Experience a truly enchanting holiday in one of my Tuscan Villas
Thinking about my guests staying and the way they usually enjoy restaurants around my Villas, I have the pleasure to inform you that next summer you will find 2 new restaurants in Vorno… perfect for a fast and informal dinner after a full day tour arund Tuscany!
Ok, just to remind you:
3 very wonderful restaurants where you for sure can save your money! Waiting for you!
Let’s start by di spelling that terrible myth about warm and sunny Italy.
There are millions of arthritis-aching Italians to bear fitness to the truth Italy the whole peninsula from Milan to Catania, is daine cold, foggy and damp from November through April. And just like Chicago, New York, London or paris, those balmy sun-filled days don’t return to Italy until May. Rember that film Enchanted April? Balderdash! It was filmed in June at the earliest!
So, what to do as the winter months drag on and we shuffle around the house in our wool socks, leggins, sweaters, shawls and caps dreaming longingly of swaying palm trees on some lovely Caribbean Island? Well, you’ll be pleased to know there is a quick fix just down the road and not nearly so pricey as that hotel on St. Kitts!
The spa and beauty center Grotta Giusti Terme at Monsummano Terme, a few kilometers south of Montecatini Terme is housed in a lovely 19th century stone building set in a tree-shaded park. It was founded in 1854 after some workmen excavating in a nearby lime quarry discovered the cave and under water thermal spring.
Being so nera Montecatini Terme, which was a major destination for “taking the waters”, the owners of the cave, the Nencini-Giusti family, were quick to exploit its commercial value. The spa was planned as a first-class facility and, to this day, both it and its adjoining hotel are just that.
Tuscan summer nights are beautiful in themselves, but add a village festival in the cool shade of a Church or in an olive grove with a band playing music from 9 to midnight and the outdour of food coking – this is a recipe for magic. Go with friends and enjoy the camaraderie; go alone and you might meet a new acquaintance. Anything can happen.
“Sagra” can be translated as a “church supper” – sponsored by the Church or local charitable association such as the Croce Rossa or Misericordia.
They engage the Energy of the entire community so if you are already a resident you can offer a helping hand. Jobs range from ticket-taking, settin g up chairs and tents, serving food or working at the food tables.
If you are a tourist or simply want to relax, you can partecipate by bringing friends and family and eating under the stars at the long tables set up in the fields.
The local specialità, and inevitably a plate of pasta or grilled meats, are available for purchase.
Dinner is served usually from 7.30 onward, typically on friday, saturday and sunday evenings.
My first sagra this year came early, in april at Torricchio, a village between Pescia and Uzzano.
It had a unique extra feauture, a spicy crime story that anhanced the pleasure of carciofi fritti (fried artichokes, Torricchio’s speciality). At first all seemed calm – too calm.
While my friend waited in line to order food, i photographed the mosaics on the church facade. These (from 1972) portray 7 sinners on the lower half of the church facade.
According to my interpretation they represent the evils os smoking, drinking, terrorism, robbing, killing, laziness and complicity.
According to biblical tradition, the capital sins are lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, pride.
This seemed to foretell something ominous lurking beneath the apparent calm.
As our meal was winding down, we noticed commotion at the nearby tables. A father with daughter about 7 years old was arguing with some of young adults while the water acted as mediators. The man’s Rayban sunglasses has disappeared and he was “interrogating the suspects” in other words, yelling at them.
My friend’s daughter had witnessed the crime. She told me the perpetrator had already fled scene. At this point there was, in italian terms, a colpo di scena, the purpoted criminal returned to the scene of the crime, while the water and Sagra organizers were in the midst of trying to calm rising tempers.
“That’s him!” our intrepid young lady shouted as she pointed in the thief’s direction.
“Lower your arm and come quickly”. I urged. At a safe distance we followed the man.
I encouraged a waiter to join us.
“That’s the man, there in the white sweatshirt”, i said warning my friends’ daughter to maintain a low profile.
The waiter had the quickness of spirit to call out, “hey you, come back here!” And the rayban thief did return.
At that point we chose the safest route, departure, having done what we could to resolve the crime.
Hopefully the father received his Raybans and the evening could continue with music, singing and lighter spirits.
I know there will be other sagras ahead this summer.
Who knows what these will bring?
The best way to find out which sagras are upcoming i sto read the signs along the roads. Or better yet, ask the neighbors, who are sure to know. Here are a few:
Paganico (east town) Sagra del Taglierino ( a kind off lat spaghetti)
Molazzana (Cascio, north town) Sagra della Ranocchiocciola (chiocciole and ranocchie- snails and frogs)
You can find more, and tastier ones, by searching the web under “Lucca Sagras”.
Visit also this page.
Enjoy your summer evenings!
( Norma Jean Bishop)
Coincidentally enough at the press conference for this the 5th edition of Lucca Donna Jazz, held in the Headquarters of the patrons Fondazione Banca del Monte, the conversation spontaneously turned to this era of Lucca Jazz.
The board members reminisced their teenage pilgrimages to San Giorgio in the hope of a few notes from Chet’s last partner Ruth Young sang at the 2006 edition of the festival.
So don’t miss this week of top class concerts taking place in the San Girolamo Theatre starting February 21st and presented by famous TV music personalità and DJ Claudio Sottili. Thi is the 2009 Lucca Jazz Donna Festival organized by the Circolo Lucca Jazz, dedicated this year to Billie Holiday on the 50th anniversary of her death.
As a side event the 1984 Emmy and Bafta award winning film Billie Holiday – The Long Night of Lady Day by Jhon Jeremy will be shown at the Cinema Centrale on Thursday 19th February.
The festival aims to bring female jazz musicians to the forefront, whether they sing, play, compose or arrange jazz music. Two mid-week evenings are dedicated to the 2009 Award for young talent and feature, six female groups from Rome, Palermo, Puglia, Milan and Lucca.
The weekend events in Lucca feature Michele Hendricks, daughter of Jon of legendary trio Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, Eileina Dennis from the US with her gospel background and hit recording with Randy Crawford and Zucchero, Tiziana Ghiglioni known as La Signora del Jazz Italiano and the captivating voice of Ada Montellanico with her guest Max Ionata.
A special tribute to Billie Holiday entitled Our Way to Lady Day will take place at Teatro Alfieri in Castelnuovo Garfagnana on March 27th with the Ricciardi/Premazzi Quartet.
previous edition have hosted dramme Kim Thompson, just on the cusp of fame, saxophonist Lisa Pollard and violinist Regina Carter, to name a few.
The festival is a showcase for Lucca to be proud of, adding sparkle and International glamour to the town during the drab low season of february. Spread the word!
Last year these shows were a sell-out so we recommend you buy tickets in advance from Telerecord, Via Santa Croce 11/13. On sale from 10th february. More info regarding the programme and tickets at www.luccajazzdonna.it; segreteria-eventi@comunelucca.it
Tel. +39 0583.442444, or centro.po@provincialucca.it Tel. +39 0583 433435
Listening also in What’s On Central pages.
Olives, those beautiful silvery trees, have today become a visual metaphor for Italy.
Nevertheless, seldom does anyone come to Italy solely for the purpose of growing olives and making olive oil. Most foreign-born cultivators naively back into it somehow. Olives usually enter their lives on a ” bit of land ” just beyond the garden of their dream home, whether it be a humble farmhouse or a full-blown villa.
Those gnarled trunks look so expressively romantic.
The delicate leaves gently sea basking in the Mediterranean sun. The terraced groves are so suggestive of a living link across time to departed generations. Yes… but, wander into any local bar and take a look around at the old tuskers playing cards or arguing over this year’s olive crop and you’ll notice they’ve grown as gnarled as their trees.
Olive farming is indeed lovely work with long hours spent in solitary meditation, but it is also year-round hard work.
The year starts in Februarywith the cutting down of the undergrowth in the olive grove and fertilizing each tree. March and April are pruning time and burning of the cuttings. In May the trees go into bloom, dropping their tiny white flowers on the ground like a summer snow. June the undergrowth is cut again to prevent fire in the olive grove.
July and August is quit time while the olives are left to grow in the hot, dry summer. In late September, some additional light pruning and cutting undergorwth is again on the agenda.
October brings the laying of the nets. November, December and beyond is harvest time and taking the olives to the frantoio to make olive oil and January is clean up time – taking up and putting away the nets and equipment and, of course, enjoying the fruit of our labor!