"I saw the mountains in the painting; then the painting in the mountains" - Chinese Proverb
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Ephemeral Beauty-Capturing wild orchids on the Ligurian hinterland

In the medieval Ligurian villages on the Italian Riviera, Costa Rainera, extraordinary and beautiful wild flowers still grow today. The village of Costarainera where Matthew captured the delicate form of this flower retains the original old stone archways and medieval structures typical of Ligurian coastal architecture. The unique style of the ancient defenses the villagers erected developed as a result of the need for protection against the Saracen pirates who continued to ravage the coast until into the eighteenth century. In the Spring, these flowers will appear suddenly abutting the thousand year old cobbled track that leads down from the village to the small port of San Lorenzo al Mare.

Flowers and Trees are available for book illustrations, annual reports, paper and packaging, giftware, related products. You can license them in the following format: Original transparencies in 6 x 6 cm. (2¼ in.) format, high-resolution RGB drum scans on DVD or efficient and quick E-Mail or FTP upload.