A garden in Sicily

From "The Leopard" by Giuseppe di Lampedusa: "But the garden, hemmed and almost squashed between these barriers, was exhaling scents that were cloying, fleshy, and slightly putrid, like the aromatic liquids distilled from the relics of certain saints; the carnations superimposed their pungence on the formal fragrance of roses and the oily emanations of magnolias drooping in corners; and somewhere beneath it all was a faint smell of mint mingling with a nursery whiff of acacia and the jammy one of myrtle; from a grove beyond the wall came an erotic waft of early orange blossom."

True that not a single vegetable is mentioned, but there are also mounds and irrigation canals, so perhaps there were also eggplant and tomatoes and basil. These were certainly present at the Belmont Farmers Market today, an abundance of color and activity, from raspberries to potatoes to rainbow chard. How different a visit to the Market is from the Prince of the House of Salina's visit to his odiferous garden.