Our lovely friend Agostino took us for a drive to Cune, a gorgeous village above Borgo a Mozzano, just a few kilometres from Bagni di Lucca.

We drove through olive trees and grapevines and then through wonderful chestnut forests on our way past Cune and up the hill to the Chiesa and Romitorio di San Bartolomeo. It was a misty, rainy day, which made the drive even more beautiful.

We parked the car beside the road and walked a small distance to the collection of ancient buildings.

The stone buildings are well preserved and the area is well tended. The church was begun in the 12th century and completed in the 12th or 13th century with the addition of an apse.

This doorway is tiny.

There is an old oven in one of the buildings.

…and some interesting old stones.

Mushrooms are growing well near the buildings. The first one was enormous and seemed to be growing from the side of a building. The others were a normal size.

Further up the mountain are the remains of an old signal tower, called “The eye of Lucca”. It was an early warning system for the area. On a fine day we will investigate.

On the way home we had an excellent view of the Ponte Maddalena from above.

There is a never ending supply of fascinating things to discover in the Bagni di Lucca area.

Thank you Agostino for a great day.