Autumn in San Cassiano

San Cassiano is a beautiful village at any time, but in autumn it is especially lovely. Photographer and resident Paul Anthony Davies has been out and about with his camera…with excellent results.

autumn in San Cassiano

autumn in San Cassiano

autumn in San Cassiano

autumn in San Cassiano

autumn in San Cassiano

autumn in San Cassianoautumn in San Cassiano

The cross below was blown down from the church in the high winds in March and is now making a statement on the ground.

autumn in San Cassiano

The weather has been unseasonably warm in November, causing confusion with some of the bulbs, which have appeared at the wrong time.

autumn in San Cassiano

Thank you Paul, for taking us on an autumn tour of San Cassiano.

 

Above the clouds

My friends Rina and Alfredo drove up into the mountains above Montefegatesi.

They were above the clouds and took some photos to share with us.

Bagni di Lucca mountains

Bagni di Lucca mountains

Bagni di Lucca mountains

Bagni di Lucca mountains

Bagni di Lucca mountains

I love the Bagni di Lucca mountains.

Autumn in Lucchio

Lucky Catherine Keens has a house in Lucchio. She was there recently and took these gorgeous photos of the village.

Lucchio in autumn

Lucchio in autumn

Lucchio in autumn

Lucchio in autumn

Lucchio in autumn

Lucchio in autumn

Lucchio in autumn

Lucchio in autumn

Lucchio in autumn

Lucchio in autumn

Lucchio in autumn

Autumn is a beautiful time to be in Lucchio. Thank you Catherine for sharing it with us.

I wouldn’t eat these

I found these gorgeous yellow mushrooms growing in the forest.

Yellow mushrooms

Yellow mushrooms

Yellow mushrooms

I left them there.

Autumn mists

Autumn is a beautiful season in Bagni di Lucca. It can be a bit wet, but I love the rainy, misty days.

Bagni Di Lucca autumn

Bagni di Lucca autumn

Bagni Di Lucca autumn

Bagni di Lucca autumn

Bagni di Lucca autumn

Bagni di Lucca autumn

Bagni di Lucca autumn

Bagni di Lucca autumn

Bagni di Lucca autumn

…as long as there aren’t too many of them.

Porcini mushrooms

Now is the time for porcini mushrooms in our area. It has been very dry, not good for mushrooms, but some have been gathered in Garfagnana and have appeared at Ristorante Del Sonno in La Villa.

porcini mushrooms

Porcini mushrooms

…just perfect for a delicious mushroom risotto.

Mushroom risotto at Del Sonno

The recent rain should have more growing in the forests…we wait patiently or impatiently as the case may be.

Local news…

Don’t miss the Pinocchio festival in La Villa this weekend…it is always a lot of fun.

Pinocchio festival

Vendemmia…time to pick grapes

All over Italy grapes are ripening on the vines. My friends invited me to help pick their grapes to make wine. I happily agreed.

The setting of the vineyard is lovely and it was a gorgeous day.

Vendemmia

Vendemmia

The grapes are looking excellent…they taste good too.

Vendemmia

Vendemmia

Vendemmia

Time to pick grapes.

Vendemmia

Time for lunch…with some of last year’s wine.

Thank you for inviting me to be part of the day, it was fun and I look forward to sampling the wine when it is ready.

Vendemmia

Summer in Ponte a Serraglio

Ponte a Serraglio looks glorious in summer. I love every season, but when everything is green and lush Ponte is wonderful.

Ponte a Serraglio

Ponte a Serraglio

Ponte a Serraglio

Ponte a Serraglio

Ponte a Serraglio

Ponte a Serraglio

Ponte a Serraglio

Ponte a Serraglio

There are often fishermen on the river, I hope they catch something.

Ponte a Serraglio

By the end of the hottest season the water level in the river drops unless there is summer rain.

This year has been very hot and dry, so it will no longer be as green as when I took these photos, but still beautiful.

Swim in the Lima

Summer in Italy is hot, especially this year. The water in the Lima River is cold…the perfect place to cool off on a hot summer day.

Lima River

We found this inviting place to swim near the bridge to Casoli.

Casoli bridge

Casoli bridge

Lima River

There is a path down to the river. The water looked wonderful. Unfortunately we had no towels or swimsuits so had to content ourselves with an ankle deep paddle.

Lima River

 

I would have loved to dive into the deeper water.

Lima River

Lima River

The water is clear and running fairly quickly. The photos were taken in mid June, so it may have slowed a bit.

Lima River

We saw lots of tadpoles…they are probably frogs now.

Lima River

Happy swimming.

 

Goodbye pansies, hello geraniums

The pansies on the bridge in front of my apartment at Ponte a Serraglio this year have put on a fabulous show. We have had little rain or wind since they were planted and they have thrived.

pansies on the bridge

They were still looking great, but they won’t last through the summer and it is now time to plant the geraniums.

This year I have had help to plant the flowers on the bridge. It has been great. There are lots of pots and dragging the bags of soil, carrying the plants and digging up the old ones takes time, so having 2 helpers made a big difference. Thank you Paul and Sheila.

pansies on the bridge

 

Paul on the bridge

Sheila on the bridge

Paul also cleaned out and replanted the large pots beside Villa Fiori. (Somebody pinched one of the lavender plants almost immediately, which is a bit disappointing).

We are now thinking of buying some new hanging pots for the lampposts along the river and planting more geraniums. There is a reasonable amount of expense involved in this, so if anyone would like to contribute it would be appreciated. Please email me at debrakolkka@gmail.com if you are interested in helping out.