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.
