The second Bagni di Lucca Art Festival is well underway in Ponte a Serraglio and La Villa. I would love to be there to see it, but I am in Australia for a while. Luckily for us Francis is there to report on the fun.
Go to From London to Longoio to see the latest from the festival.
Crasciana is 799 metres above sea level and is about 12 kilometres from La Villa. The winding road to the village takes you through lovely forests. The chestnut forests close to Crasciana are particularly beautiful.
The name Crasciana comes from the Roman colonist Carsius. The town has a long history, beginning around 800 AD. At one time it had a large population and was important strategically in the years of fighting in the area.
It is delightfully sleepy now, a peaceful and beautiful place to visit. We drove up in late spring and the road was lined with wildflowers.
There are some fine old houses and decorations, narrow streets, and a collection of green doors.
A lovely little piazza in the centre of town makes a great place to gather for a chat.
The gardens are well cared for…there are flowers and vegetables growing all over the village.
As with all of the mountain villages, the views are spectacular, even on a hazy day.
We really enjoyed our walk through Crasciana and spoke to a few of the lucky locals who call it home. One resident pointed out that there is a Crasciana Alta…a good reason for another visit.
To reach Crasciana, take the turn off from the SS12 towards Casabasciana and follow the signs to Crasciana.
The first public casino in Europe was built in Ponte a Serraglio in 1837. Here is an old postcard of the casino.
The building looks much the same now, but the hotel next door is now a private house.
It is no longer an operating casino and is only open for special events. If you get the chance, go inside to see the beautifully renovated interior.
The annual art competition will take place this Sunday 13th July in the grounds of the Villa Fiori at Ponte a Serraglio.
The day will begin at 8.00am. Lunch will be at 12.30 with delicious produce from the area. There will be games and painting for children and the competition will be judged at 6.00pm.
It is always a great day. Here are some photos from past years.
Don’t miss Colori e Saperi..head off to Villa Fiori to watch the artists at work and have some summer fun in Ponte a Serraglio.
The Motogiro Italia (vintage motorbike race) came through Bagni di Lucca on Friday. The original Motogiro began in 1914, with 56 riders, only 18 of whom finished the race. It has changed many times over the years and there have been lots of years when the race didn’t go ahead for several reasons.
It is now distance rally, with time trials over several days and competitors are escorted by Polizia over the 1,000 miles (1,637 kilometres)
There were several Australians in the race, including a couple of regular visitors to Ponte a Serraglio, so lots of Australian flags were raised in their honour.
It was great fun to see the old bikes come through Ponte a Serraglio.
…and even more fun to see our friends arrive…and depart.
The race ended a bit later in the day at Montecatini Terme. I’m sure the riders would have been very happy to get off their bikes for the last time.
La Torre features in the background of many of my photos of Bagni di Lucca. It looks wonderful perched on a hill overlooking Ponte a Serraglio.
La Torre is an agriturismo. It has rooms and apartments where you can stay and a lovely restaurant for everyone.
We had a great time on a warm summer evening at one of the outdoor tables. There is also a cosy place for cold winter nights.
The food was excellent and the service is very friendly.
La Torre is above Fornoli.
Email…info@latorreagriturismo.com
Telephone…0583 805297
Meet one of the delightful owners.
Sunday morning saw a colourful collection of archers in the lovely grounds of Villa Ada in La Villa. The annual crossbow competition took place under the trees. The possibility of showers kept a few people away, but the competitors carried on regardless.
Once the first round of competition was finished the cannon sounded and everyone was off to lunch.
Later in the afternoon the fun began again in the grounds of Villa Web.
It is worth taking a walk around the area even when it is not full of wonderfully dressed characters.
From Via Evangelina Whipple go through the gates leading to the swimming pool. The road is shaded by beautiful old trees.
There are some stone steps beside the road that need exploring…next time.
Summer is almost with us and soon the Bagni di Lucca Art Festival will begin. Saturday evening saw an exhibition at La Rondine Gallery…just a taste of things to come.
It’s great to see people come out and join in the fun.
Take a look at Bagni di Lucca Art Festival for the programme.
If you are only staying a few days in one of the villages of Bagni di Lucca it is possible to manage with public transport, but if you want to do a bit of sightseeing in the area, and I highly recommend this, you might like to hire a car.
There is a small garage in Fornoli that has a couple of cars and a 9 seater for hire. Go to Carrozzeria Tognelli Umberto, in Via Papa Giovanni XXIII.
Telephone… 0583 86234
Email…tognellicar@live.it
Orrido di Botri is a rocky gorge with steep walls, dug by the cold waters of the Rio Pelago torrent in the Apennines. Some of the walls are as high as 200 metres and it is one of the few natural canyons in Italy. It is open to walkers in summer. You need to be accompanied by a guide and to wear protective clothing and a helmet as the walk is a bit dangerous in parts.
I haven’t been, but I have been to the restaurant at the entrance to the Orrido di Botri. We were there on a cool, slightly damp spring evening and the area is lovely. I can imagine that it would be even better on a hot summer day.
There are outdoor tables near the little rocky stream that runs beside the restaurant.
Because it was a cool evening we sat inside.
The food was delicious and very reasonably priced.
The restaurant is very close to the entrance to Orrido di Botri, which clearly needs a visit.
There are also picnic grounds nearby and if you are really lucky you might see the local goats coming down from their foraging areas in the mountains.
…or cheese being made in the little farmhouse beside the entrance.
Whenever you go I’m sure you will enjoy it. The restaurant has wood fired ovens for pizza…a good reason to return on a sunny day.
The only way into the area right now is via Montefegatesi as the road on the other side of the valley is being repaired, hopefully before summer.
Il Nido dell’Aquila, Localita Ponte a Gaio, 11
http://www.ilnidodell-aquila.com
Telephone…0583 800022
Email…info@ilnidodell-aquila.com
Bella Bagni di Lucca 