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Tuscany – Summer: Oh No! Mosquitoes!

One of the less wonderful elements o fan italian summer is bug life. Even if you are staying high abd dry little creatures will find you. One summer night around midnight in a pitch-black country house i awoke to what appare to be the light of a cigarette slowly approaching mu bed. Shuddering in fear, i turned off his. What a relief to see that the silent intruder was a firefly and not a man! The next day i had my bed enveloped in a “zanzariera” gauzy white mosquito netting. Ever since, i’ve enjoyed the safety and beauty of sleeping under netting. Mosquito nets are sold in town at Texnova, Lunata.
People often ask me what to do about mosquitoes (zanzare), so i took a survey and here are some othe solutions:
Windows screens: while not 100% effective they to help. On the other hand, they collect dirt and obscure one’s view of the world outside.
Wind: mosquitoes don’t like fly against the wind, so a fan blowing across one’s bed on a hot night i san effective deterrent.
Smoke: my father, an inveterate smoker, swore that leaving a cigarette burning during barbecues would keep insects at bay.
he learned this during his years in the Navy and Coast Guard, many of them spent in the South pacific.
Citronella candles are also effective. Green chimica spirals (zampirone) work even better but should only be used outdoors.
Organic: alloro or waxy laurel rubbed on the skin in the chosen solution of my contadina neighbor, but years ago when her husband raised vegetables in the paludi he rubbed down vith winebar. Eating garlic or pesto also helps, in my opinion.
Animal friends: geco make welcome house-guests since they dine on mosquitoes and othe insects. Bats eat insects, as do sswallows.
Prevention: standing water attracts mosquitoes! So doeas the organic garbage which the city, inexplicably, only picks up two or three times a week. To avoid both odors and insects, you can freeze your organic trash if it won’t be collected for a few days.
Skin products such as Autan come in spray and stick form, but they contain chemicals. Special doseges are made for babies and small children. Wash hands after application. Anti mosquito wipes ( salviette antipuntura) containing eucalyptus and citronella are available in grocery stores. Easy to carry when you travel.
Electrical devices: with containers for chemicals work well. These diffuse low doses of poison into the atmosphere..In the old days entire towns were sprayed with DDT, but unless we are inveded by zanzare tigri probably that won’t happen here.
Electronic zappers attract bugs and suck the minto their deadly trap. Good for industrial-level usage,outdoor picnic areas, etc.
If mosquitoes become unbearble, you can head for the beach, plunge into the waves..and watch out for the medusa! But that’s another problem…

Tuscany – Orbetello, a thin strip of land located on the coastal lagoon.

Orbetello is a town and commune in the province of Grosseto, is located on the eponymous lagoon, which is home to an important Natural Reserve.
Orbetello was an ancient Etruscan settlement, which in 280 BC passed under the control of the Romans, who had founded their colony of Cosa (near the modern Ansedonia).
The small island where it stands is surrounded by the Levante and Pontente Lagoons, known respectively as Tombolo della Feniglia and Tombolo della Giannella. These offer the visitor many kilometers of charming beaches.

For more informations visit: www.turismo.intoscana.it

Tuscany – Undiscovered Lucca, walking tour by night.

“Lucca insolita” is an iniziative by the local tourist board, a guided walking tour will leave Piazza San Michele every Sunday evening throughout august.
Grapevine went along to one of the july events to find out more.
Our route took us from Piazza San Michele, through Piazza Bernardini to Piazza San Martino and finally to the Orto Botanico. But as we entered Palazzo Bernardini, suddenly we were not alone, there stood the architect himself Nicolao Civitali in doublet and hose. More surprises follone “bad girl” Lucrezia Buonvisi in the beautiful setting of the convento f the Servi, and finally the ghost of Lucida Mansi (yes, yet another conveniently deceased husband) ceaselessly roamin the orto Botanico and gazing at her reflection in the little pool.
Lucca is wonderful by night, flaming torches, magical lighting effects, and kind temperature. We guarantee the tour, led by a knowledgeable guide, will reveal secrets of Lucca you won’t have known.
And the partecipation of members of the young Theatre Company of Lucca, responsible for bringing to life characters from the city’s history is a bonus.

The tour can be booked for a cost of euro 7,00 per person, at the tourist office in Piazzale Verdi. Each tour starts around 9.00 pm and lasts two tours, on every sunday evening throughout august. Up to 30 people can be accomodated in each group, with one group conducted in italian and the other in english.

Tuscany – The Great Italian Bread Myth

Come on, admit it, British bread is much better than this Italian stuf…
On a recent trip to the UK, i finally found something that i mis; it’s a nice fresh soft load of Mother’s Pride from the local supermarket.
Processed food, probably filled with all kinds of weird modified, life-threatening chemicals, but doesn’t it taste good? It makes perfect toast, lightly grilled with butter or, better still, a real treat with the centre pulled out and rolled into a ball in the palmo f your hands and then eaten in one mouthful. Delicious. It i salso a really good way of clearing your hands. Admittley, your local branch of Sainsbury’s or Waitrose is more likely to be offering French baguette or Italian ciabatta but at least you can still buy unhealthy bread in Britain if you go to the right places. You can even geti t in restaurants. Well, i say reastaurants but you know what i mean, those places where you can get a real English breakfast anytime of day.
Actually, Eglish breakfast is another thing i miss, but i’ll tray and stay focussed on the bread. On my recent trip, i was reminded that Englsh breakfast even comes served with a dollop of brown sauce, unless you are really quick and stop them, but who is that together at 8 am after the insanely early Pisa_Liverpool Ryanair flight? But then who said there is no remaining traditional colour in the UK? An equivalent activity in one of the villeges of the Garfagnana Valley would have us all trekking up there in search of some local caracter and maybe a glass of grappa as we head for the door. But try buying a grappa anywhere else in the world but Italy and you will run into problems there must be a reason for that? Sorry, i am getting diverted again.
Sure, you can get approximations of soft bread in Italy. Conad makes one which isn’t bad when it is fresh. Giusti’s, the excellent bread shop in Lucca, however, singularly, fails to come up to the mark in the field of unhealty processed bread, in spite of being an otherwise impressive operation.
Just off Piazza San Michele, i have never seen such a popular shop. It can be quicker getting served in the bank than buying your daily bread from them. They have an unusual queuing method where everyone who arrives after you seems to get served first.
But i suppose it at least helps you learn to mix it with the locals; either that or starve. They also have unusual names for the bread, boy Scouts? Militari? What is that all about? Give me a couple of baps every time.
But their bread is admittedly excellent; crusty, fresh, tasty, it even has salt in it. And Giusti’s flour is a prime ingredient, brought in fresh from the wheat fields of the Padana river basin, or somewhere, and lovingly prepared by committed professionals. Just think of a Mulino Bianco advert to get the full effect of the image i am trying to create here. You know the thing, crusty bread with rich green olive oil dripping down your chin as you take a bite, sorrounded by laughing children and old folk gathered around the farmhouse table.
So what is my problem? Why the login for the processed aquidgy stuff which is about as good for you as a dose of Swine Flu?
I’m not saying that Mother’s Pride is a real alternative to fresh Lucchese bread. Even if it does fit in the toaster it still doesn’t absorb the olive oil. I’ve tried; it still doesn’t absorb the olive oil. I’ve tried; it all just drips off leaving the bread completely unmarked.
So iìm not really sure where the login for nasty processed British bread comes from and what it says about my mental health. But it is there so i guess it is just something i need to deal with and try to accept what is probably obvious to all for you: That you cannot really compare production line bread with something produced by an artisan. It is like comparing a Ford Focus with a Ferrari.
But then again, which one would you choose if you actually needed to drive somewhere?
(Mauro Vincent)

Antico Forno Amedeo Giusti:
Via S.Lucia 18/20 – 55100 Lucca
Tel: 0583 496285

e-mail: fornoavapore-giusti@luccavirtuale.it

Tuscany – Colle di Compito Lucca, the “Fiorita”

The “Fiorita” is a decorative carpet created every year to furnish the Sanctuary at Colle di Compito in celebration of Corpus Domini in the Church calendar. This year, i twill remain in place throughout the month of July and until mid August.
As the name suggests, the carpet is mainly made of flowers, but also contains sawdust, seeds and other materials. The tradition of making the carpet had in fact been lost for many years until about eighteen years ago, when some young people in the village decided to revive it.
For their first “Fiorita” tthey used designs from previous festyivals, but as years have passed, their designs have grown more elaborate and original, reflecting much painstaking work.
Each year, it takes over a month to realise the “Fiorita” from the original design stage to finally putting the last flore in place.
The work is carried out by a dedicated team of all ages, from the elderly women who cut the flowers, down to the children who offer their moral support and at the same time themselves learn the techniques which although as simple as the tools used to execute them, require great care and expertise.
Every year, the choice of ever more elaborate designs and the continued search for improvement produces a final result that is even grander than the year before, and which more than repays all the effort involved.
For this reason, the people of Colle di Compito invite everyone who whishes to see “Fiorita” to make their way to the village at this time of the year and ask for the Chiesa dell’Immacolata Concezione at Cima di Colle.
You can ask anyone in the village for directions. As the photographs hint, you will not be disappointed.

From the Via di Tiglio in Lucca, take the Strada Statale SS 439 out of Lucca, signposted towrds Pontedera. You will reach Colle di Compito in around 20 minutes by car, (13 kms from Lucca centre.)