Panettone is a sweet bread prepared all over Italy for Christmas. Making the bread is a lengthy process, with the dough taking days to cure. The bread contains candied orange, citron, lemon zest and raisins.
Luckily for us, making panettone is not necessary. Annalisa makes very delicious panettone at Il Monaco in Ponte a Serraglio.
You will have to be quick, there are only so many she can make.
I prefer my milk straight from the cow. When I was a child a local dairy farmer delivered fresh milk to us in a bucket. He poured the milk into bowl and when it had settled Mum would spoon the cream off the top and pour it into bottles.
I can still remember the taste…a far cry from the stuff we buy at the supermarket now. It is pasteurised, homogenised, skimmed, vitamins added etc, etc, and it no longer tastes like milk.
Luckily there is a place nearby where it is possible to buy milk straight from the dairy…the mechanical cow, or latteria as it is called.
The little hut is in the car park at the Penny Market in Borgo a Mozzano.
For 20 cents you can buy a bottle and €1 gets you a litre of fresh milk.
There is even a photo of the dairies the milk comes from.
I think it is a great idea and I have become a regular at the mechanical cow.
Not far from Bagni di Lucca on the road to Gallicano, Al Barchetto is a great place to have lunch. I have passed it many times and finally made my way there on a lovely autumn day.
The restaurant is set beside a fishing lake.
The interior is bright and cheerful, and the service is much the same.
We ordered the workman’s lunch for €10 and it was excellent.
The restaurant has a tradition of home style cooking and quality service. Their hand made tordelli has been mentioned a few times by those in the know, so I am going to order that next time. We saw some very delicious looking meals being delivered all around us…maybe a few visits are necessary.
The summer outdoor setting had just closed when we were there. In summer it would be wonderful to sit by the lake.
Al Barchetto. Via Magenta 71
0583 75773
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
It is no secret that I am a big fan of Paolo Citti. I am delighted that he has opened a new bar and cafe in Fornoli. I am even more pleased that his gelato making is fully operational.
Now the biggest problem is which flavour to have.
I find it difficult to go past nocciola and pistachio, but I was also tempted by chocolate and coconut…life can be molto difficile sometimes.
Say hello to lovely Paolo at Catene Cafe in Fornoli for me next time you go.
Paolo was the first person I met when I came to Bagni di Lucca. He is one of the reasons I came to love the village. It was great to see his happy face every morning at the bar across the bridge, and I missed him when he left.
He has just opened a brand new bar/cafe in Fornoli called Catene Cafe, named for the nearby bridge.
Call in and say hello to Paolo…have a coffee, lunch or an aperitivo. As soon as he has his gelateria up and running I will be back to get some more photos. Paolo makes the best gelato. I can’t wait to sample some of his pistachio, or nociola, or caramello…..
Good luck Paolo in your new venture!
Chestnuts have been an important part of the diet in the Appenine and Apuan regions in northern Tuscany for centuries. Particularly in times of war and famine, chestnuts saved people from starvation.
Necci are a type of pancake made from chestnut flour. They are simply made by mixing chestnut flour with water (250 grams of flour to 1 cup water). The batter is mixed until smooth and slightly thicker than a normal crepe batter.
Each area has a slightly different recipe. Sometimes a little oil and salt is added, or rosemary.
There are several ways to cook the necci. At a couple of chestnut festivals I have seen them cooked between 2 cast iron discs with long handles over a flame. A little olive oil is placed on the flat disc and spread with a potato cut in half, then a small quantity of batter is placed on the disc and spread thinly, and the other disc is put on top. It isn’t as easy as it sounds, you need just the right amount of oil and heat or the pancake sticks to the disc and makes a horrible mess.
Once browned on both side they are spread with ricotta or nutella and rolled up…and eaten.
At a food festival in Lucca we saw a very interesting way of cooking necci. The batter was placed on hot, flat stones covered with chestnut leaves and stacked on top of each other.
This method also proved to be effective, and delicious.
Look for necci at food festivals in the area, or if you are in Lucca, go to Via Buia and look for Pizza da Felice where you can buy necci, along with delicious pizza and cecina, the chickpea pancakes popular in the area.
Click here to see a gorgeous chestnut festival in Colognora and here for an equally fabulous one in Lupinaia.
Patrizia runs the wonderful fruit and vegetable shop in La Villa. She will select the best produce for you. Ask her for the perfect melon for lunch and she will find it. Which oranges are the best for juice…..she will tell you. Which peaches are ready to eat now…..she knows.
Look for her shop in the centre of La Villa, opposite the tiny piazza in Via Umberto1.
Circolo dei Forestieri doesn’t mean “circle of forest workers”. It was the Foreigners’ Club years ago. The building was rebuilt in 1924 over an existing 18th century structure. It was the meeting place of visitors to Bagni di Lucca and used for gambling until 1936.
It is now a restaurant. There is a lovely big dining room inside and in summer there is outdoor dining in front of the restaurant and a delightful terrace at the back, with pretty views over the river.
Although it looks quite grand the food is very reasonably priced……and very good. I photographed my own delicious food and the lovely people at the next table kindly let me take theirs as well.
That was my caprese salad and the bread that came with it was hot from the oven.
A lemon sorbet arrived between courses.
Say hello to Giovanni and Sabina…..and have a great meal.
PS. Unfortunately Circolo dei Forestieri has closed. Is there anyone out there who would like to run a restaurant in Bagni di Lucca??? It would be great to see someone take it over and bring it to life again.
Many years ago the Circolo dei Forestieri was surrounded by huge trees. Fortunately the new ones are growing.
One of our favourite places to eat in Bagni di Lucca is Del Sonno. The food is great and Jayne and Ilario are delightful….what more could you want?
I know I am boring, but I almost always order the same thing, saltimbocca. It literally means “jump in the mouth”. If you taste it you will know why. The dish consists of thinly sliced veal, topped with prosciutto and sage leaves.
I usually have grilled vegetables as a side dish.
They also do a great pizza and when I can force myself not eat the saltimbocca I have a gorgonzola and prosciutto pizza….or a salame piccante….or quatro stagione…..
The crust is thin and crispy and the toppings, just right.
I have, on occasion, been known to have pannacotta or tiramisu. Then I walk home to Ponte a Serraglio.
Jayne allowed me into the kitchen last year and showed me how she makes her saltimbocca. If you click here you will find the post.
Say hello to Ilario if you go to Del Sonno. He is always there with a smile and he knows everything about Bagni di Lucca. Jayne will be in the kitchen making my saltimbocca.
Del Sonno Ristorante….146/148 Viale Umberto 1, La Villa
Ph. 0583 805080
Bella Bagni di Lucca 