Here is a photo of Il Monumento ai Caduti in La Villa in 1940.
…and now.
I like it with the trees.
There is a beautiful, if somewhat neglected, building in Ponte a Serraglio. It was at one time the Hotel de Russie. The building was designed by Giuseppe Pardini and built in 1838. It is now apartments.
On the side of the building is a plaque stating that 13 partisans were held in the building during WWII when the building became Nazi headquarters.
The men were shot on 18th July 1944. There is a memorial in the cemetery in Ponte a Serraglio.
Behind the memorial is a narrow path. At the back of the memorial is another one.
I found these names on small plaques on the wall.
What a sad and lonely place it is, reflecting the misery and futility of war.
Cappuccetto Rosso is quickly becoming one of my favourite restaurants in the area. The food is well presented and delicious and the service is very friendly and efficient.
Their recent lunch special was too good to resist.
Before the first course there was an arancino amuse bouche.
The plate of mussels was very good. Fortunately there was plenty of bread…the sauce was too delicious to leave behind.
Spaghetti vongole is one of my favourite Italian dishes. This one is a little different, it has tomato, but I liked it a lot.
Even though I was quite full I did manage to eat the third course of mixed, fried seafood.
There was no room for dessert…pity.
Cappuccetto Rosso is not far from Bagni di Lucca in Gioviano.
The Pinocchio festival returned to Bagni di Lucca on the weekend.
It was opened by the mayor and a band.
Thank you to Rosi for the photos above, I missed the start.
The band played and some young spectators were keen to try their dance steps.
There were stalls selling all kinds of things and the stall owners got into the spirit of things by dressing up.
It was fun to see some wool preparation, old equipment and some serious knitting and crochet.
…and some wood sawing.
There were stilt walkers and magicians to entertain the crowds.
…a slide for the children.
Best of all are the children playing old fashioned games with their parents watching close by.
This little girl looks very pretty with her painted face.
This is is one cool dude.
I like the mode of transport.
Even Pinocchio needs a rest.
This festival is excellent. I have been to a couple now and it is a fun weekend in La Villa…long may it continue.
All over Italy grapes are ripening on the vines. My friends invited me to help pick their grapes to make wine. I happily agreed.
The setting of the vineyard is lovely and it was a gorgeous day.
The grapes are looking excellent…they taste good too.
Time to pick grapes.
Time for lunch…with some of last year’s wine.
Thank you for inviting me to be part of the day, it was fun and I look forward to sampling the wine when it is ready.