I love these old photos of the villages of Bagni di Lucca. Sometimes there are big changes, and sometimes not. Here is an old photo of the centre of Riolo.
The road in front of the house in the foreground has been widened to allow cars to get through.
The house now has a pergola in front covered in grape vines.
The path leading up from the piazza looks much the same.
The villages of Bagni di Lucca are all interesting, with their own character.
It is always sad news when there are closures in the villages of Bagni di Lucca. The wonderful bar in Montefegatesi closed recently but the residents didn’t take long to fix the situation.
A bar is an important part of these small villages. It is not just a place to have coffee or an aperitivo, it is a place to meet friends, exchange news, have some fun and be part of a community. It is certainly where I met people who became friends and got to know about Bagni di Lucca life when I first came to the area 15 years ago.
The local Circolo in Montefegatesi has been renovated and now houses a brand new bar, which opened recently.
Top marks to the people of Montefegatesi for taking matters into their own hands and congratulations on the excellent new bar.
Thank you Lizzy Ashard for providing the photos of the new bar.
The annual art competition organised by Borgo degli Artisti will take place in Villa Fiori park on 8th July.
Artists need to be at Villa Fiori at 8.00am ready to start painting. Work must be finished by 4.00pm and the judging will be at 5.30pm.
Lunch will be held in the park at 12.30pm at a cost of €15. You will need to book for this.
There will be art lessons for children.
This is a fun day for everyone and there are generous prizes for winning artists.
For more information call Morena…320 1107330
The geraniums on the bridge at Ponte a Serraglio are thriving this year.
I planted them last month and have been taking care of them. There has been some rain, which makes things easier.
I leave for Australia soon and won’t be back until autumn. Annalisa from Bar Italia has kindly offered to let us use her tap beside the bar to water the flowers on the bridge.
I will leave a watering can at the bar. It would be great if anyone interested in keeping the bridge looking good could help out with watering.
Thank you in advance.
I walked across the passerella in Ponte a Serraglio bright and early on Saturday morning to the Villa Fiori Park.
The park had been set up to resemble a military camp. Tents, supplies were already there and some vehicles, with more to come.
These are well kept vehicles.
The soldiers looked pretty good too.
I think being involved in a war would be wretched. I would like to think that occasionally in the misery, soldiers might have actually enjoyed a lovely spring day away from battle grounds in a green space like this. It is possible that they did, Bagni di Lucca was heavily involved in the fighting. There is still evidence of the Gothic Line, the most northerly of the defence lines built by the Germans, in the area.
This excellent display was organised by the Ass.ne Linea Gotica della Lucchesia.
This weekend there will be an event at Villa Fiori park in Ponte a Serraglio…memories of the war, by the Linea Gottica Association. A documentary about the Lucca area in WWII will be shown at the casino at 6.00pm on Saturday.
I don’t have a lot of information other than the poster, but it should be interesting.
The children’s playground has been renovated thanks to a generous sponsor.
I’m sure resident and visiting children will be very happy with the improvements. The playground is quite small, but it is set in the lovely park in La Villa and is very popular.
I was recently asked if it is possible to rent a bike in Bagni di Lucca and I can happily report that a smart young man has begun a business to do just this. It is possible to rent an E-bike and join guided E-bike tours. Drop in and talk to Diego.
E-bike Adventure organises MTB and Pedal Assisted bike tours in our gorgeous mountains. Enjoy breathtaking views from our mountain villages and river valleys.
E-Bike Adventure Tours… Viale Umberto I, Bagni di Lucca Villa
info@ebikeadventuretour.it
Tuscany Arts and Healing is organising a yoga retreat day on 26th May. Joann Connington will conduct the retreat at the very beautiful I Romiti del Torrente in Fabbriche di Vallico. It is a former Augustinian monastery high above the River Torrite.
The class will be taught in English and is suitable for all levels of ability. A delicious vegetarian lunch will be served on the terrace (weather permitting)
The cost for the day is €75 which includes yoga instruction, all yoga props, vegetarian lunch and resfreshments.
For more details please email tuscanyartsandhealing@gmail.com
Or look at the website http://www.tuscanyartsandhealing.com
Spring has been odd this year, but finally everything is turning green. Frassino, or flowering ash trees don’t flower every year, but this year they are spectacular.
It is possible to see the beautiful white flowers dotted all over the hillsides around Bagni di Lucca.
It has been interesting to watch the developing leaves and flowers.
Spring is a delightful time to be in Tuscany.
