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

Pinocchio fun in Bagni di Lucca

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

La Villa came alive over the weekend with people gathering to have fun at the Pinocchio festival. Carlo Collodi, Pinocchio’s creator took his name from Collodi, the birthplace of his mother. The village is not far from Bagni di Lucca and the character is very popular in the area.

Morena sent me some photos of the celebrations.

Morena and Mariangela did a great job with the children, helping them with their beautiful paintings.

I was lucky to be in the village last year for the celebrations. Click here to see the fun.

Thank you Morena for sharing the weekend with us.

Bagni di Lucca Arts Festival comes to an end

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

The first Bagni di Lucca Arts Festival is drawing to a close. It has been a very successful event and is a credit to the organisers.

I haven’t been around Ponte a Serraglio for the festival, but I have been able to keep up with the activities through the efforts of friends who have sent photos.

For an excellent roundup of the festival please go to Michael and Shona’s Blog. They have been involved from the beginning to the almost end and can fill you in on some of the details.

Click on livingtuscany.wordpress.com

I’m sure plans are already underway for next year.

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.

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.

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

River art

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Our lovely friend Agostino sent these great photos of the latest art installation at Ponte a Serraglio. He lives above the village and has a bird’s eye view.

Here is a closer perspective.

…and from the other side of the bridge.

It looks like giant meccano floating on the river. I have no idea how it was done. Had I been at Ponte a Serraglio while it was happening I would have been able to tell, it is right under our balcony.

Thank you Agostino for the great photos!

Sculpture in the park

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

There are five sculptors working in the hot sun in the Villa Fiori gardens to create beautiful art pieces from Carrara marble…all part of the Bagni di Lucca Art Festival.

Our roving reporter Kerry braved the heat to see the action and share it with us.

Michael Cartwright is an Australian artist who lives and works in Bagni di Lucca.

His marble is taking the abstract shape of a bird.

Canadian artist Doug Robinson is working on a water and bird theme.

Sarah Danays is a UK artist who has a house in one of Bagni di Lucca’s hilltop villages. Her sculpture is taking the form of a bust to display a beautiful neckpiece.

Japanese artist Ryoichi Suzuki beautiful free form shape is developing daily.

Petra Boshart from the Netherlands is working on 2 pieces representing the flowing water of the nearby Lima River.

If you are at Ponte a Serraglio stop by the park and watch the developing sculpture. There will be a display of the finished sculptures at Ponte a Serraglio on Friday 26th July.

Go to www.artfestivalbagnidilucca.org for more on the sculpture symposium.

Two exhibitions at Circolo dei Forestieri

Posted on July 21, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Circolo dei Forestieri in La Villa is currently hosting 2 art exhibitions.

The first is a display of Mailart. Beautifully decorated envelopes have been sent to Bagni di Lucca from far and wide and are now on show.

The second is an exhibition is called Sacred and Profane…a selection of plaster statues produced by Arte Barsanti, a local factory which has been in operation since 1900. Bagni di Lucca is well known for its production of plaster presepi, nativity scenes. Here is a chance to see some beautiful pieces. Click here to see more about Arte Barsanti.