A Shortcut To Apricots [explored on 2020/08/17]

This is the first post of a small series of photos I have taken in our countryside - a relatively large patch of rural area surrounded by towns and a busy highway - pressed by civilisation, we could say. In the area there are several traditional Padan farmsteads, which are still inhabited and active - in the Padan plain there are so many dead relics of our rural history... - some of them are fairly ancient, dating back from the 19. or even the 17. century and they are often protected as they have historical and/or artistic value. Our poor Italy is quite rich in cultural heritage but well, protection often means, say, that a building of interest cannot be demolished, but can be abandoned to its own (sad) fate. The people who are still living and working in these farmsteads are preserving the memory of generations upon generations of peasants who were the workforce of what had long been the most advanced agricultural region in Europe. They lived in the landowners' farmsteads and worked in the attached fields - families and families who were payed-in-kind (milk, butter, corn, flour...) and were so poor that when they transferred from one farmstead to another the whole (and quite often large) family plus their scant belongings could easily fit in a cart.

For the benefit of those of yours who are wondering, this dirt road lined with poplars leads to the farmstead called Mugnaga (which in the Milanese dialect is the word for "apricot"), a large farmstead producing milk, cheese, honey, corn, wheat, and other agricultural products (and hosting a nursery).
Along the sides of the road you can spot the peculiar leaves of Broussonetia papyrifera, or Paper mulberry, which, as far as I know, thrives only along this dirt road.
I could not resist the idea to title this shot after the title of chapter 4 of The Lord of the Rings (A shortcut to mushrooms), so forgive my poetic license and affectionate tribute, I hope that you will enjoy this shot...

Explored on 2020/08/17 no. 34

I have obtained this picture by blending an exposure bracketing [-1.3/0/+1.3 EV] by luminosity masks with the Gimp (EXIF data, as usual, refer to the "normal" exposure shot), then I added some final touches with Nik Color Efex Pro 4. Raw files processed with Darktable. Denoising with Dfine.

Taken in: Italy / Lombardy / Gorgonzola / Cascina Mugnaga (show map)

Taken on: August 3, 2020

Tags:

Italy

Padan plain

contadini

cascina

farmstead

apricot

Mugnaga

trees

poplars

paper mulberry

road

dirt road

mist

sunrays

light

golden light

morning

early morning

mattino

silence

harmony

nature

history

Lord of the Rings

LoTR

Tolkien

green

foliage

fogliame

trunks

bark

tronchi

corteccia

rhythm

Nikon

D5100

The Gimp

Darktable

Nik Colorefex 4 Pro

dialect

milanese dialect

dialetto milanese

countryside

campagna

fields

grass

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Camera: Nikon D5100, f/13.0, 1/10 sec, 55mm (=82mm), ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D5100
Aperture:	f/13.0
Exposure Time:	0.1 sec (1/10)
Focal Length:	55mm (35mm equivalent: 82mm)
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	+1/3 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	GIMP 2.10.20
Show full info

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