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.
Tag: About Tuscany
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.
Tuscany – Lu. C. C. A. The Living Museum
As the designer dresses and killer heels strained to get a closer view of the dignitaries o fan elegant Palazzo a the Madonna dello Stellario on saturday May 9thm any tourists casually bumping into the scene would have been forgive for believing they’d accidentally driven to Milan rather than Lucca. They were in fact witnessing the opening o fan exibition of 1950s italian abstract art, Un Mondo Visivo Nuovo. Origine Balla, Kandinsky e le astrazioni degli anni ’50.
As one of the Regione, Provincia and Comune authorities addressing the crowd honestly remarked: “Lucca ha ricevuto un regalo bellissimo” ( Lucca has been given a magnificent present). And gift it is as the Lucca Center of Contemporary Art, so suitably acronymed Lu. C.C.A. is the private “10 year dream made real” of modern art lover Angelo Parpinelli. Sixteenth century Palazzo Boccella has been given a stunning revamp in which every detail reflects the aesthetic panache of Italian design, from the white windows screens to the Giugiaro fire extinguishers that could easily have been placed on the wall as exhibits. The lounge cafè with is custom designed table tops is a cool place for the happy hour and you must visit all five modern bagni decorated by contemporary artists and aplty re-named, with a clever pun, Bi-Sogni di Artisti.
The juxtaposition of old and new is most tangible in the cantine built on the base of one of medieval wall towers ( you can still see the stones) where modern sculpture stands alongside 16th century frescos uncovered during restoration. And also on the top floor which offers breathtaking peeks of Lucca rooftops.
The high ceilinged saloni on the first and second floor have been turned into sharp white containers to house exhibitions of contemporary art whilst the ground floor hosts a reception area, multi media and video space plus a photographic exhibition area. The gigantografie currently on show document the rise of modern Milan in the economic boom years of the late 50s and 60s. Architect Luigi Moretti who designed many of these modern tower blocks had an intense artistic correspondence with the painters of ORIGINE and shared their vision of urbanology and role of aesthetics in modern life. Sun bounces boldy off geometrical blocks.
It is pure form and line, with all embellishment and ornamentation banished in tune with the spirit of the paintngs upstairs.
The appreciation of contemporary art requires much more of an effort on the part of the viewer than a cursory walk past figurative paintings, and the marking of another notch on the “have done” art tourist stick. Only if you attempt to relate the work sto their sociological background and context in history will you get a real under standing of the unusual meterials, difficult images and colours.
It is 1951, and the atrocities committed by man against man in World War II have robbed artists of the desire to represent the human figure or recognizable objects. A group of psainters, sculptors, and architects with a shared sensivity and a belief in the moral and social mission of their profession, join together in Rome calling their group ORIGINE.
As the word implies a sort of return to primitive forces, to be espresse through primordial form and symbols. Hence Burri’s work in catrame (tar) and Capogrossi’s cave drawing-like ripetitive symbols.
The exhibition provides excellent commentary ( in Italian and English) on each group of paintings and i was particulary struck by the magazinenes and notebooks displayed in the foyer. Here the artists themselves explain what they were trying to archieve, often in severe manifesto style, but sometimes in great simplicity. With a real optimistic sense of starting over Ettore Colla, sculto and painter, records in his 1955 diary ( a handwritten unpublished text from the Colla Archives, Rome).
I you are not usually attracted to modern art, the artists’ intentions may seem utopian waffle, but here is the trump card of this new museum. Purpose built, the size and lighting of the rooms and the way the works are positioned seem to make you actually touch the paintings whose tones and brushstrokes establish physical contact with the viewer’s consciousness-give them a change and they speak. One emerges from Lu.C.C.A. with a clear vision o fan artistic period, and real sensory experience, unlike many an immense gallery which leale on in a state of overdose and confusion.
And to recreate that feeling at home you can buy the specially chosen music and fragrances – they change for each new show – or buy the catalogue on sale in the shop together with art books, high class custom – designed jewellery, and Lu.C.C.A. merchandise.
Lu.C.C.A. Lucca Center of Contemporary Art
Via della Fratta 36, Lucca
Tel. +39 0583 571712
www.luccamuseum.com
Entrance euro 7,00
Open tuesdays to sundays 10.00 – 19.00
Last ticket sale 18.00
Closed mondays.
Baby sitting services on request, art area specially for children upstairs.
The exhibition “Un Mondo Visivo Nuovo” runs till august 23.