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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.

Tuscany – A NewsAgents in The Sun

This coming summer my husband Stefano and I will be celebrating our first anniversary as the new proprietors of “ The editor’s Script” newsagents and bookshop in Ponte a Serraglio, Bagni di Lucca.And what a year it has been! Wanting to live the Tuscan dream, we packed up and left bonny Scotland where we had been based for over five years.
We found our dream home in a tiny village up in the hill that surround Bagni di Lucca. Next on our list was to find an income.Chatting with a neighbor one day we discovered that the newsagents in Ponte a Serraglio was up for sale.
This type of business marked a complete contrast to our backgrounds.Stefano has spent many years working as an information management consultant in the public sector, while my background is in the field of mental health and learning difficulties.
We spent a huge amount of time humming and hawing, weighing up the pros and cons, the what ifs, etc etc. once we had finally decided to go for it there was no turning back.It would be somewhat of an understatement to say that the locals were surprised to find that an Irish woman who spoke very little Italian had taken over 60-year old business.
They have been very welcoming and encouraging, wishing us the best of luck.They didn’t seem to mind too much about having to repeat / point at/ mime when they came to buy something ( I think) . Thankfully my Italian has much improved and I am now able to have a wee chat and find out the latest happenings. For our foreign customers we stock a selection of a new and used books, in English and other languages, international newspapers and magazines, guide books and maps etc.
We are now aiming to radically increase the bookshop section of our business covering subjects from fiction and narrative to current affairs and essays.
Dealing directly with UK publishers helps to keep prices down and competitive. Soon we will be offering our customers free Wi-Fi Internet connection so that they can surf while they enjoy an ice- cream or sip a cappuccino in the square.
We also act as an unofficial information site with people popping in to ask about good places to eat, places of interest etc. And with the bike rental service we are going to offer soon, Bagni di Lucca and the surrounding beautiful hills will be your playground …
So, coming up to a year, does our Tuscan dream hold up to our expectations?
In the beginning there was a fair bit of stress involved in getting to know the ropes of how the business worked such as dealing with orders, deliveries and all the administrative stuff.
But that soon became a thing of the past. Getting up at five-thirty every morning is still tough especially during wintertime when you need to leave a nice warm bed.
However, in our old life, working in highly-demanding professional jobs, we were up almost as early. But instead of a long commute in a packed train, we now have a ten minute drive down beautiful Tuscan hills where we often come across deer and porcupines.
The sunshine and the view of the river Lima also make for a much nicer working environment. We have met a lot of people, some who have become good friends, and we have become part of a community.
Our plan now for the near future is to update and refurbish the business, expanding the available space and the same time putting our mark on it. At the end of the day, enjoying a nice glass of wine, weighing everything up, we agree that we have made the right choice. Our “no going back” is for real… and not just a reality TV show.
Stefano Pilloni is a member of CILIP, the Charted Institute of Library and Informations Professionals.

Tuscany – Do I need a GPS in Tuscany?

Absolutely! And even then you cannot be sure you will get where you want to go. Our family stayed at the wonderful Villa Boschiglia, near charming Lucca in the heart of Tuscany. It was the greatest place from which to take day trips throughout the region. We always left right on time, but I cannot say the same for our returns. To paraphrase, getting there (or home) was half the fun. Here are but a few of the crazy driving days we had.

Our group of eight adults traveled in two cars with two crazy drivers. Both cars set off one day for the white marble mountains of Carrara. One driver set off following the GPS while the other decided to go his own way. As a result we drove on approximate parallel routes to Carrara, but never close to each other. Thankfully, we had phones. After many calls attempting to get back together on the drive, we gave up, and decided to meet in the town. Let’s just say one car made it to the appointed spot with no problem. The other arrived only after several more phone calls. Road signs are not posted in a way that matches American driving logic, and we used a lot of valuable minutes up that day.

On another day, that same car with a mind of its own, drove right through a NO TRESPASSING active hunting preserve. They had decided to take the scenic tour. I think everyone knows that scenic tours always take longer. This was pretty much the routine and one driver remained in hot water most of the trip, if you know what I mean. The conclusion can only be: Get a GPS for every car, a good map for backup, and instill an appropriate degree of discipline in anyone venturesome enough to serve as driver!

Posted by: Leslie Halloran

Tuscany – Lucca -The devil’s stone

Designed by Nicolao Civitali in 1512 the Palazzo Bernardini, presently the headquarters of the Industrials Association, dominates with its imposing presence the homonymous piazza which is situated towards east not far from the S. Michele piazza.
If one looks at the first window to the right frame is curved towards the outside.
The people from Lucca calli t the “devil’s stone” according to a very old legend.
When, during the fifteenth century, the Bernardini’s, an aristocratic family from Lucca decided to build the palazzo, a holy image situated just where the frame was placed got destre. Then when the stone got walled it curved refusing to adapt to the window.
Many attempts were done to wall it again but with no success, not even when adding metal supports. In the end the same workers, scared by the event they believed to be over natural, refused to work further. So the stone remained in the same position in wich it is today and the mystery still remains:natural event or sign of God?
There is another curiosity in the palazzo: here are kept the handcuffs which tightened the wrists of the “condottiero” from Lucca Castruccio Castracani when he was imprisoned by Uguccione della Faggiola.

Tuscany and women

Women who follow their instict, and strive to fulfil their dreams, who find space and time and come to Tuscany.
Tuscany Welcomes Women is designed to meet the destre of these free, indipendent and romantic women who love travelling and meeting other people, pampering themselves and living themselves a holiday, a moment of pleasure in search of emotion and knowledge.
Tuscany Welcomes Women welcomes you to a region that has come up with this possibility, making made to measure offers for women travelling alone, with children or female fiends.
The women who come here will find the care and attention of selected structures with different programmes and proposing different ideas, with special offers and discounts for beauty treatments, spa treatments and cultural events.
Think of the holiday that awaits you, of what you will experience, get an advance taste of your Tuscan experience by plucking from your imagination a name, a location, a trip, that inspires you and that has drawn your attention. Then forget all the rest.
You can count on the female entrepreneurs who care part of Tuscany Welcomes Women to organise a holiday rich in emotions.
We knew that with their help we would be alble to offer a lot: a rich and open region, welcoming and generous with women who want to communicate and rediscover the things that count.
Besides, with their sensitivity what better approach could there be to the region’s treasures than a woman’s.
You will be able to come in contact with different worlds, from the splendour of the Medici cities to the infinite number of small villages, ridde and enveloped in the charm of a never ending story.
A closely woven fabric, dense in emotions in which art leale room for the countryside and the flavours of the countryside, and the flavours of the cuisine are the cue for getting to know the territory, cultures and traditions.
In the Tuscany Welcomes Women project the rules are changed, another language reigns, the language of relaxation, rest, but also of discovery research, pleasure, all designed to fit in with your desires.

The project is arranged into several themes:
. knoledge and learning
. active holidays
. society life
. well being spiritualità and meditation
. ecology and country life

These themes are basic concepts that can be furtherexplored tank to numerous possible activities designed especially for women.
Let yourselves be guided and you will discover a unique Tuscany where harony and equilibrium reign, the colours conjure up desires and views trigger off sweet sensations.
Against this background you can experience your holiday increasingly in the driving seat, and lessa s onlookers.
Women travelling with children can find ad hoc structures and staff, with ideas designed for children. “pearshaps also in the company of female friends” you can celebrate an event, create a personalized stay, devote your time to shopping and society life, to cultural life and your healt with walking, cycling and horse riding.
The tourist packages of various kinds, from days devoted to relaxation in a spa to visiting a wine cellar with wine tasting, from a course in local cuisine to a walk in the woods or in the regional parks, a dinner in a typical restaurant to taste the flavour of tradition and play at the theatre or in a town square following the “events calendar” for the period and the city you are visiting.
In addition, there are holidays designed for those who want to learn something new: including activities starting in the morning, at a leisurely time, for you to relax and forget the frenetich rhythms of every day routine, until the evening, when you late in the many night spots that offer entertainment of all types together with typical dishes.
Tuscany Welcomes Women provides a welcoming stay in a hotels, period residences, solida farms and bed & breakfast that are taking part in the iniziative. If you want to taste dishes from the traditional cuisine you can have lunch or dinner in the restaurants participating to the project Vetrina Toscana a Tavola.