A shoe shop in Castelnuovo

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Castelnuovo is the main town of the Garfagnana and an easy drive from Bagni di Lucca.
There is a wonderful old castle there…it was new once…I guess that is why the town is called Newcastle.

Not far from the castle in Via Nicola Fabrizi is a great shoe shop called Roberta.

The owner has tracked down some great shoes and has an excellent size range. She has shoes for all kinds of feet.

Here she is (in the blue shirt) with some happy customers.

We were there on a Sunday and the shop was packed. The owner did a great job handling the crowds scrambling to buy shoes.

We were all happy with our purchases.

I’m sure you won’t come away empty handed if you visit Roberta.

http://www.robertacalzature.com
info@robertacalzature.com

Season of mists

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Autumn is a beautiful time to be in Bagni di Lucca. I am happy to be back for a few months. I woke to rain and mist this morning…how lovely!

A problem with chestnuts

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Chestnuts have been an important part of the lives of the people of Italy for centuries. In times of famine they saved people from starvation. The trees provide wood for building, furniture and to burn for fuel.

There are approximately 850,000 hectares of chestnut forests in Italy, and around 39,500 hectares in the Lucca province alone.

So it is alarming that there is a disease attacking chestnut trees. Chestnut blight, or Endothia parasitica first appeared in 1938, but it the last few years the problem seems to be growing.

The disease appears a a lump at the base of the leaves.

The leaves die and the tree is then unable to produce chestnuts.

Let’s hope scientists can come up with a cure for this destructive disease. Apart from anything else, chestnut trees are beautiful. It is a delight to drive through chestnut forests in the mountains around Bagni di Lucca.

Bagni di Lucca Arts Festival comes to an end

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

The first Bagni di Lucca Arts Festival is drawing to a close. It has been a very successful event and is a credit to the organisers.

I haven’t been around Ponte a Serraglio for the festival, but I have been able to keep up with the activities through the efforts of friends who have sent photos.

For an excellent roundup of the festival please go to Michael and Shona’s Blog. They have been involved from the beginning to the almost end and can fill you in on some of the details.

Click on livingtuscany.wordpress.com

I’m sure plans are already underway for next year.

Il Biribisso in Granaiola

Posted on September 7, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Il Biribisso in Granaiola has an outdoor barbecue in summer…an excellent reason to go there. There is a lovely outdoor terrace, the perfect place to sit on a warm summer night.

The outdoor barbecue was not operating the night we were there, but we enjoyed our mixed grill just the same.

They also serve great pasta.

Fried seafood.

Our desserts were delicious.

The restaurant is great in all seasons, so even though summer is almost over Biribisso is an excellent place to eat.

I can’t resist the views of Ponte a Serraglio and other Bagni di Lucca villages from Granaiola.

As we were leaving the restaurant the moon peeped out from behind a cloud for us.

Il Biribisso, Piazza Nicola Dorati (opposite the car park)
0583 831081

Guest post by Kerry

Posted on September 1, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Kerry and Jim are from Western Australia. They decided to spend 6 months in Italy and chose Bagni di Lucca as their base. 3 months into their stay Kerry has generously written a post for Bella Bagni di Lucca to tell of their experiences in this gorgeous part of Italy.

Our 6 months in Bagni di Lucca…by Kerry.

We hit the jackpot when we chose the area of Bagni di Lucca to spend our six months “living the dream” retirement holiday. We arrived on 1st June and are staying until 30th November. I know it seems a long time but there is so much to do and see in the area that time is getting away from us.

Our apartment at Villa Isabella in Ponte a Serraglio is wonderful and the perfect place to base ourselves to not only relax and try to become a little bit “Italian” but also a great location to explore Tuscany from.

The village is built along either side of the Lima River, making it a very tranquil place to spend time in.

It is in easy walking distance to La Villa, the main village of Bagni di Lucca,making it accessible to additional shops, cafes, bars and restaurants, although we have some very good choices here in the village.

We chose to come to Ponte a Serraglio after some lengthy communications with Debra, who I must say has been very generous with her assistance, time and knowledge of the Italian system for those wanting to stay for more than 3 months. Getting our Permesso di Soggiorno would have been very difficult without Debra.

About 25 villages make up the region of Bagni di Lucca. We have visited many of them now and each seems to have its own delightful character.

We have done many day trips, including to the Garfagnana, Chianti and the coastal villages of Forte dei Marmi and Sestri Levante and there is still so much to do and see.

There are many beautfiful cities to visit when you are here, the closest being the historic walled city of Lucca. It is only 25 kilometres away and is such a lovely city to spend time in. At every turn there is something to discover…beautiful cathedrals, nightly concerts of Puccini’s music (Lucca is his birth place), great shops, very nice food and, of course, gelaterias at every corner.

Florence and Pisa are both must sees by travellers visiting the area and are just over an hour away.

If you have a “bucket list” of places to visit in Italy we would definitely recommend adding Bagni di Lucca to it.

Follow our travels at Jim and Kerry Travel Diaries.

Thank you Kerry for sharing your Bagni di Lucca with us. Perhaps at the end of your stay you will write another post for Bella Bagni di Lucca.

Out for a walk

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

We spotted this lovely little group out for a walk beside the road near San Cassiano on a sunny day.

Under the Linden trees

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

In summer the beautiful Linden trees form tunnels on the roads into Bagni di Lucca. Linden trees are called Tiglio in Italy and as well as providing welcome shade in summer the perfume from the tiny yellow flowers fills the air with the delightful smell of summer.

Bees love the flowers and delicious Tiglio honey can be found in local shops.

Be careful not to park you car under one of the trees. A sticky sap falls from them and is quite difficult to remove…admire them from a distance.

Gorgeous Granaiola

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

On one of our rare sunny spring days I visited Granaiola to walk through the village and enjoy the spectacular views of Ponte a Serraglio and several other villages that make up Bagni di Lucca from the high vantage point.

Granaiola is a short drive from Ponte a Serraglio. The car park is at the top of the village…come for a walk with me through the narrow streets.

There is a fine selection of green doors.

I found a couple of renovators’ delights for you.

There is always a cat or two.

I ran into the delightful Stefano who lives alone in Granaiola since his beloved wife died three years ago. The photo I took didn’t turn out well, but here is one I took a couple of years ago at a celebration in Bagni di Lucca when he was wearing his spectacular Bersaglieri hat.

His companion is the lovely Stellina. I’m sure Stellina is a very pampered cat.

…now the views from Granaiola. You can see Lugliano on a mountain top nearby.

…and Colle below.

There are wonderful views of Ponte a Serraglio on either side of the Lima River.

Pieve di Monti di Villa and Monti di Villa are higher up.

Riolo is the village on the lower right.

The blue sky was amazing!

The Lazzi bus going to Monti di Villa will take you to Granaiola. They leave La Villa a couple of times a day. If you are reasonably fit you can walk to Granaiola from Ponte a Serraglio. It is much easier coming down.

Click here to see the previous post on Granaiola.

Fast Cars

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Following the Rally under the stars on 10th August the wonderful cars and things related to the rally were on display in La Villa, giving people a chance to see them up close.