The opening of a new museum in San Cassiano

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

There is a new museum in San Cassiano to house the 14th century sculpture in wood of a horse and rider, identified as San Martino, by artist Jacopo dell Quercia. The sculptor is also famous for the carving of the tomb of Ilaria Guinigi in the Duomo in Lucca, and the Fontana Gaia in Siena, among other things. San Martino was known for his generosity and compassion and it is said that he cut his cloak in half and gave it to a poor freezing peasant to keep him warm in winter.

Previously the sculpture had been kept in the local church.The Chiesa Monumentale di S.Cassiano has been known since 722. The facade is from the period between 9th and 12th centuries.

At 11.30 people began to gather in front of the church for the ceremony.

The mayor of Bagni di Lucca, Dottore Massimo Betti, gave a speech about the importance of the Lima Valley. The area of San Cassiano had a population of 1800 people in the 16th century, at a time when La Villa and Ponte a Serraglio had a combined population of only 570.

After more speeches by those responsible for setting up the museum, the priest and the onlookers toasted the new museum.

Then everyone filed in to see the sculpture.

I was not at the museum opening, but Heather Jarman from Sapori-e-Saperi was, and kindly sent the photos and details of the event so we can all share it. Thank you Heather.

The new museum will be open every Saturday from 9.00 – 12.00 and 15.00 – 19.00. For information and booking at other times call: (39) 0583 809275

For a previous post on San Cassiano click here.

A day in Florence

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Florence is an easy day trip from Bagni di Lucca. Here are some suggestions for things to see and do in fabulous Florence.

I always begin my day in Florence with coffee and a snack at Giacosa, the gorgeous caffe behind the Roberto Cavalli shop on Via Tornabuone. Click here for more on Giacosa.

I then head to the Palazzo Davanzati in Via Porto Rosso. It is a beautifully preserved Florentine house from the 15th century, full of exquisite decoration. Click here to see this gorgeous house.

You simply can’t go to Florence without seeing the magnificent Duomo. It is also possible to climb the campanile for a view over the cathedral and the city. Click here to see more.

Say hello to Neptune in Piazza Signoria….and David (not the real one) and friends outside the Palazzo Vecchio.

Step inside to see the little Cupid.

Find the little fisherman in the Bargello Museum. Click here for more on the museum.

Cross the Ponte Vecchio to see the jewelry shops and Arno river.

The beautiful Ponte Vecchio.

The Arno from the Ponte Vecchio.

Have lunch at Trattoria Bordino. Click here for more on the restaurant.

Or visit the amazing food market. Click here to see more on the market.

Wander in the Boboli Gardens.

Go up to the exquisite San Miniato to see the church and the gorgeous views over Florence. Click here to see more on this amazing church.

The church is not far from Piazza Michelangelo and is overlooked by many people, which is a crying shame as it is lovely…..and take a look at the view of Florence from here.

Go back to Piazza Michelangelo for more.

Try to fit in a gelato at Grom or Venchi. Click here for Grom and here for Venchi.

You may need more than one day.

Take the bus to Florence

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Florence is an easy day trip from Bagni di Lucca. It is possible to drive there in about 90 minutes, but driving in the city is difficult and parking is scarce and expensive, so I usually catch the bus. CTT (usually blue) buses go regularly in the mornings from Bagni di Lucca to Lucca and from the bus stop in Piazza Verdi (there is a bus office here where you can get timetables) take the DD (direct) bus to Florence. Once again, it is the blue CTT bus. It takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes to get to the centre of Florence.

UPDATE! The bus no longer drops you near the station, but just outside the centre. You will need to cross the road and look for the tram stop. Take the tram one stop to the station. I believe it is free, but I am not completely sure about that.

The bus trip is very pleasant. I always sit on the river side of the bus to Lucca to get good view of the spectacular Ponte della Maddalena. The bus follows the Serchio river to Lucca and the scenery is gorgeous all the way.

Ponte Maddalena

The bus trip from Lucca to Florence is also interesting. The direct bus takes the autostrada and the scenery along the way is delightful. My favourite part of the trip is the area around Pistoia, where on either side of the road there are plant nurseries. Row upon row of perfectly manicured shrubs and trees are grown to be sold all over Italy and beyond. The photos are taken from the bus so there is a bit of reflection.

Please check the timetables before your travel, but here are the best connections I have found. Take the 7.45am bus from La Villa which gets into Piazza Verdi in time to catch the 8.55am DD bus to Florence. You should arrive at about 10.10am. On the way home I catch the 3.40pm bus from Florence which arrives in Lucca in time to catch the 5.10pm bus to Bagni di Lucca which will get you home by 6.00pm. Or there is a bus from Florence at around 5.15pm which will have you in Lucca to catch the 7.00pm bus to Bagni di Lucca.

If you catch the 7.45am or the 5.10pm bus from Lucca to Bagni di Lucca say hello to Massimo, he is almost always driving these buses.

You can buy bus and train tickets at Tabacchi and some bars. There is also a bus ticket office in Lucca and Florence. Don’t forget to validate your ticket as you enter the bus.

It is also posible to catch a train from Bagni di Lucca to Lucca. It leaves from Fornoli. Local buses will take you to the train station, but probably won’t actually coordinate with any of the trains (don’t ask me why). The road to Fornoli has no footpath for some of the way, so be careful. If you catch a train from Lucca to Florence try to catch an express, which takes about 1 hour 20 minutes. The regular trains take about 2 hours and stop at every station along the way. Validate your ticket before you enter the train at one of the machines on the platform.

The website for the bus is www.vaibus.it

For trains go to www.trenitalia.com

Have a great day in Florence.

Click here for another post about getting to Bagni di Lucca.

Meet Roberto and Giuliana from the Corona

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Roberto and his lovely assistant Giuliana.

The Corona Hotel in Ponte a Serraglio has a great position beside the river with views across the Lima River. If you are there when the weather is warm, the outdoor terrace is open for meals. They get some very good reviews on Trip Advisor, where the terrace is often mentioned, as well as the friendly service……and the food.

I have had some delicious meals at the restaurant Corona.

The hotel has been recently renovated. Look for Roberto or Giuliana in the inviting reception area.

There are some interesting frescoes dating from the 1800s in one of the waiting rooms.

The rooms are well equipped and some have lovely views over the river.

You can see the spring I wrote about in the previous post. It would be a quick trip across the walking bridge to sample some of Bagni di Lucca’s famous water.

There is a sister hotel in La Villa (1kilometre up river) called the Park Regina, where there is a pool, also available for the Corona visitors.

Giuliana’s little Fiat Bambino matches the hotel perfectly, don’t you think?

Say hello to Roberto and Juliana if you visit.

www.coronaregina.it

Mountain springs

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Bagni di Lucca is well known for its mineral springs. People have been coming to the area for centuries for the healing waters. As well as bathing in the therapeutic waters, it is possible to drink from the many springs.

There is one in Ponte a Serraglio near the passarella. I often see people stopping to fill their bottles here. Why buy bottled water from the supermarket when you can come here for delicious drinking water?

These 2 stopped by after canoeing on the river.

Sometimes the temptation to do more than drink the water is too much to resist.

This little boy had shed his clothes and was enjoying the feeling of the warm water on a lovely sunny day. His mum was watching from nearby.

Meet Heather from Casabasciana

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Heather Jarman lives in Casabasciana, one of the gorgeous mountain villages of Bagni di Lucca. In her career as an archeologist she researched the early history of agriculture. She is passionately interested in food, from growing and production to cooking and eating.

Her knowledge of food production in the Bagni di Lucca and Garfagnana is amazing. I first met her last year when she took me along to meet a local cheese maker. We set off into the mountains and met the delightful Marzia who spent the morning showing us how to make cheese and ricotta. Click here for the full story.

On another adventure we went high in the mountains to a village called Lupinaia for their chestnut festival. It was one of the most delightful afternoons I have ever had, topped off with a walk back to the car along an old mule trail.

Click here to see more of the very beautiful Lupinaia.

This year we headed off to the Slow Food soup finals in Lucca and got to try some delicious soup and listen to some great folk music. Click here to see more.

I have learned how to make bread using traditional methods in a wood fired oven with Paolo after visiting his gorgeous farm in the Garfagnana. He grows farro and breeds beautiful cattle. Click here to see the gorgeous cows.

That’s Paolo blessing the bread as it goes in the oven.

I went with Heather to the huntsmen’s dinner in Casabasciana, where we helped the hunters eat the cinghiale (wild boar) they had caught during the season. Both the food and the company were wonderful after we had worked up our appetites with a walk around the beautiful village at sunset.

Click here to see more of Casabasciana.

We went to the Lucca Wine and Food festival and met lots of local wine makers.

And we ate some wonderful local food. Click here to see more.

Quite possibly best of all she introduced me to the delightful concerts in Lucca organised by Mattia. I became a regular visitor on Tuesday and Friday nights. Click here to find out more, or check the website http://iconcertidegliangeli.com

There is a never ending list of things to do in Bagni di Lucca and the nearby areas…..and Heather knows all about them. She organises tours for small groups to do things you would never find in a guide book. In her own words she is “Making tourism work to sustain the rural economy and the people. …you will encounter an endangered lifestyle which we don’t want to disappear.”

Visit her website for more information…..www.sapori-e-saperi.com

Lovely Lucca

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Lucca is one of the loveliest towns in all of Italy, and it is just 25 kilometres from Bagni di Lucca. It is our nearest large town.

Lucca was founded by the Etruscans and became a Roman colony in 180BC. The rectangular grid system of the roads in the historical centre preserves the original Roman plan. The town is surrounded by a wall which expanded with the growing town. The current configuration dates from the 16th century. It remains intact and now is the outstanding feature of the town.

The wall is 4.2 kilometres around and it is possible to walk or cycle along the top. It is beautiful at any time of the year.

If you are lucky enough to be in Lucca in mid March you will see the beautiful magnolias in bloom in the Corso Garibaldi.

Later in spring the huge white magnolias arrive.

Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca and there is a long history of music in the town. There are concerts on almost every night and there are several music festivals throughout the year.

Puccini sits in the Piazza Citadella in front of the house where he was born. It is now open as a museum.

Lucca is a city of churches. At one time there were 100 churches…..quite a lot remain, including the beautiful San Michele on the site of the original Roman forum.

The Piazza Anfiteatro was left behind when the amphitheatre that once stood on the site was removed, leaving and oval space surrounded by houses. Now the beautiful space forms a town centre filled with outdoor dining and several festivals throughout the year.

From Bagni di Lucca to Lucca is a pretty 30 minute drive beside the Serchio River on the SS12. It is also possible to take the Lazzi bus which leaves from La Villa and stops at Ponte a Serraglio and Fornoli along the way. The trip takes about 50 minutes to the last stop inside the walls at Piazza Verdi. There is a train from Fornoli which takes about 25 minutes.

Meet the new owner of the News Kiosk in Ponte a Serraglio

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Meet Olga, our newest Ponte person. She has taken over the little news kiosk in Ponte a Serraglio.

As well as newpapers, magazines and small gift items, you can buy bus and train tickets at the kiosk.

Good luck with your new business Olga.

Flower petals in Brandeglio

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

We set off on a lazy Sunday afternoon to visit Brandeglio, one of the villages of Bagni di Lucca. It sits 629 metres above sea level, 6.5 kilometres from La Villa. It has a population of 67 people.

We parked in the car park outside the village and made our way through the winding streets.

The early summer gardens were gorgeous and the window boxes especially lovely.

I found an old motorcycle that had been put to good use.

We found the lovely old church.

Inside there was a beautiful altar and a painting of the last supper.

There is always a snoozing cat.

This one woke up for his photo.

In the piazza we came upon this sign.

Just as well we had parked the car outside the village. There was to be a procession later that afternoon. The square and chapel were decorated for the occasion.

There was a little girl with a basket of rose petals trying to decorate the square but the wind was ruining her work.

What a pity we couldn’t stay for the festivities, the square looked beautiful with its rose petals, despite the wind.

The views from Brandeglio are stunning.

Take the time to drive up to Brandeglio. Like all the villages that make up Bagni di Lucca, it has its own character.

Meet Daniela and Mauro from Lugliano

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Lugliano is on top of the hill in the photo….that little bump with the tower beside it is the main part of the village. You can just see a row of houses along the ridge.

Daniela and Mauro are the parents of my lovely friend Paolo, so they were the obvious choice for me to talk to about Lugliano, the village that sits high above Ponte a Serraglio, just a few kilometres drive up the winding road behind my apartment.

Daniela and Mauro live in a beautiful house with a great garden that keeps Daniela busy.

They have a spectacular view over the surrounding mountains from their terrace.

Mauro makes beautiful wood carvings which he sells from a pretty little shop in Ponte a Serraglio.

Mauro and Daniela met in the village, not very far from where they now live. I took a walk along the ridge where Lugliano sits and up the hill to the little cluster of houses there.