Cappella, San Cassiano

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

San Cassiano is made up of several hamlets. I decided to explore one of the upper villages, Cappella. Look for the sign on the left as you come towards San Cassiano from La Villa.

Cappella is a pretty collection of well kept houses under the looming, mist covered mountain behind it. Of course it is not always covered in mist, but on a chilly winter day it looks a bit spooky with its cloudy cover.

It is possible to drive up into the village, but I chose to leave my car at the bottom and walk up. Come with me and see Cappella.

I found a couple of lovely green doors for my collection as well as the little one above.

I think this must be the old communal water supply and washing area.

I love the old stone walls.

Some cachi were left behind on the trees.

I found an excellent renovator’s delight. It just needs a new roof and a little bit of work on the interior.

There is always a cat or 2.

And some interesting garden decoration.

The views are always wonderful from the mountain villages.

I want to come back to see the village in spring, when all the trees are green.

I spotted a sign for the next hamlet…another day.

Un piccolo terremoto

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

There was a small earthquake near Castelnuovo in the Garfagnana yesterday at about 4.00pm.
We felt it here in Bagni di Lucca quite strongly. There was a loud noise and my house shook for a couple of seconds.

There are no reports of damage to people or property. People here seem to be fairly used to having the earth shake, but this was my first earthquake, and I have to say I didn’t like it one bit.

If I hear anything more I will let you know.

Winter

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

It is cold in Bagni di Lucca…it is the middle of winter after all.

The Lima River is full of water after recent rain and snow.

The ducks…including the white one and the goose…seem to be coping with the cold.

There is snow on the mountains around us.

…and we have been having some beautiful sunsets.

Winter is a lovely time to be in Bagni di Lucca.

Lucchio

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Lucchio, at 780 metres above sea level, is one of the higher villages of Bagni di Lucca. Stone houses cling to the side of the mountain, making you wonder how on earth they were built all those years ago.

There is a ruin of a fortress at the top of the village. The fortress successfully defended the town against invaders in the centuries of fighting in the area.

We didn’t make it to the very top….next time

Of course there are magnificent views from the village.

Not many people live in Lucchio now, but the village is well preserved and there are some lovely buildings and well kept gardens. We spent an hour or 2 wandering (slowly, these streets are steep ) It is said that the hens in Lucchio lays square eggs to prevent them from rolling down the hill.

Don’t overlook Lucchio in your travels in Bagni di Lucca. It is the last village on the way to Abetone.

Thank you Italy Magazine for choosing Lucchio as the Best Single Travel Post in the Blogger Awards and thank you to all those who voted for Bella Bagni di Lucca.

Here are some other posts on Bella Bagni di Lucca you might find interesting.

An Old Tradition in Bagni di Lucca

A Pool with a View

Medieval Archery Competition

Meet Tina from Ponte a Serraglio

The Villages of Bagni di Lucca

Award night at Teatro Accademio

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Teatro Accademio in Bagni di Lucca hosted a fun night recently. Awards were presented to the creators of the best Presepe and Mailart.

The lovely theatre was full.

The awards were presented by members of the Bagni di Lucca Proloco and Borgo degli Artisti.

Afterwards members of Croce Rossa performed Pinocchio.

Here are some of the wonderful Mailart entries.

At the end of the evening Befana came down on stage from above and went out into the square in front of the theatre to pose with the children for photos. The staff from Croce Rossa distributed stockings filled with goodies for the children.

Thank you to Morena Guarnaschelli for the photos and details of the evening.

I will be in Bagni di Lucca myself soon to take part in local activities…can’t wait.

Lunch and a museum in the Garfagnana

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

On a gorgeous autumn day Heather Jarman and I went to the beautiful Garfagnana village of Sillico to have lunch at the lovely restaurant Locanda Belvedere.

The chef, Roberta, cooked a delicious lunch for our group.

It was still warm enough to sit on then outside terrace.

The different breads were made using spelt and chestnut flour.

We began with a ricotta and leek torte.

And fried ricotta balls and pasta fritta.

There were 2 types of pasta…..with mushrooms and a ragu.

The waiter brought a tray of locally collected mushrooms for us to see.

And then we ate the cooked mushrooms as a side dish with our rabbit.

There was a selection of crostini to have with our coffee.

We then headed up the hill to see some of Sillico and to find the museum which was kindly opened just for us.

The museum is in a building beside the church and is full of interesting collections from the distant and not so distant past.

There is an enormous collection of clocks, including this replica of one designed by Leonardo da Vinci.

Then is was time to stand at the top of the village to admire the view over the Garfagana.

You will need to book at Locanda Belvedere…..call Roberta or Clara……(39) 0583 662173

sapori-e-saperi.com

Christmas in Bagni di Lucca

Posted on December 25, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Lots of fun things have been happening in Bagni di Lucca for Christmas. I am in sunny Australia now, but luckily for us Morena from Borgo degli Artisti has been taking photos of events around town.

There has been a presepe exhibition at the Circolo dei Forestieri in La Villa. Bagni di Lucca has a history of making presepe…nativity scenes.

An old mould is on display to show how the statues are made.

A couple of wonderful old paintings are included in the exhibition.

A special presepe has been created by Fontanini, a local company still making presepe, and is in place on the balcony of Circolo dei Forestieri.

The exhibition will be on display for another couple of weeks…go upstairs at the Circolo dei Forestieri if you are in the area.

A wonderful event took place in the area in front of Circolo dei Forestieri with the making of an enormous necci. The fires were lit.

The giant pans were put in place.

The necci batter was spread on the pan.

The top of the pan was put on and heat applied.

Soon the necci was ready to eat.

I can’t tell you how much I wish I had been there for this. I love it when the whole community gets involved.

Paula Chesterman has been busy organising a choir and with the help of enthusiastic locals, an hour of hymns and readings from the bible took place the other night.

Mulled wine and mince pies were served afterwards…well deserved.

The choir will meet again in March. Click here for more information.

Morena has been busy with the children of the village with a workshop on elf making. The children then designed a ‘mailart’ envelope with stamp and letters were written to Santa. The best 5 envelopes will awarded on 5th January at the theatre in La Villa.

Thank you Morena for being roving reporter for the blog and sharing wonderful local activities with us.

Cocciglia

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Legend has it that Cocciglia was built on land owned by a Roman settler named Cocilius. Only about 80 people now live in the village. It was once an important fortified town which guarded the road leading to Controneria, further up the mountain.
There is a short road to the village from the Brennero Road. On the way is a small church with an impressive bell tower.

The village comes into view just around the corner from the church.

There is also a view across to Pallegio.

There is a walking path opposite the church which appears to lead to the village above.

I took the easy option and drove up the road to the tiny parking area just outside Cocciglia. Come for a walk through the little village.

The church is right at the top of the village.

This is the stone over the door to the church.

On the way up to the church is this quaint statue.

I found the next colourful image on the front of a house.

I saw no people on my walk, but the village is obviously lived in. There are pretty gardens and the houses are in good repair.

The village is no longer isolated, but I can’t help thinking about the lives of people who lived here centuries ago. This place is tiny and life must have been tough. I hope the residents from the past occasionally had time to sit back and enjoy the view.

Pallegio

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Pallegio has ancient origins. It was once a fortified stronghold guarding the Controneria area nearby. The village is not far from the Brennero Road towards Abetone.

It is a sleepy little village with 132 inhabitants. Come for a wander with me.

Like all of Bagni di Lucca’s mountain villages, there are wonderful views.

The narrow streets have many delights.

Soon it is back to the car park and time to say goodbye to Pallegio.

On the way back to the Brennero I found a road to the left and found what I think is the oratory of S.Maria della Quercia.

A little further on is a lovely wooded area and I found another renovator’s delight……there is a never ending supply of them in these parts.

Can you see yourself getting to work on this one?

Making necci

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Debra Kolkka

Chestnuts have been an important part of the diet in the Appenine and Apuan regions in northern Tuscany for centuries. Particularly in times of war and famine, chestnuts saved people from starvation.

Necci are a type of pancake made from chestnut flour. They are simply made by mixing chestnut flour with water (250 grams of flour to 1 cup water). The batter is mixed until smooth and slightly thicker than a normal crepe batter.

Each area has a slightly different recipe. Sometimes a little oil and salt is added, or rosemary.

There are several ways to cook the necci. At a couple of chestnut festivals I have seen them cooked between 2 cast iron discs with long handles over a flame. A little olive oil is placed on the flat disc and spread with a potato cut in half, then a small quantity of batter is placed on the disc and spread thinly, and the other disc is put on top. It isn’t as easy as it sounds, you need just the right amount of oil and heat or the pancake sticks to the disc and makes a horrible mess.

Once browned on both side they are spread with ricotta or nutella and rolled up…and eaten.

At a food festival in Lucca we saw a very interesting way of cooking necci. The batter was placed on hot, flat stones covered with chestnut leaves and stacked on top of each other.

This method also proved to be effective, and delicious.

Look for necci at food festivals in the area, or if you are in Lucca, go to Via Buia and look for Pizza da Felice where you can buy necci, along with delicious pizza and cecina, the chickpea pancakes popular in the area.

Click here to see a gorgeous chestnut festival in Colognora and here for an equally fabulous one in Lupinaia.

Bella Bagni di Lucca

A beautiful village in Tuscany

Tag Archives: Tuscany