I love it when wisteria appears in spring. It seems to bloom overnight and there are fabulous festoons of lovely lilac flowers hanging from fences and walls all over Bagni di Lucca right now.
…and the smell is heavenly.
Wonderful wisteria
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Author Archives: Debra Kolkka
Circolo dei Forestieri
I am pleased to say that the restaurant at Circolo dei Forestieri has reopened with new owners. Regulars to Bagni di Lucca will recognise the proprietor of Trattoria Borghese, a very popular place to eat for many years.
The front of the restaurant has been opened up, I think one of the problems before was that you really couldn’t see that there was a restaurant there at all. I look forward to seeing tables outside once the weather warms up a bit.
There is a new bar inside, and it looks very fresh and bright.
The food is good and very reasonably priced.
It is great to see Circolo dei Forestieri come alive again.
Almost spring in Lucchio
Spring is a bit late coming this year and this has not been helped by the icy blast of wind blowing from the Alps.
But the trees are beginning to turn green…you can see a tinge of green on the trees framing lovely Lucchio.
Wild flowers are appearing and potted plants and fruit blossoms are springing to life.
There is always a friendly cat looking for a sunny spot in the mountain villages.
There is still snow on the higher mountains, making for some spectacular views.
The little bar in the piazza near the car park is thriving. After the death of the previous owner there was a danger the bar would close, but fortunately new people have taken over and are doing a great job…meet Franco.
As well as bar snacks and delicious sweets, there are great meals being served on weekends by Franco and his family. In summer the bar will be open more often and tables will spill out onto the terrace.
There are some excellent bargains in Lucchio for anyone looking for a house to buy.
It would be a great way to have a base in Italy without having to spend a lot of money. The village becomes quite lively in the summer months when ex Lucchio residents return to open their houses and enjoy gorgeous views and fresh mountain air.
Yellow flowers
Forsythia is appearing all over the place in Bagni di Lucca. Surprisingly, these plants belong to the olive family.
They are deciduous shrubs growing to a height of 1 – 3 metres. The flowers are produced in the early spring before the leaves. The flowers become pendant in rainy weather to protect the reproductive parts. Here they have performed just as they should.
The genus is named after William Forsyth, a Scottish botanist who was royal head gardener and a founding member of the Royal Horticultural Society.
These lovely yellow flowers are a sure sign of spring.
Don’t go there!
Road works are being carried out between Ponte a Serraglio and La Villa. Old water pipes are being replaced…a necessary thing.
We have a multitude of signs in the piazza at Ponte a Serraglio to let us know where we can go. The road has been reduced to one way, going towards La Villa.
At some times the road is blocked completely.
The other night, a car coming from La Villa ignored the sign and drove through. By the time he got to Ponte there was a line of cars in his way. There was nothing for him to do but reverse all the way to La Villa.
You have to laugh.
You also have to feel for the road workers who have to cope with the coming and going of cars, people and dogs.
All of a sudden it seemed to be over and all the men and equipment left.
…I am expecting a return.
After the rain
When the recent rain cleared we were left with a golden light. 
There was a rainbow briefly over Colle. 
Rain has other benefits…the pansies on the bridge are growing well. 
Colomba di Pasqua
Annalisa and the team from Il Monaco have been busy baking Colomba di Pasqua…and they are beautifully wrapped for you. 
Colomba di Pasqua is a traditional Easter cake similar to panettone and pandoro. It contains candied peel instead of raisins and is baked in the shape of a dove, to represent the Holy Spirit.
My friend Maria has told me of an old legend about this dessert. They say that when the King of Longobards, Alboino, conquered the city of Pavia, he requested that all the gold and treasures of the city should be given to him together with 12 virgins.
The poor girls were sent to the castle to await their fate and they were crying in despair. All, except for one, who asked to be given some honey, flour and dried fruits as she wanted to bake a cake. With these ingredients, she prepared a dough and gave it the shape of a dove and asked the guardians to have it baked.
When she was called to see Alboino, she carried the cake on a tray. The king was surprised and thought that the girl wanted to poison him, so he asked her to taste the cake first. The girl ate a piece and Alboino, seeing that she looked so confident, did the same. He found the cake delicious…possibly he had not been eating cake during his campaign. So, as a reward, he ordered his guards to free the clever girl. Nobody knows what happened to the other girls.
The seige of the City of Pavia ended on the eve of Easter Sunday, hence the link between the cake and Easter celebrations.
The girls at Il Monaco have also been busy making the first gelato of the season…spring must be on the way. 
…what to eat first!!!
This Sunday, 29th March, at 4.00pm at the Teatro Accademico at La Villa, will be a performance of a Folkloric group from Varenna. The tickets are only €5. Call 3396 167580 for more information.
A night of music
Last night at the lovely Teatro Accademico there was a delightful evening of music. Songs by Puccini, Verdi, Mascagni, Bizet, Rossini and others were performed by some very talented people.
The event was well attended.
The singers were…
Valentina Boi, a soprano with an exquisite voice.
Laura Brioli, mezzosoprano.
Angelo Fiore, tenor.
Franco Rossi, baritone, shown here delivering a rousing rendition of The Barber of Seville.
They were accompanied by Laura Pasqualetti on the piano.
It was a very enjoyable evening. If you missed it there will be another on 12th April. I will remind you at a later date.
Brought back to life
A famous residence in La Villa has been lovingly brought back to life. The house is famous because it was the summer home for English poets Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning in 1853 and 1857.
It has been in a sad state of repair for several years, but fortunately someone has bought it and has set about restoring it. The scaffolding was recently removed from the front of the house to reveal a very beautiful facade.
The work is being overseen by local architect Franceso Rondina and the Art Nouveau decorating has been done by local artist Belinda Pieroni.
Work continues on the rest of the house. Some of the cement has been removed near one of the side windows revealing a different style of design underneath. I look forward to seeing what happens there.
Peering through the gate we could see a lovely old garden wall. I’m sure that will live again too.
Congratulations to all concerned. The house will be much admired by everyone who sees it and will be a happy addition to Bagni di Lucca.
Here are a couple of old photos of the house.
They show just what a great job has been done to bring the house back to the way it was.
Ghostly Granaiola
Spring will soon be here and that will be great…but I do like the winter landscapes, especially the lovely mists that swirl in and around the mountains.
I don’t have to go far to see the misty views. From my balcony, or from the bridge below, Granaiola puts on a fine show on winter mornings.
It is raining now, which is good for my flowers. So far we haven’t had the predicted heavy falls…and we don’t want them.
Bella Bagni di Lucca 