Ponte a Serraglio looks glorious in summer. I love every season, but when everything is green and lush Ponte is wonderful.
There are often fishermen on the river, I hope they catch something.
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.
Late spring seemed like the perfect time for another visit to Riolo.
There is a car park at the bottom of the village and it is a pleasant walk up to the pretty piazza in the centre of town.
There is a fountain where you can get a cool drink of water.
There is a fine collection of interesting doorways and colourful gardens.
Fruit, vegetables and flowers thrive in the hot weather.
There are always great views from the mountain villages.
I met a couple of four legged residents.
On my way out I saw the preparations for next winter…which seems a long way off.
The Bagni di Lucca Art Festival was launched on Saturday night. Our trusty Sheila was there to report on the evening.
Lots of people were out and about…it is great to see the road closed and full of art lovers.
Here is a roundup of some of the work on show.
The river installation is great…again. This is always a popular addition to the festival.
Thank you Sheila for showing us around the festival…it continues until 10th August.
For more on the festival go to http://www.artfestivalbagnidilucca.org
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.
We found this inviting place to swim near the bridge to Casoli.
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.
I would have loved to dive into the deeper water.
The water is clear and running fairly quickly. The photos were taken in mid June, so it may have slowed a bit.
We saw lots of tadpoles…they are probably frogs now.
Happy swimming.
In late spring Granaiola looked gorgeously green.
Grape vines were growing well.
Gardens were flourishing.
The renovator’s delight I photographed a while ago is still there.
The surrounding mountains and villages shone in the sun.
Ponte a Serraglio lies in the valley below.
In the distance you can see Pieve di Monti di Villa, Monte di Villa and Riolo.
Pieve di Monti di Villa.
Monti di Villa.
Riolo.
If you look really carefully through the trees you can see Bugnano, the abandoned village.
Biribisso is a great restaurant in Granaiola…must go back soon.
…gorgeous Graniaola.
On Sunday the eighth annual Art Competition organised by Borgo degli Artisti was held in the park beside Villa Fiori. The day was hot, so most artists set up their easels in the shade of the old trees. 
There was a space set up for the children, and Belinda, to paint a dove or create their own art. 
Lunch is always an important part of the day…always. 
The artists had to work quickly. Their work had to be completed in time for the judging. 
The winners were… Student…Serenella Randazza 1st…Emilio Cavani 2nd…Silvio Bondarda 3rd…Massimo Ricco 4th…Graziana Masetti. A big thank you to Sheila, who took all these great photos for us. 
…and thank you to Borgo degli Artisti for organising the event. They do a wonderful job on the Art Competition every year.
Click here to see the post by Francis with all the paintings and the winners’ works of art.
I went to a lovely party in Montefegatesi just before I left for Australia. Montefegatesi is one of my favourite villages, and we walked almost to the top to the house of our friend.
The house is perched on the side of a hill overlooking the gorgeous valley below.
…a pool with a view.
The sun goes down over our mountains.
Montefegatesi is a wonderful mountain village…a great place to watch the sun set.
It is almost time for the annual art competition in the park at Villa Fiori.
It is bound to be a great day on 12th July. The day kicks off at 8.00 for the participating artists and lunch will be at 12.30pm. Even if you are not an artist it is interesting to watch the artists at work.
As well, the main street in La Villa will be closed to traffic on the evening of Friday, 10th July. Ristorante del Sonno will have tables in the street for a fun evening.
There will only be a few pedestrian only evenings this summer, so make the most of it.
After a lovely evening with friends in Benabbio I was delighted to see a beautiful sunset. I walked from the top of Benabbio to the lower car park. It was quite late, 9.45pm, and I caught the last rays of sunlight disappearing below the mountains.
It is easy to see why people live in these gorgeous mountain villages. The views are incredible at any time of the day and in every season.
To help celebrate the beginning of summer there was a market in La Villa. Rosi was there with her camera to share the event with us.
A good crowd gathered to enjoy wandering through the many stalls.
There will be another market on 24th August.
On Saturday 27th June at 8.30pm there will be a procession in Pieve di Monti di Villa to celebrate their patron saint St. John the Baptist. There will be food and dancing to follow…thank you Francis from London to Longoio and Beyond for reminding us.
