Travel Guide: Lisa eats Bagni Di Lucca and beyond

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

We had a great guest post from Kerry recently and yesterday she sent me a link to this post by Lisa, who visited Bagni di Lucca last month. It is always interesting to hear how other people enjoy Bagni di Lucca. Please read Lisa’s post about her stay in our gorgeous village.

lisa eats world

Bagni di Lucca and its surrounds is one of my favorite areas in Tuscany. Here the terrain is full of impossibly picturesque hilltop towns, wild valleys and most importantly top quality local produce.

Bagni di Lucca is a tiny spa town nestled in the Serchio Valley, approximately 25 kilometres from Lucca. The town has been famed since its Roman and Etruscan days for its thermal springs and during the French occupation became the summer residence of the court of Napoleon and his sister Elisa Baciocchi.

My favourite coffee spot in the area is Il Monaco Pasticceria in pretty Ponte a Serraglio, just down the road from the main town – La Villa. They may not speak much English here but they make a mean coffee. If it is after midday.order an espresso rather than a cappuccino (apparently it’s not Italian etiquette to order a cappuccino after 12pm). For under two…

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Il Biribisso in Granaiola

Posted on September 7, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Il Biribisso in Granaiola has an outdoor barbecue in summer…an excellent reason to go there. There is a lovely outdoor terrace, the perfect place to sit on a warm summer night.

The outdoor barbecue was not operating the night we were there, but we enjoyed our mixed grill just the same.

They also serve great pasta.

Fried seafood.

Our desserts were delicious.

The restaurant is great in all seasons, so even though summer is almost over Biribisso is an excellent place to eat.

I can’t resist the views of Ponte a Serraglio and other Bagni di Lucca villages from Granaiola.

As we were leaving the restaurant the moon peeped out from behind a cloud for us.

Il Biribisso, Piazza Nicola Dorati (opposite the car park)
0583 831081

Guest post by Kerry

Posted on September 1, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Kerry and Jim are from Western Australia. They decided to spend 6 months in Italy and chose Bagni di Lucca as their base. 3 months into their stay Kerry has generously written a post for Bella Bagni di Lucca to tell of their experiences in this gorgeous part of Italy.

Our 6 months in Bagni di Lucca…by Kerry.

We hit the jackpot when we chose the area of Bagni di Lucca to spend our six months “living the dream” retirement holiday. We arrived on 1st June and are staying until 30th November. I know it seems a long time but there is so much to do and see in the area that time is getting away from us.

Our apartment at Villa Isabella in Ponte a Serraglio is wonderful and the perfect place to base ourselves to not only relax and try to become a little bit “Italian” but also a great location to explore Tuscany from.

The village is built along either side of the Lima River, making it a very tranquil place to spend time in.

It is in easy walking distance to La Villa, the main village of Bagni di Lucca,making it accessible to additional shops, cafes, bars and restaurants, although we have some very good choices here in the village.

We chose to come to Ponte a Serraglio after some lengthy communications with Debra, who I must say has been very generous with her assistance, time and knowledge of the Italian system for those wanting to stay for more than 3 months. Getting our Permesso di Soggiorno would have been very difficult without Debra.

About 25 villages make up the region of Bagni di Lucca. We have visited many of them now and each seems to have its own delightful character.

We have done many day trips, including to the Garfagnana, Chianti and the coastal villages of Forte dei Marmi and Sestri Levante and there is still so much to do and see.

There are many beautfiful cities to visit when you are here, the closest being the historic walled city of Lucca. It is only 25 kilometres away and is such a lovely city to spend time in. At every turn there is something to discover…beautiful cathedrals, nightly concerts of Puccini’s music (Lucca is his birth place), great shops, very nice food and, of course, gelaterias at every corner.

Florence and Pisa are both must sees by travellers visiting the area and are just over an hour away.

If you have a “bucket list” of places to visit in Italy we would definitely recommend adding Bagni di Lucca to it.

Follow our travels at Jim and Kerry Travel Diaries.

Thank you Kerry for sharing your Bagni di Lucca with us. Perhaps at the end of your stay you will write another post for Bella Bagni di Lucca.

Out for a walk

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

We spotted this lovely little group out for a walk beside the road near San Cassiano on a sunny day.

Under the Linden trees

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

In summer the beautiful Linden trees form tunnels on the roads into Bagni di Lucca. Linden trees are called Tiglio in Italy and as well as providing welcome shade in summer the perfume from the tiny yellow flowers fills the air with the delightful smell of summer.

Bees love the flowers and delicious Tiglio honey can be found in local shops.

Be careful not to park you car under one of the trees. A sticky sap falls from them and is quite difficult to remove…admire them from a distance.

Gorgeous Granaiola

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

On one of our rare sunny spring days I visited Granaiola to walk through the village and enjoy the spectacular views of Ponte a Serraglio and several other villages that make up Bagni di Lucca from the high vantage point.

Granaiola is a short drive from Ponte a Serraglio. The car park is at the top of the village…come for a walk with me through the narrow streets.

There is a fine selection of green doors.

I found a couple of renovators’ delights for you.

There is always a cat or two.

I ran into the delightful Stefano who lives alone in Granaiola since his beloved wife died three years ago. The photo I took didn’t turn out well, but here is one I took a couple of years ago at a celebration in Bagni di Lucca when he was wearing his spectacular Bersaglieri hat.

His companion is the lovely Stellina. I’m sure Stellina is a very pampered cat.

…now the views from Granaiola. You can see Lugliano on a mountain top nearby.

…and Colle below.

There are wonderful views of Ponte a Serraglio on either side of the Lima River.

Pieve di Monti di Villa and Monti di Villa are higher up.

Riolo is the village on the lower right.

The blue sky was amazing!

The Lazzi bus going to Monti di Villa will take you to Granaiola. They leave La Villa a couple of times a day. If you are reasonably fit you can walk to Granaiola from Ponte a Serraglio. It is much easier coming down.

Click here to see the previous post on Granaiola.

Ferragosto

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

15th August is Ferragosto in Italy. It is a public holiday all over the country.

The holiday dates back to the Emperor Augustus in 18 BC. The name comes from the Latin feriae Augusti, Augustus’s rest and was designed to link a few festivals and provide a period of rest after the harvest and agricultural tasks.

Many businesses close for August and most of the country is on holdiay. Beaches are packed with people on Ferragosto and it is probably the busiest day of the year on the roads…drive carefully.

Have a great day!

Fast Cars

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Following the Rally under the stars on 10th August the wonderful cars and things related to the rally were on display in La Villa, giving people a chance to see them up close.

Some people go all out for their sport.

Thank you Kerry for being roving reporter.

Can you help?

Posted on August 10, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

There was a small earthquake in Bagni di Lucca earlier this year. Fortunately nobody was hurt, but there was some structural damage to some of the ancient buildings in the area.

The 16th century church of Madonna della Neve in Guzzano suffered considerable internal damage.

The chapel was completed in 1537. In that year the pre-existing chapel was restored and enlarged to its current size and shape. Inside the chapel are notable works of art, including a statue of the Virgin with Child attributed to Della Robbia.

Claudio Gemignani of Gombereto is heading up an effort to raise funds in Italy to help save the church. Ann Barsi is looking after efforts in the USA where $5,000 has already been raised.

Ann Barsi’s book, “Pieve di Controne – 2012” will be sold at the Gombereto Medieval Festival on 31st August and all the proceeds will be donated to the restoration.

I hope you can all make it to the festival and buy a book to help the church.

Click here to see more on the book.

email Sig. Barsi at obarsi@verizon.net for more information on the fundraising efforts.

Delicious butter

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

I love butter…I probably shouldn’t…but I do. When Heather from Sapori-e-saperi told me of a place nearby that makes the most delicious butter, I had to visit.

Azienda Taufi is in Melo, just outside Cutigliano…on the road from Bagni di Lucca to Abetone. Their butter, ricotta, cheese and yoghurt (all excellent) are made from the milk of their gorgeous cows. They were all indoors on the day we visited, but in better weather they get to graze on the lush grass of the dairy farm.

Meet some of the girls…and the lone sheep…and the cat.

We also met Daniela in the little shop attached to the dairy.

She showed us through the production and store.

If you like quality dairy products it is worth the drive up the mountain to buy direct from the producers. It is possible to buy Azienda Taufi products from some local outlets…keep an eye out for them.

www.itaufi.it

agriturismoitaufi@alice.it

Bella Bagni di Lucca

A beautiful village in Tuscany

Author Archives: Debra Kolkka