Summer is here! Are you one of those people who gets bizarrely excited about local markets while traveling? Because I am definitely guilty. My favorite one in Rome is practically next door to the Vatican (meaning I can repent immediately after overspending on berries). It’s called Mercato Trionfale, and yes, the address is coming up—patience, my friend!

Our family camped out in a Vatican-adjacent hotel, and we visited Mercato Trionfale so often the vendors probably thought we were casing the joint. But no—we were just on a top-secret berry reconnaissance mission. Berry shopping was our favorite activity. Yes, that’s how wild we live.

For this post, I hunted down the brightest, most absurdly colorful paintings from the market—because apparently I’m obsessed with painting fruit. And not just any fruit, mind you. Only Italian berries would do. My standards are ridiculous, I know.

(And yes, watermelon technically counts as a berry—yes, really. The internet didn’t lie to you this time.)

Now, cherries. I absolutely adore Italian cherries, especially because they somehow trigger my most sentimental memories. Apparently, my brain associates their aroma with my parents’ summer house—you know, that magical place where there was always a bowl of bright, juicy cherries on the table, sometimes sweet, sometimes shockingly sour (the betrayal!). The smell of cherries instantly transports me to endless summer evenings at the cottage, all leisurely and carefree. Cherries basically smell like bottled joy and femininity and everything summer is supposed to be. Romantic, right? (I’ll wait while you roll your eyes.)

My daughter texted me this photo of their breakfast in Positano, Italy—perched dramatically above the Mediterranean Sea with berries, fruit, and orange juice spread out like they were posing for Vogue. Naturally, I was instantly jealous. So, I did what any reasonable artist does: I added myself to the scene by painting in my sketchbook and favorite Staedtler pencil. Problem solved! Now it’s basically like I was there (in my imagination, which is just as good, right?). Fingers crossed my dream trip actually happens someday!

And then there are grapes. Fun fact #1: they’re also berries. Fun fact #2: apparently they’ve been lounging around Earth for 65 million years. Now, here’s where it gets delightfully ridiculous. According to a (probably made-up) ancient legend, grapes showed up eons ago as the children of Earth and Sun. Back then, they didn’t take months to ripen like spoiled celebrities—nope, they went from morning to sunset in one day, like productivity on steroids. The ones that ripened by dawn got the rosy blush from the morning sky and turned pink. The afternoon bunch hoarded the sun’s gold rays and went golden yellow. And the latecomers? They borrowed the Southern night’s dark, velvety blue tones and went deep purple. Essentially, grapes are just showing off their gradient wardrobe collection.

And that, my friends, is why grapes come in so many fabulous colors. Voilà! Nature’s color palette at its most extra.

Bon voyage! Until the next travel misadventure! (And stay healthy—berries help with that.)

All paintings belong to the author. No image is to be copied without permission. (Yes, I’m watching. I have eyes.)

Nerdy tools section: All these beauties were painted with Watercolour brands Van Gogh and Cotman. Paper: Canson Mix Media album 28×35 cm (11×14 in.) and Canson Watercolour album 25×35 cm (11×15 in.). Yes, I’m that person with the fancy supplies. Don’t judge.

Mercato Trionfale address (for your pilgrimage): Via la Goletta, 1, Rome. GPS coordinates recommended to avoid wandering around like a lost tourist. (Though we all know you’re going to wander anyway—that’s half the fun.)