Tag Archives: Italy

A treasure nearby

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I was invited to visit a beautiful palazzo in Ghivizzano, an ancient village not far from Bagni di Lucca. Palazzo Buonvisi is set into the medieval wall on the edge of the village.

Like all old buildings in the area it has an interesting past. It eventually came into the hands of the Nuti family the 16th century. They changed it from a fortified palace into a hunting lodge. In 1648 through a marriage between the Nuti and Buonvisi families the building doubled in size.

After a time it became a boarding school for girls at the behest of Monsignor Camilli who was born in Ghivizzano. He later became Bishop of Fiesole.

The ownership of the palazzo finally returned to the descendents of the Buonvisi family who have restored the beauty of the building.

After entering the portico into Ghivizzano, to the right is a tunnel on the inside of the wall.

A little further on is the entrance to the Palazzo Buonvisi.

There is a small courtyard in front of the palazzo.

The interior of the house takes the viewer back in time. Much of the furnishing and decoration is centuries old and in remarkable condition.

The bedrooms…


The bathrooms have stunning marble basins. The showers and plumbing are modern…which is a good thing.

The kitchen is fabulous, what a great place to have breakfast.

There is a tiny chapel behind doors.

There are beautiful sitting and dining rooms.

When layers of paint were scraped off some old doors the original decoration was revealed.


On the bottom floor, down stone stairs, is a spa with a sauna, jacuzzi and showers.

Across the road in front of the palazzo is a stunning walled garden with a pool, old well and a kitchen. I love the sculptures tucked into the trees.

The views from the house are gorgeous.


Stunning Palazzo Buonvisi is now available for rent…what a fabulous place to stay and experience the past glory of Italy with modern comforts!

Palazza Buonvisi…http://www.palazzobuonvisi.com

An interesting walk

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You might have seen this box beside the bridge at Ponte a Serraglio.


Or perhaps the one in the Villa Fiori park.

If you open the lid you will find a map.

The map has directions for a walk,with points of interest along the way, from Ponte a Serraglio to La Villa.

It is the initiative of the Pegaso walking group…well done!

My Ferragosto

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Ferragosto Is a public holiday for all of Italy. Emperor Augustus made the 1st August a holiday to reward agricultural workers after weeks of hard work. Centuries later the Catholic Church moved the day of festivities to the 15th August, the Assumption of Mary, to include it in the celebrations.

Just about everyone is on the move on Ferragosto, either going to or coming from holidays, heading for the beach or the mountains and gathering with friends and family. It is a good day to stay off the roads. Autostrade can turn into car parks and traffic jams are everywhere…and it is hot!

This year I was very lucky to be invited for lunch with friends in the hills behind Bagni di Lucca. The house is accessible by a road used by almost nobody, no traffic snarls for us.

You know lunch is going to be good when you can see a wood fired oven smoking.

The house is hundreds of years old and is hidden in a chestnut forest.

I love the huge flat rock dragged into the yard to be used as a table. I needs to be level before that happens.

The first delights to come from the oven were potato, herb and parmesan slices.

Home made pasta followed.


There was crunchy bread.

Roast chicken and ribs.

All the roasted vegetables came from the orto.

A vegetable tart appeared and quickly disappeared.

Next was a delicious fig and nut tart.

After lunch there was some serious resting and conversation…what a perfect way to spend Ferragosto. I feel very privileged to be included in these celebrations.

This summer has been very hot, especially in the last few weeks. The flowers on my balcony and on the bridge have been a big disappointment. The flowers are straggly and nothing I do seems to make a difference. The bees don’t seem to mind though. At least someone is happy with them.

I like to listen to podcasts and recently I was asked to be part of one. My friend Andrea Waterhouse is doing a series of podcasts about Lucca and invited me to chat with her about my thoughts on living in the area. The podcasts are called Life in Lucca with Andrea.

If you don’t have a podcast app you can listen on Andrea’s website…lifeinlucca.podbean.com

Art exhibition at Albergo La Corona

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Two local artists are holding an exhibition at the Albergo La Corona in Ponte a Seraglio. Morena Guarnaschelli and Deenagh Miller will be showing their work from 30th July until 13th August.

They will have an opening celebration on 30th July from 6.00pm.

I managed to chop off the phone number for the hotel, which is a good thing because it is incorrect. Here is the correct number. 0583 923762.

Food fair

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La Corona hotel, in conjunction with Fiorenzo Consulting, has organised a food fair to be held in the garden of Villa Fiori in Ponte a Serraglio on July 4 from midday until 8.00pm. Lots of local producers will be showing their wares. It sounds like a fun event.

Come along to try local food and wine. It is excellent to see new initiatives in Bagni di Lucca.

Support your local business

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Tuscany became a yellow zone this week which means that bars and restaurants are open for outside dining. The last year has been very tough indeed for businesses.

Yesterday, for the first time in a while I enjoyed lunch away from home and it was excellent. With a couple of friends I sat on the outdoor terrace at Circolo dei Forestieri. It was great to see the well spaced tables full and the smiling faces (under masks) of the friendly servers.


We need to support our local businesses to help them back on their feet. Let’s hope this spring and summer will see us come slowly out from under the covid disaster.

Ponte localita Molini

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This beautiful bridge is on the road to Fabbriche di Vergemoli from Bagni di Lucca. It leads to an old mill.

It was built in the 1400s and restored in 2011.

It crosses a narrow stream.

There are signs up indicating that it is now a centre for outdoor activities, but it seems to be closed now,

It is worth a short stop to cross the bridge and look around…when we can move around more freely. There are many treasures in our area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The road at Ponte della Maddalena

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I had an appointment recently in Borgo a Mozzano and had a bit of time to spare so I walked to the Ponte della Maddalena or Devil’s Bridge as it is commonly known. We can’t drive past the bridge on the usual route to Bagni di Lucca right now because of road damage in 2 places.

I walked to the top of the bridge to see the spectacle views from up there.


I could also see the huge landslide that has closed the road near the bridge completely. Work is progressing to clear it.


If you look closely at the photo below you can see a digger of some kind working on the slope. I hope it is secured in some way. There were also 2 men walking near the top of the landslide…dangerous work indeed.


It looks as though it might be a while before the road is open.

 

A new edition of Pieve di Controne

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Ann Barsi is working on a new edition of the 2012 edition of Pieve di Controne, a book by Elio Carlotti on the history of the village. The 2012 edition, which was actually the second print, sold almost all 500 copies. The book sale proceeds help the Pieve parish and  those looking for their Pieve roots.

This edition would like to include more family pages, so anyone with a story to tell is encouraged to take a page in the book. It helps to make the book more personal with individual stories of the village and interesting tales of descendants’ lives, past and present.The Family Page could be your own family story, a family tree, photos and stories of life in the village.

Here are some examples of family pages.


You can help in 3 ways, pre-order the book, buy a Family Page or donate any amount.The books will cost €25 and a Family Page is €150.

For more information please contact Ann Barsi…abarsi@verizon.net