I wasn’t able to attend the recent festival in Montefegatesi, but friend Matteo Offe was there and took some great photos of what looked like a fun day. Montefegatesi has a great community spirit and it is excellent to see people come together and enjoy themselves.
Thank you Matteo for sharing a great day with us.
There are some interesting things coming up in Bagni di Lucca over the next couple of weeks.
A concert at the Casino to raise money for Auser, which helps a lot of people in the community.
Plant an olive tree.
The final street market for the year.
Florence is an easy day trip from Bagni di Lucca. There are several ways to get there. The train is convenient. It can be boarded in Fornoli. The trip takes about 25 minutes to get to Lucca, where you change trains for Florence. The more direct train takes about 1 hour 20 minutes, add 25 minutes for the train that makes more stops along the way.
You could also drive to Lucca, park beside the station and take the train. This offers more flexibility for the return journey as the return connections are not great.
I used to recommend the bus from Lucca, but it no longer goes right into the centre. The bus stops beside a tram stop which is one stop from the centre, making it slightly less convenient.
Clever Mark Hickman has found another way. There is a car park just outside the centre with a tram connection into the city. Touch the photo below for details.
PARCHEGGIO VILLA COSTANZA
Thank you Mark, I look forward to trying it.
Montefegatesi will hold its chestnut festival on Sunday 16th October. There will be lots of chestnut delights and a market.
The fun will begin at 14.00 and last until late evening.
A small farmers’ market has begun Monday mornings in La Villa, in the square behind the Teatro Accademico, near the walking bridge.
Local producers from the area are on hand to sell their products. We get to meet and talk to people who grow our food.
The market will also be held in Piazza degli Alpini in Cafaggio, Fornoli, on Thursday morning.
This is a great initiative. It is excellent to support local food producers. I bought something from each stand and I am delighted with my purchases. Let’s hope it is a great success.
It is great to see festivals reappearing after the 2 years of Covid restrictions that prevented them from happening.
I particularly like the autumn festivals, chestnut, pumpkin and, a new one for me, a polenta festival.
I attended the Festa di Polenta in Gallicano on the weekend. A good crowd gathered in the town square, which was closed to traffic, to sample delicious polenta, bacala, necci, rosticiana and other delights.
There was entertainment and the fun of watching children have a great time.
One of my favourite local festivals is the chestnut festival in Cascio, which I believe is on next weekend. I have been twice and I suggest getting there early to get a park nearby. It attracts a large crowd.
I recently given a wonderful book to read by the author, Dawn Cumming, who lives in Granaiola. Dawn is an art historian specialising in Italian Renaissance Art. She divides her time between Bagni di Lucca and the UK. She has a passion for Tuscany, particularly its art and culture.
Her book is called In Search of Annalena. A Life of Tragedy and Triumph in Renaissance Florence, published in October 2020. It follows the life of Annalena, born in the time of the Medici. Her story is set in Florence where she marries, becomes a young widow and establishes a convent. Part of the building still exists.
I loved the book! I felt that I was with Annalena in Florence, walking the streets she walked, seeing the buildings she saw and getting a feeling of life in Renaissance Florence.
In Search of Annalena is exquisitely researched. Dawn’s love of Florence is clear. I look forward to my next trip to Florence so that I can visit Casa di Annalena and find the other places that were important in her life. She was a remarkable woman with a fascinating life.
The book is available through http://troubadour.co.uk, http://Amazon.co.uk
For further information about the author http://www.tuscanyathome.co.uk
On Friday night 29th July in the garden of the Comune building in La Villa there will be a concert under the stars.
The regular second hand market will be held on Sunday 31st July.
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Ponte a Serraglio will be the star of Sunday’s guided walk. If you can’t make it today remember the date of the next one.
I am home in Australia for a while. Fortunately, fellow Australian, Liz Litzow was on hand for the opening night of the new enoteca and took some photos to share.
