these particular plants before, as they are not a Canadian garden staple. Google informs me that they are known as torch lilies (la tritoma in Italian, I think) and can be a bit of a spreading menace. But at this parking lot below a cherished wine town, they added drama, charm and wonder!

#38 – Torch Lilies of Volpaia, Tuscany

I’m aiming to create 6 new pieces exclusively for the next art fair I’ll be in on Monday, August 1st (see poster below)! If they are still available on August 2, they’ll be added to my Etsy Shop.