Saint Apollonia in Bagni di Lucca

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Saint Apollonia is the patron saint of dentists, or those suffering with dental problems. She was a martyr who suffered in Alexandria during an uprising against the Christians. Part of her torture was having her teeth pulled out…..most unpleasant. She is always represented in art with pincers.

What has this got to do with Bagni di Lucca, I hear you ask. Yesterday I went to the inauguration of a new statue dedicated to the the saint, at the point where Ponte a Serraglio meets Fornoli in the tiny street named after her.

On the way to the statue.

It is in a very pretty area of the village with a road that leads from the main street up to the agriturismo Le Torre. The houses and gardens are beautifully kept.

Quite a crowd had gathered for the celebrations by the time I arrived.

The sculpture was hidden from view.

I think the priest was asking for fine weather.

The local children performed the task of removing the covering.

Everyone gathered for photos.

The mayor gave a little speech.

Then the artist, Amerigo Peruzzi, who lives opposite, told us about his work.

The priest blessed the statue.

A new baby slept through the procedings.

Then it was time for some delicious food….of course, we are in Italy.

I hope Saint Apollonia would appreciate what was done in her honour, particularly the eating side of the celebrations.

If you walk up to Le Torre, stop for a moment to take a look at Bagni di Lucca newest art work.

It is a lot of fun to be included in local celebrations. The Festa Della Colombina is on this Sunday 6th May at the Villa Fiori Park from 10.00am to 6.00pm. Colombina is the name of a bread baked in the shape of a dove. It was made in Bagni di Lucca in the 1800s in the local ovens and served at cafes.
As well as eating Colombina you can paint a statuette or browse through a little market. Come along and join the fun.

Meet Jayne and Ilario from Del Sonno Restaurant

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

One of our favourite places to eat in Bagni di Lucca is Del Sonno. The food is great and Jayne and Ilario are delightful….what more could you want?

I know I am boring, but I almost always order the same thing, saltimbocca. It literally means “jump in the mouth”. If you taste it you will know why. The dish consists of thinly sliced veal, topped with prosciutto and sage leaves.

I usually have grilled vegetables as a side dish.

They also do a great pizza and when I can force myself not eat the saltimbocca I have a gorgonzola and prosciutto pizza….or a salame piccante….or quatro stagione…..

The crust is thin and crispy and the toppings, just right.

I have, on occasion, been known to have pannacotta or tiramisu. Then I walk home to Ponte a Serraglio.

Jayne allowed me into the kitchen last year and showed me how she makes her saltimbocca. If you click here you will find the post.

Say hello to Ilario if you go to Del Sonno. He is always there with a smile and he knows everything about Bagni di Lucca. Jayne will be in the kitchen making my saltimbocca.

Del Sonno Ristorante….146/148 Viale Umberto 1, La Villa

Ph. 0583 805080

www.ristorantedelsonno.it

Meet Livio, he helps to keep Bagni di Lucca beautiful

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

I see Livio regularly in Ponte a Serraglio, La Villa and Fornoli with his trolley and his birch broom.
He looks after us very well, keeping our streets clean.

I admired his birch broom one day and he very kindly offered it to me. His job would be great on a fine sunny day, but not so much fun on cold, windy ones.

Say hello to Livio next time you see him, he likes a chat.

Ponte pansies

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

The pansies on the bridge at Ponte a Serraglio are looking gorgeous just now. The smell is heavenly when you walk across the bridge.

It is wisteria time

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

I love wisteria! It blooms for such a short time, but it always looks wonderful and the smell is divine.

I have a plant on my balcony and this year it has produced a couple of flowers.

It’s growing!

Here is some we prepared earlier.

The bees love it……and so do I.

My plant has about 4 flowers on it and soon they will be beautiful.

Montefegatesi, the highest of the Bagni di Lucca villages

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Montefegatesi sits high above the other villages in Bagni di Lucca. It is 842 metres above sea level. It takes about 25 minutes to drive up the steep, winding road from La Villa, unless you are Italian and drive like Fangio, in which case it might only take 10 minutes. I prefer to live, so 25 minutes is just fine.

Because of its strategic position it was used by Lucca to guard the boundary with Modena, and as a result was subject to enemy assault.

All that is in the distant past, and now the village sits sleepily in the sun, enjoying its view over some of the other hamlets making up Bagni di Lucca.

After parking the car in the car parking area just outside the village we followed an Ape into town.

There are some pretty coloured houses.

And a tiny church in the first piazza.

From this square there are 2 narrow roads leading through the village. We took the high road towards the top for the exceptional views from there.

Take a closer look at that orange house on the hill opposite. It is the colour of a Halloween pumpkin. I love it!!

Along the way there is lots to see.

The cemetery in the distance.

Weeds. Look closer.

A lovely local Signora told me the plant is called scarletina and grows wild on rock walls all over the village.

I think that is Monte di Villa below the rooftops. ( I have since been informed that the village is Tereglio, thank you for the information)

There’s that orange house again.

At the top of the hill is the monument to Dante Aleghieri, built by the villagers in 1908.

This man never looks happy.

There are great views of the village from here.

Next time we will take the low road.

On the afternoon we went to Montfegatesi we experienced all kinds of weather. We had rain, sun, wind and even a little snow. It made for some dramatic skies.

There is a bus that goes from La Villa to Montefegatesi, but it only goes once or twice a day. Be sure you can get back if you go this way.

Click here to see Montefegatesi in spring.

Gorgeous geese in Guzzano

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Look for the bright pink house as you enter Guzzano.

Guzzano is only 10 minutes from La Villa, on the road towards Montefegatesi. It is a beautiful little village where most of the houses are occupied full time. We visited on a gorgeous, early spring afternoon. It was a bit hazy, but the views are still dramatic.

We think this sign is asking drivers to watch out for dogs.

The tree in front of the church is going to look very impressive soon.

Now, to the geese. We came upon a flock of geese out for a stroll…and what a handsome bunch they were.

That is the boy in front, giving orders.

The girls are answering back.

He wants the grass she is eating.

He really wants it.

Let’s go this way.

No, that way.

These geese are very vocal. I wish I understood goose.

Sadly, since I was in Guzzano taking these photos, one of the female geese and a gosling were killed by a weasel. Life can be very cruel.

Lunch in Vico Pancellorum

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

The wonderfully named Vico Pancellorum is a ancient town. Like other towns in Bagni di Lucca, it was involved in conflicts between Florence and Lucca. The town was almost razed to the ground in 1343. It still retains the medieval structure and is fun to explore.

At the entrance to the town is the church, Pieve di S. Paolo, which dates from 873.

The church is Romanesque style. The facade is gabled, with a cross rose window. Symbolic figures are carved in the lunette over the door.

We decided the figure on the left was wearing and early example of board shorts.

It was an overcast day the day we visited, but the view over the surrounding mountains was spectacular.

The wintery landscape seems to suit this village.

We walked around behind the church, where there is a narrow road up to the village.

There were signs of spring to brighten a dull day.

As usual, I love all the little details to be discovered in the tiny streets.

I want a unicorn tap too!

The main purpose of our visit was to have lunch at the very well known restaurant Buca di Baldabo. I have eaten here several times and the food is very good. I have yet to come on a fine day. I will have to keep trying.

Our first course was ravioli with Zingara sauce…..delicious.

I had deer with olives next.

My friend had rabbit with capers.

And who can go past poached pear with chocolate sauce????

On a better day I will go to the higher part of the town to look around.

There are some wonderful old gnarled trees along the road into town.

There are some very interesting works of art as well on the way into town.

I’m not sure of the significance of some of these pieces, but it made us stop and look.

Be sure to phone Buca di Baldabo before you go to make sure they are open. (39) 0583 89062

A chance encounter with Mezzo and Joseph from Limano

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

One of the delights about going to the sleepy mountain villages is meeting the locals. We had not long been in Limano when we met Mezzo who took us to meet his mate Joseph. I wanted to take a photo of Mezzo but he wandered off. Joseph suggested I say the word ‘cibo’ but Mezzo wasn’t silly, he knew we didn’t have any cat food with us, so we were ignored.

Joseph kindly offered to pick Mezzo up so I could get a photo.

Joseph has lived for many years in Limano and Mezzo has lived there for all of his 12 years. Joseph has retired now and has much more time to devote to Mezzo, which is as it should be.

Before Mezzo’s time Limano was a stronghold built and fortified to defend the Lima valley from attacks from its enemies, especially Florence. The town was captured by the Florentines in 1428 but taken back by Lucca in 1442.

The centre of the town is Piazza Gave and 5 roads radiate out from there. There is a stone fountain dating from the 16th century.

I was very pleased I had parked outside the town. I don’t know how you would navigate these streets.

We set off towards the church and found this pretty statue in a tiny shrine.

It must be windy up in Limano, there are large rocks holding down roof tiles.

The campanile looks ancient but it actually dates from 1879. The old one was demolished to make way for a bigger aisle in the church.

The narrow streets wind all over the town through tunnels and arches.

I was fascinated by this very long ladder, probably used for elopements.

There are lots of wonderful old buildings to see.

The church dominates the skyline.

There is another church on the other side of the town as well.

There are good views back over the town from here.

And across to neighbouring Vico Pancellorum.

There are some lovely paths around the edge of the town that need further investigation.

Spring is on the way.

There were a few houses being renovated in Limano, which is good. It’s great to see new life coming to the villages. Doing building work in these places is not easy. It is not possible to get trucks in and out. We saw a workman busy moving things around.

It is a little tractor that is able to be pushed around the steep streets. These people are very inventive.

If you happen to be in Limano on 1st August you can take part in the traditional costume ball that takes place in the piazza.

We didn’t see that, but we did see another cat.

Festa Della Primavera in San Cassiano

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

This little festa in San Cassiano is, I suspect, an excuse to eat frittelle for S. Giuseppe’s day. I can see no better reason to have a celebration.

The afternoon was slightly overcast, but that didn’t stop the villagers gathering at the park above the town to get together, have a chat and eat some frittelle. Luciana was chief cook.

She told me there were 4 kilos of flour, 1 kilo of sugar, milk and yeast in her batter. She was ably assisted by Mila.

Jim tested the frittelle, decided they were excellent and ate 4, with a cup of sangria to help them along.

The village children had fun as well.

I wonder if they ever get tired of the dramatic landscape here.

I was most impressed with the earrings on one of the festival participants.

I think I need a pair.

San Cassiano is about 10 minutes from La Villa on the road towards Montefegatesi. The whole area is beautiful and dotted with pretty villages.

Bella Bagni di Lucca

A beautiful village in Tuscany

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