A vineyard that climbs on the back of a hill until it is incised in the sky, is a familiar sight, yet the curtains of the simple and deep rows appear as a magic door. Under the vines is red soil, the leaves hide treasures, and beyond the leaves is the sky. It is a sky that is always tender and mature, where there is no shortage – the treasure and the vineyard too – the thick clouds of September. All this is familiar and remote, childish, to put it short, but shakes every time, almost like a world. …
(C.Pavese, La Vigna)
The vine is a climbing tree that grows to be supported by supports (guardians) through tendrils; if the plant is not pruned it can reach considerable widths and heights by sticking to the trees, on rocky walls, or covering the ground. It is equipped with a very developed root system, which can even exceed 10 meters in length. It has a stem that can reach a considerable length from which many branches branch off, called shoots. The leaves, called vine leaves, with the shape of a palm of the hand, are simple and made up of five main lobes more or less deep, on a basic shape of the heart. The leaves are a very important distinctive feature for the recognition of the vines of the various species, and within the European cultivated vine. The fruits are berries (acini) of variable shape and color grouped in clusters.
(Wikipedia)
