I have returned to beautiful Bagni di Lucca after being away for almost 4 months. I love the winter here, especially the view from my balcony in Ponte a Serraglio.
Time for a walk to see familiar things.
Spring will be here soon, I love that too.
It is good to be back in bella Bagni di Lucca.
I am currently in Brisbane, Australia and we have experienced our first seriously hot days. The temperature has been around 35 degrees coupled with high humidity, an all night storm with rain, strong wind and incredibly loud thunder.
I missed the gorgeous autumn in Bagni di Lucca so I looked at some of the photos I took in past autumns.
I will miss the lovely cold winter days with the possibility of snow…I hope there will be some when I return in late February.
There are some interesting things coming up in Bagni di Lucca over the next couple of weeks.
A concert at the Casino to raise money for Auser, which helps a lot of people in the community.
Plant an olive tree.
The final street market for the year.
The river is as low as I have ever seen it under the Ponte della Maddalena at Borgo a Mozzano, on the way to Bagni di Lucca. I have been coming here now for almost 20 years.
This is the view I usually see.
This is what it looks like now.
From the other side.
From the top.
On a brighter note the vegetation is growing back on the site of the landslide.
We have had some rain recently but it will take a lot more to bring the river back to its usual level.
While it might not be great for those who are here on holidays, the recent rain is very welcome after a dry, hot summer.
I like the misty morning and the sound of the rain at Ponte a Serraglio.
The rain is needed to fill dams, the springs that feed the rivers and the poor distressed plants. Let’s hope we get good rain over the next few months.
On Friday night 29th July in the garden of the Comune building in La Villa there will be a concert under the stars.
The regular second hand market will be held on Sunday 31st July.
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Ponte a Serraglio will be the star of Sunday’s guided walk. If you can’t make it today remember the date of the next one.
There is a new shop in Bagni di Lucca, Villa. It is called Flora Gioh Donatella. We are lucky to have artist Scarlaty Arribabene and her beautiful designs in our town.
She also makes deliciously fragrant candles.
Donatella is a line of paintings that combine shapes and textures, harmony and contradiction.
The shop is bright, spacious and inviting.
I met the delightful artist recently and I wish her the best in her new venture.
Flora Gioh Donatella is in Via Umberto I, at the post office end of the street.
Most festivals in Italy have not happened over the last 2 years because of Covid. It is encouraging to see this about to change this year.
We dropped in briefly to an olive oil festival in Valdottavo on Sunday.
We were there early and wandered through the pretty main street of the town to see lots of stalls set up.
The first stand had a familiar face. This family also runs the wonderful fruit and vegetable shop in Ponte a Serraglio. We picked up a few supplies on the way out.
We gathered a few other things on our walk through the town, including olive oil, a fennel disgestivo and some locally made sausages. It is a good way to get to know local growers and producers.
We had to leave before lunch which was a pity. Long tables were being set up and I’m sure the food would have been delicious.
Valdottavo is a pretty, well kept town with some impressive buildings. I think it needs another visit.
Rain has returned after a run of sunny days. I think our mountains look great in this weather.
Bella Bagni di Lucca 