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Tuscany – Lucca, the endless abyss of the S.Agostino Church

Not far from the S.Frediano Basilica one finds the thirteenth century Church of S. Agostino.
Inside the Church there is the image of the Madonna, with er arms the Holy Child, and on the right shoulder a kind of bruise… at the feet of the Holy Image, a trap closed by a metal grill with a lock. We are talking of the “Madonna del Sasso”., whose name goes back to a dramatic event.
The story goes that a hardened gambler, having lost all his goods and blinded by anger, trew a stone against the holy image. Two simultaneos extraordinary events immediatly occorre: to avoid the Child from being hit the Holy Virgin changed His position from the right arm to the left one and practically at the same time, while Her harmed shoulder was bleeding, an abyss opened-up under the fanatic’s feet that had refused to repent himself and swallowed him.
The two simultaneos miracles were seen by many persons.
The eventi s recalled by a latin inscription whose transaltion says: “the impious person didn’t know the Holy Virgin was about to forgive him if only he had repented himself”.

Tuscany – Florence and the famous Piazzale Michelangelo

Piazzale Michelangelo is a famous square with a magnificent panoramic view of Florence, and is a popular tourist destination in the Oltrarno district of the city. The view from this most famous observation point of the city landscape.
It was built in 1869 and designed by architect Giuseppe Poggi on a hill just south of the historic center, on completion of retraining of the left bank of the shore.
The Michelangelo square, dedicated to the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo, has copies of some of his famous works in Florence: the David and the four allegories of the Medici Chapel of San Lorenzo.
These copies are made of bronze, while the originals are all in white marble. The monument was brought up by nine pairs of oxen on 25 June 1873.
The panorama encompasses the heart of Florence from Forte Belvedere to Santa Croce Lungarni through the bridges of Florence and in sequence, especially the Ponte Vecchio, are the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, the Bargello and the octagonal bell tower of the Badia Fiorentina, without forgetting opposed to the hills north of the city with the center and Settignano Fiesole.
The square can be accessed by car along the tree-Viale Michelangelo, or walk the stairs going up the ramps of the monumental Piazza Poggi Poggi in the district of San Niccolò.

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Tuscany – Uncorked: Coastal wines

It’s not usual for me to write about an event that has been and gone, but there’s always an exception to the rule. And of course, the fine wines i shall be describing can be enjoyed at any time.
During the last weekend in May, the beautiful palazzo Real Collegio behind San Frediano Church in Lucca hosted a special event.
The Anteprima Vini della Costa Toscana has been a low key, annual event in Lucca for the past nine years. But this year was different. For the first time the event was open to the public.
The Anteprima is a presentation of wines from the Tuscan Coast. Provinces along the Mediterranean Coast. That principate include Massa Carrara, Lucca, Pisa, Livorno/Bolgheri and Grosseto. Like the french tradition of en primeur, the event allows consumer sto taste wines before they are released into the market. This tradition has esiste in Bordeaux for centuries and is occasionally used in other French and Italian areas. Currently there is a big push to develop the en primeur market in Italy.
Over the years in Italy the Anteprima has been only for a privileged few, but as part of campaign to promote Tuscan coastal wines this year, the event was opened to the public on Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday. There was a small entrance fee wich included the ubiquitous wineglass in pouch around neck for tasting, and then it was open season on a range of wonderful wines.
One display and available for tasting were more than 70 red wines from the Tuscan coastal region (unfortunately white wine lovers would have to sit this on out).
Wine producers included the likes of Fattoria Buonamico, Tenuta Maria Teresa, and Fattoria di Fubbiano from Lucca province and Campo alla Sughera, Grattamacco, and Tenuta San Guido from around Bolgheri, just to name a few.
Rich in the traditional sangiovese grape grown throughout the coastal area, there were also some wines blended with merlot, cabernet and syrah grown locally.
Along with the finale of crowing the Best Sommelier in Tuscany for 2009 Andrea Balleri, from grotta Giusti in Monsummano Terme, the weekend hosted wine seminars, wine tastings, and also included a display of wine paraphernalia and “wine design”, glasses, cork sculptures, carafes and corkscrews object dedicated to the world of wine.
There were so many wines and so little time, as they say.
The promoters, the Associazione Grandi Cru della Costa Toscana (www.grandicru.it) are looking to make this an annual event in Lucca.
By all appearances the inaugural Anteprima looked to be a successful weekend. This wine tasting is certainly worth marking in the calendar for next year.
Newsflash: last month at the Syrah du Monde ( the International competion of best Syrah in the world) local Lucca Winery Tenuta Lenzini was awarded the best Syrah in Italy for its 2007 vintage.

Tuscany – Summer = Sagras

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)

Tuscany – The S. Martino Labyrinth, Lucca

Next to well known monuments as the famous Ilaria del Carretto’s sepulchre by Jacopo della Quercia, the S. Martino Cathedral, built during the sixth century, preserves also some “mysteries” which need to be mentioned.
One of these is with no doubt the labyrinth situated outside the Church, carved on the pillar leaning against the bell tower. Of a circular shape it shows on its side an inscription in Latin hexameters whose translation says: “This is the labyrinth built by the Cretese Dedalo, and once inside, no one could get out; except for teseo, felpe for love, by Arianna’s string”. One can ask oneself why a clearly pagan symbol is placed at the entrance of a Christian Church.
The ansie can be found in the nearly certain allegoric meaning given to the same labyrinth as a place of sin from which only the love of Christ and faith in God can free us, just as Teseo found the exit tank to the Arianna string.