There is a small chocolate festival in Lucca this weekend. It opened today so I dropped by to see the chocolate delights on offer. The stands are in Piazza San Frediano, in front of the magnificent church.
For those of you who like chocolate…and who doesn’t?…head to Lucca this weekend.
Yesterday was the first day of the excellent garden show on the wall of Lucca. It is on today and tomorrow.
There is a great selection of plants and other things to explore.
If you are going and intend to buy a few things, it might pay to take your own wheelbarrow. There are very few on offer and you are not permitted to take them off site to get them to your car.
Saturday 5th April…9.00am – 7.30pm
Last day Sunday 6th April…9.00am – 7.30pm
Entrance on the wall near Porta Elisa.
There will be flowers everywhere in Lucca for the annual festival to celebrate the life of Saint Zita, one of the saints of Lucca. It is on from today until the 28th April.
These are photos from past years. It is a lovely time to visit Lucca
Every year at this time Lucca celebrates the life of one of its patron saints, Saint Zita, who has her own space in San Frediano church.
The Anfiteatro is filled with flower displays and options to buy.
The piazza in fruit of San Frediano also has flower displays.
We thought it fitting to have coffee at Caffe Saint Zita.
The festival last for a couple more days, until 27th April. It is a colourful time in lovely Lucca.
Don’t forget Verdemura, the excellent garden show on the walls of Lucca. 31st March, 1st April and 2nd April. http://www.verdemura.it
Also in Lucca is the Sicilian Festival on 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th April.
At the casino in Ponte a Serraglio on 15th April.
The wonderful Verdemura is happening on the Lucca wall this weekend. It started yesterday and continues today until 7.30pm and tomorrow from 9.00am until 7.30pm.
We went yesterday to find the usual excellent selection of plants, garden accessories, hand made items and food.
Tickets are on sale at the entrance and online…verdemura.it
Tickets are €10 or €8 for over 65s or children from 8 – 14.
Online tickets are €8 + €1 booking fee.
I hope the rain doesn’t ruin the event. We haven’t had rain for months, making it difficult for nurseries to get their plants growing and now it rains on their opportunity to sell them.
We found everything we were looking for…and much more.
Autumn is a great time to walk on the stunning wall that surrounds Lucca. The trees are losing their leaves quickly now. Soon the trees will be bare. Come for a walk…
This lovely old tree just outside the wall looks as though it is set for removal. It has been fenced off perhaps because there is a danger of falling branches.
I love walking through the tunnels and up the stairs onto the wall.
I was lucky to be there on a glorious autumn day.
Walking on the Lucca wall is wonderful in any season. Best of all Lucca is just 30 minutes from Bagni di Lucca.
We were invited by Federica and Alessandro from Amazing Lucca to join an afternoon walk through the tiny village of Gattaiola, just outside Lucca. We set off with a lovely couple from Moscow on a little adventure.
We began our walk at the ancient church at Gattaiola.
We followed a pretty path to one of the villas dating from the 16th century that are scattered along the winding paths. There were once 300 villas around Lucca. About 100 remain in various states of repair.
The first one we came to was well maintained with a lovely garden.
We walked past vineyards and old farmhouses.
The next villa was spectacular, Villa Rossi. It is privately owned but the first couple of floors are sometimes open to visitors. http://www.villarossilucca.it
This gentleman had connections to Napoleon III and was an artist and sculptor.
The rooms are stunning…
…especially the ballroom and nearby rooms and bedrooms.
…and the lovely terrace, now enclosed.
The current owner is an author and her father was a partisan in WWII and was involved in politics after the war. Federica had lots of interesting information about the family.
We left via the garden, vacation apartments and the old front entrance.
A pretty road led back to the church.
There are many abandoned buildings, reminders of a busier time.
We got a fine view of Lucca.
It was a surprise to find an open area surrounded by a rocky cliff after a walk through the forest.
The rest of the party walked along the path to the top where they tried some olive oil…you can just see the olive trees growing at the top. Not being a fan of uphill walking I waited at the church.
Our final stop was a charming family owned vineyard and winery, Fratelli Urbani, begun in 1896 by Massimo Urbani. He was one of the first to bottle wine in the Lucca Province. http://www.fratelliurbani.com
We learned about the types of grapes and some of the family history from the delightful Francesca.
The vineyard is beautifully kept and there are gorgeous views of the countryside.
We went into the tiny cellar to learn more about the winemaking and the vineyard history.
Aperitivo with 2 types of wine and delicious antipasti followed.
A cold wind blew in and signalled the end of the visit.
Thank you Federica and Alessandro for inviting us to be part of your tour. I have lived near Lucca for almost 16 years and had no idea this lovely area was so close to the town. It is wonderful to discover hidden secrets.
Take a look at Amazing Lucca…Click the link…http://www.amazing-Lucca.com
Federica…(39) 338 7901829
Alessandro…(39) 3402 798654
As well as gentle, informative tours like this one, they can take you on an adventure tour in the nearby mountains.
The name Gattaiola is a bit odd. It translates in English as “cat door, or cat flap” but there is another explanation. It seems to have come from “grata aiola” which means fertile, prosperous soil. That makes much more sense.
We are enjoying some welcome rain today in Bagni di Lucca. It should help the local fire situation.
As much as we need the rain, a fine weekend would be welcome. The annual walk from Fornoli will happen this Sunday, 7th April.
You can begin in Fornoli and walk for 2 kilometres or more. The longest walk is 20 kilometres. Just roll up and register from 7.30am.
It is a lot of fun and there are refreshments provided along the way.
The wonderful garden event, Verdemura, is on again this week in Lucca. It begins on Friday at midday and continues Saturday and Sunday. It is held on the stunning wall of Lucca near the Santa Anna entrance.
I’m sure both events will be popular and well attended.
The impressive San Martino cathedral in Lucca has had its facade cleaned recently. On my last visit it was covered in scaffolding. I was happy to see it uncovered and looking wonderful.
The church was begun around 1070 and has had many additions over the centuries. The facade was started in 1204. There are 3 magnificent arches with open galleries above adorned with sculptures.
There is a legend to explain why the columns on the facade are different. When the residents of Lucca wanted to decorate the facade they began a competition and invited artists to create a column. Many artists created columns and the residents decided not to select a winner but used all the columns and didn’t pay the artists.
The labrynth embedded in the right pier of the portico is believed to date from the 12th or 13th century.
The original of the sculpture of San Martino, who was a knight on horseback, dates from 1233 and is inside the cathedral. The one on the facade is a copy.
I’ll take you inside in another post.
Bella Bagni di Lucca 