Pomegranates

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Baby pomegranates were growing when I first arrived in Italy in September and now they are ready to eat…..another reason to love autumn.

Pomegranates are rich in vitamin C, vitamin B5, potassium and fibre (if you eat the seeds) and are the latest so called, super food.

You could drink the juice, or use the seeds in salads, knowing that it is doing you good, or you could do these things just because pomegranates are delicious.

LOCAL NEWS

There is to be a live nativity in Monti di Villa at 3.00pm on December 9. It will commence at the church in Monti di Villa and move through the streets of the village. It will be followed with food and drinks…….I wish I was going.

There is to be a bus taking people from La Villa. Please check for details at the information centre in La Villa.

Lunch at Ristorante Silvio La Storia a Tavola

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Ristorante Silvio La Storia a Tavola came highly recommended, so on lovely autumn Sunday we headed out of Bagni di Lucca on the Brennero road. The tiny hamlet of Pianosinatico is not far past Cutigliano, on the way to Abetone.

When you see this memorial to fallen soldiers, you know you have arrived in Pianosinatico.

It was a hazy autumn afternoon, but you can see some of the colour in the mountains.

The entrance to the restaurant doesn’t give much of an idea of the delights to be found inside.

We thought it was just a bar, but we went inside and asked for a table for 4 and we were directed through to the restaurant.

We left ourselves in the hands of the very helpful waiter and were delighted with the dishes that arrived……and kept on coming. We began with antipasto.

The next one doesn’t look much and the photo is a but fuzzy, but the potato with a truffle sauce was heavenly.

Best of all were the fresh, raw porcini mushrooms. We were instructed to squeeze lemon on them, followed by a little black pepper……perfect.

Next came porcini mushroom soup.

Then rice with capsicum and a light and delicious pecorino sauce.

Crepes with ragu.

Gnocchi with truffle sauce.

We were fairly full by now, so much so that I forgot to photograph the next dish…..pasta with eggplant and 2 types of onion….ooops.

Despite being stuffed we managed dessert…..pannacotta with fruit.

And tiramisu.

Take a drive through the gorgeous mountains around Bagni di Lucca and stop for lunch at Silvio la Storia a Tavola….you won’t be disappointed.

www.ristorantesilvioabetone.com

Weekly photo challenge…..green

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

I don’t usually take part in the WordPress weekly photo challenge, but I couldn’t pass this one up as green is my favourite colour and I have this lovely collection of green doors that I have found all over Bagni di Lucca.

I love the wonderful old doorways in the villages of Bagni di Lucca……especially the green ones.

I think I will have to paint my door green.

Casoli

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

To get to Casoli it is necessary to cross a tiny, narrow bridge. Turn right if driving from Bagni di Lucca, from the Brennero at the Casoli sign and take this cute bridge.

Houses were built around a castle at top of a hill and became the village of Casoli. Some remnants of the castle still stand.

At the beginning of the town is a monument to poet Francesco Puccini, who was also known as Geremia. He was born in Casoli in 1686.

The nearby Oratorio della Madonna all Fontana is well preserved.

The washing area beside the church is lovely.

Beside the washing area is one of the old mule tracks which entered the village.

There is a particularly interesting portal at the top of the track, dating from 1496.

Come for a walk through the village, starting at the church.

The village has quite a good looking bar near the car park.

Take a last look up at the village.

Then it is back down the narrow, winding road to the bridge.

Look out for the renovator’s delight opposite the bridge.

Meet Catia from Giocondo in Lugliano

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

I joined Heather Jarman’s group recently to visit the farm of Catia and Maurizio Citti in Lugliano. Giocondo has 20 hectares of land with chestnut trees, olive trees and various crops. The main attraction was their herd of Cinta Senese pigs.

Cinta Senese is an ancient breed of Tuscan pig. They have been raised in the area for centuries. After almost becoming extinct, the breed is now being bred again. Unlike normal pigs which are usually intensively bred, Cinta Senese are kept in large outdoor pens and fed a diet as close as possible to their preferred diet of acorns and food from the forest floor.

They are prized for their excellent flavour. Catia makes her own prosciutto, sausage and other pork products. Once you try salumi from Cinta Senese you will be spoiled forever.

As well as the pigs, there are cows and sheep bred for their milk to make cheese, and donkeys just for fun.

Catia also grows apples, pears, figs, strawberries, raspberries and chillies to make jams and preserves.

While Catia was preparing our delicious lunch I wandered around the forest on the property.

The views from the property are spectacular.

Lunch was prepared using only local products. First we had porcini mushrooms with polenta and pecorino cheese made by Catia.

Next was prosciutto, salami and a mature pecorino with onion jam and chillie jam, and crostini with lardo and sausage with stracchino.

Catia had also made a cake for us, which she served with a blueberry sauce.

Take a look at Giocondo’s website to see all the products they produce. I don’t know when they sleep.

www.agriturismogiocondo.com

Thank you Catia (right) and Heather for a fun day.

www.sapori-e-saperi.com

Mushrooms everywhere

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Autumn is a season for mushrooms. These mysterious funghi have been appearing in the forests around Bagni di Lucca for weeks.

I wouldn’t dare pick any of these……leave it to the experts.

Budding artists in Bagni di Lucca

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

On a wet weekend what could be better than gathering with friends to learn something about painting? Morena from Borgo degli Artisti offered her services over 2 afternoons to teach some local children at the studio in Ponte a Serraglio.

On the first day the children learned to mix colours, and about the colour spectrum.

On the second day the children learned about shading, and set about to paint a Christmas scene.

Some of the paintings will be framed and displayed in the gallery at Christmas time. I hope you will all come to Borgo degli Artisti at Ponte a Serraglio to see them.

Perhaps you can buy a painting before the artist becomes famous.

Bugnano, the abandoned village in Bagni di Lucca

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Bugnano is a tiny collection of completely abandoned houses, just outside the village of Riolo. There is no sign to the village, just an overgrown track at a bend in the road.

I have heard that the village was abandoned after WWII when the residents went off in search of a better life. A few years ago an English company planned to restore it and turn it into holiday accommodation, but their plans came to nothing. It may be too far gone now to do anything. The forest is taking over.

It is quite sad to see these ruined houses. Somebody once loved them. Some touches of home remain.

One house must have been very grand in its day.

The kitchen sink is still there.

And the place where the fireplace would have been.

What must have been the living room has some frescoes remaining.

The front room has great views over the mountains.

Soon the forest may take over completely.

Even the mushrooms growing near the big house look dark and sinister.

Somebody has camped in one of the houses recently.

Do you know anyone with lots of money and some imagination? Wouldn’t it be great to see the village live again?

Teri Giannetti has kindly sent some extra photos of Bugnano.

My favourite building in Ponte a Serraglio

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

We almost bought an apartment in this gorgeous building designed by Lucchese architect Giuseppe Pardini. The building was constructed in 1838 and once housed the prestigious Hotel de Russie.

The building has a colourful history. In 1904 – 1905 English writer Louise de la Ramee, better known as Ouida, stayed in the hotel. She is now buried in the English cemetery nearby. Click here to see more on the cemetery.

During WWII the building was occupied by the German army. There is a plaque on the wall beside the street to commemorate the 13 patriots who were imprisoned inside.

There are now 6 apartments here. I particularly love the balcony at the front of the building. The middle one was almost ours.

I would love to see the building renovated …….. but not too much.

Porcini mushrooms

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

It is porcini season in Bagni di Lucca. They are in all the restaurants, proudly displayed in baskets.

If you drive along mountain roads you see cars parked and people scouring the forests for these delicious mushrooms. They grow well in chestnut and pine forests.

Porcini means piglet, perhaps because they look a bit like plump little piglets. They can grow to about 30 centimetres across and can weigh up to a kilo.

I have eaten risotto with porcini, pasta with porcini, fried porcini, grilled porcini and best of all fresh, raw porcini with a squeeze of lemon and black pepper. They have to be just picked for this to work well.

Autumn is here, bringing these delectable delights to eat.

This was what greeted me at my car this morning.

Bella Bagni di Lucca

A beautiful village in Tuscany

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