The edge of Tuscany

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Not far from Bagni di Lucca, there is a road through the mountains called Passo delle Radici. It is part of the border between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. It is a place of many signs.

It was a cold autumn day when we drove through the beautiful mountains. There was a distinct difference between the Modena side and the Lucca side.

Here is what greeted us from the road looking towards Emilia Romagna.

This was on the Tuscany side of the mountains.

In between is the tiny town of San Pellegrino.

There is a wonderful olld church there with 2 pilgrims in an elaborate glass case. Click here to see an earlier post about them.

The views from the edge of town are spectacular and the drive up there is excellent. It is about 1 hour from Bagni di Lucca, taking things slowly to enjoy the view.

A chestnut festival… with mushrooms

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

We recently attended the chestnut festival in Castelnuovo. It was a beautiful day and we were the first on the bus to take us from the town to the fortified area above the town where chestnuts were being roasted and crowds were beginning to gather.

We were eager to try the roasted chestnuts and the fritelle made from both regular flour and chestnut flour. A little bonus was the warm spiced wine that came with them.

Inside the main building was a display of local mushrooms, separated into edible, edible, but they taste awful and dangerous…don’t ever eat!

Here are some of the edible ones.

These may not hurt you, but they won’t be delicious.

Don’t pick and eat anything from the next group.

It was a great display. I would never be brave enough to gather mushrooms myself. I would only go with an expert, but it was really interesting to see the collection which had been put together with much care.

There was a sculpture display as well. This one left me feeling a bit twisted.

Don’t miss these local festivals. Each one is different and lot of fun.

A shoe shop in Castelnuovo

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Castelnuovo is the main town of the Garfagnana and an easy drive from Bagni di Lucca.
There is a wonderful old castle there…it was new once…I guess that is why the town is called Newcastle.

Not far from the castle in Via Nicola Fabrizi is a great shoe shop called Roberta.

The owner has tracked down some great shoes and has an excellent size range. She has shoes for all kinds of feet.

Here she is (in the blue shirt) with some happy customers.

We were there on a Sunday and the shop was packed. The owner did a great job handling the crowds scrambling to buy shoes.

We were all happy with our purchases.

I’m sure you won’t come away empty handed if you visit Roberta.

http://www.robertacalzature.com
info@robertacalzature.com

San Bartolomeo…a beautiful old church

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Our lovely friend Agostino took us for a drive to Cune, a gorgeous village above Borgo a Mozzano, just a few kilometres from Bagni di Lucca.

We drove through olive trees and grapevines and then through wonderful chestnut forests on our way past Cune and up the hill to the Chiesa and Romitorio di San Bartolomeo. It was a misty, rainy day, which made the drive even more beautiful.

We parked the car beside the road and walked a small distance to the collection of ancient buildings.

The stone buildings are well preserved and the area is well tended. The church was begun in the 12th century and completed in the 12th or 13th century with the addition of an apse.

This doorway is tiny.

There is an old oven in one of the buildings.

…and some interesting old stones.

Mushrooms are growing well near the buildings. The first one was enormous and seemed to be growing from the side of a building. The others were a normal size.

Further up the mountain are the remains of an old signal tower, called “The eye of Lucca”. It was an early warning system for the area. On a fine day we will investigate.

On the way home we had an excellent view of the Ponte Maddalena from above.

There is a never ending supply of fascinating things to discover in the Bagni di Lucca area.

Thank you Agostino for a great day.

Isola d’Elba

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

I haven’t been to the nearby island of Elba…but Jim and Kerry have. They have written a great post about their recent visit. I tried reblogging the post, but it got a bit scrambled and I had to trash it.

Please go to Jim and Kerry Travel Diaries for an excellent tour of Elba.

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.

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

Music in Lucca

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Lucca is only 30 minutes from Bagni di Lucca and July is a great month to be around. The music festival has something for everyone. With a bit of luck there will still be some tickets.

Check out the website or call the number for more information.

A day at the coast

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

The beautiful Versilia Coast in northern Tuscany is only an hour away from Bagni di Lucca, making a trip to Viareggio, Pietrasanta and Forte dei Marmi an easy day trip.

There is a long strip of sandy beach stretching as far as the eye can see with a magnificent backdrop of marble filled mountains. The view from the pier at Forte dei Marmi is one of my favorites in Italy.

I have occasionally seen surfers waiting patiently for a wave at Forte dei Marmi.

Click here to see more on the beach at Forte dei Marmi.

Forte dei Marmi is a beautiful town full of stylish shops and restaurants. I love the little fort, Il Fortino, in the centre of town.

The fort was begun in 1782 for Leopoldo, the Grand Duke of Tuscany to view and defend the surrounding territory. It also served as a customs office.

Behind the fort is a restaurant of the same name. I strongly recommend you go to Il Fortino for lunch. No trip to Forte dei Marmi is complete for me without branzino ravioli with scampi sauce.

There is a delightful antique market in Forte dei Marmi once a month…every second Sunday and the preceding Saturday.

Pietrasanta also has a beach, but I prefer to visit the town, famous for its art galleries and artists’ studios.

It has a beautiful piazza with a lovely church. The piazza is often filled with fabulous art works.

There is a wonderful food market in the piazza the same weekend as the antique market in Forte dei Marmi.

I had a delicious lunch at Pinocchio in Vicolo San Biagio 5.

We also like Osteria alla Giudea in Via Padre Eugenio Barsanti where I particularly like the spaghetti with anchovies.

Click here to see more on Pietrasanta.

A great time to visit Viareggio is in February for the magnificent Carnevale parade of floats. I have been 4 times and can’t wait to see the event next year.

Click here to see more on the Carnevale.

The quickest way from Bagni di Lucca to the Versilia Coast is to drive to Lucca and take the autostrada. It will take about 1 hour to reach the coast. There is also a very pretty road through Camaiora that will take a bit longer but it can be worth it for the drive through fruit orchards and olive groves.

It is possible to take public transport as well. Take the Lazzi bus to Lucca and change there for Viareggio. There are buses from there to Pietrasanta and Forte dei Marmi. There are also trains from Lucca.

Lunch and a museum in the Garfagnana

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

On a gorgeous autumn day Heather Jarman and I went to the beautiful Garfagnana village of Sillico to have lunch at the lovely restaurant Locanda Belvedere.