I am now back home in Brisbane for a while. I was unable to attend the crossbow event on Sunday in Bagni di Lucca, but our friend Sheila was there and took some great photos for us.
The competion was held in the Contessa Casalini Park this year and the balestrieri dressed up in their best for a great day of crossbow. Here is some of the fun.
Francis from London to Longoio and Beyond has more on the day.
I love the archery completion held each year in Bagni di Lucca. The competitors dress in medieval costume and fire up their crossbows for a day of competition and fun. It is great to watch.
This year it will be held in Contessa Casalini Park in La Villa, Bagni di Lucca, instead of Villa Ada. I really liked it in the gorgeous grounds of Villa Ada, but it will be more accessible in the park in the centre of town.
Here are some photos from previous years.
I am sorry I won’t be here this year to see it, but you should all make sure you are there.
Talented local artist Morena Guarnaschelli will be exhibiting her latest work at Gabrielli Center at Ponte a Serraglio in conjunction with Andrea’s La Via Interiore and Borgo degli Artisti.
Morena will exhibit 9 water colours inspired by her trip to the Holy Land 2 years ago. The title INSIEME has a double meaning…through art we can see Hebrew and Muslim side by side.
Morena is also offering a Zentangle Course…doodling while meditating…on Friday, 5.30pm and Saturday 3.00pm. Call her on 320 1107330 if you would like to take part.
The second event is the annual dinner of Borgo degli Artisti. Everyone is welcome and they will present the 2015 calendar of events.
I am sure both events wil be well attended…have fun.
The annual chestnut festival is to be held at Ponte a Serraglio in the park beside Villa Fiori on Sunday 19th October.
Here are some photos from past events. There will be chestnuts roasting, necci to eat, activities for the children and things to buy.
If the weather is bad it will be held the following Sunday.
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.
Spring has returned, bringing warm, sunny weather. The temperature reached 20 degrees today…a perfect day to wander through the flea market in La Villa.
There were more than 50 stalls, not bad for the first time. Stalls were set up in front of Circolo dei Forestieri and along the main street.
There were some lovely old toys for sale. Little boys must have once treasured the cars and lots of dolls were left behind when little girls grew up.
Anyone for a plate of piglets?
I liked this fellow with the wobbly head.
A pair of Barbies enjoyed the sun.
There were lots of bits and pieces.
I hope this little puppet theatre found a home.
Perhaps someone will want old photos.
I’m sure I once had a book like this, where you collected stickers to put in the correct place.
I managed to find a pair of gold angels to take home with me.
It was a great first flea market. The next one will be at the end of June.
Omaggio alla Donna is in full swing at the casino at Ponte a Serraglio. I called in this evening to take a look at the paintings, sculpture and photography celebrating women.
It was great to see the exhibition well attended. The casino is a beautiful building and it is wonderful to see it being put to good use.
In the main room of the casino the painting and sculpture are displayed.
In the smaller room in the centre is the photography.
Gemma and her team have done a great job again this year with the exhibition in the second large room. They have put together a collection of things related to kitchens, cooking and table settings from times past.
There is still time to see the exhibition. It will be open tomorrow night, Friday 14th March, from 5.00pm until 8.00pm. On Saturday evening there will be music provided by the Emma Morton Tiro and a buffet will follow.
The event finishes on Sunday evening from 4.00pm until 8.00pm.
International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8th March. The focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women’s economic, political and social achievements.
For the second year Bagni di Lucca will hold its Omaggio alla Donna at the Casino Municipale in Ponte a Serraglio.
There will be exhibitions of painting, sculpture, photography and a display of things related to cooking and recipes from the past until today.
The opening event will be on 8th March at 6.00pm. There will be music and refreshments. A small donation of €5 is suggested.
The exhibition will be open from Saturday 8th until 16th March. On Saturdays and Sundays it will be open from 4.00pm until 8.00pm and Monday to Friday from 5.00pm until 8.00pm.
The exhibition will close on Sunday 16th March. On Saturday evening 15th March, there will be music by the Emma Morton Trio followed by a buffet.
I hope everybody will attend at least once.
We recently attended the chestnut festival in Castelnuovo. It was a beautiful day and we were the first on the bus to take us from the town to the fortified area above the town where chestnuts were being roasted and crowds were beginning to gather.
We were eager to try the roasted chestnuts and the fritelle made from both regular flour and chestnut flour. A little bonus was the warm spiced wine that came with them.
Inside the main building was a display of local mushrooms, separated into edible, edible, but they taste awful and dangerous…don’t ever eat!
Here are some of the edible ones.
These may not hurt you, but they won’t be delicious.
Don’t pick and eat anything from the next group.
It was a great display. I would never be brave enough to gather mushrooms myself. I would only go with an expert, but it was really interesting to see the collection which had been put together with much care.
There was a sculpture display as well. This one left me feeling a bit twisted.
Don’t miss these local festivals. Each one is different and lot of fun.
La Villa came alive over the weekend with people gathering to have fun at the Pinocchio festival. Carlo Collodi, Pinocchio’s creator took his name from Collodi, the birthplace of his mother. The village is not far from Bagni di Lucca and the character is very popular in the area.
Morena sent me some photos of the celebrations.
Morena and Mariangela did a great job with the children, helping them with their beautiful paintings.
I was lucky to be in the village last year for the celebrations. Click here to see the fun.
Thank you Morena for sharing the weekend with us.
Bella Bagni di Lucca 