A Walk Through Brisighella

The region of Emilia-Romagna stretches from Tuscany to the Adriatic coast. Many of its cities are well known for their cuisine. It is some of the best in Italy - think Bologna, Parma, and Modena. Of course this region also makes some outstanding cars and motorcycles with famous names like Ferrari, Ducati, Lamborghini, Maserati. Beyond that, there is one of the oldest universities in the world, the University of Bologna. It is a region full of diverse riches including a host of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The Treno di Dante makes a 90 minute stop in Brisighella on some of its itineraries.

There are still some hidden gems in Emilia - Romagna, places off the usual tourist routes. One of these places is the borgo (small village) of Brisighella. I knew nothing about this hamlet before I booked my passage on the vintage Treno di Dante (Dante’s Train) which made a stop there on the way to Ravenna. I included a few photos of Brisighella in last week’s post about the Treno di Dante, but I had so many more photos of this intriguing little village that I had to give it its very own post.

A 90 minute whistle stop doesn’t give nearly enough time to get to know this medieval village. But it’s enough time to spark curiosity and a desire to return. I am already thinking about another visit, perhaps next spring when there is a celebration of the local specialty, the Moretto artichoke. In the meantime, I will share some glimpses of this intriguing borgo.

Looking over Brisighella’s rooftops from up above the Via degli Asini

“Main Street” in Brisighella

From the train station, it is a short walk through a pretty park to get to the center of town.

There is one primary street, lined with cafes, shops, and small restaurants. The buildings are colorful, artisan goods spill out of the shops to invite browsing, and there are lots of flowers. Even the street signs are interesting.

Small alleys and steep stairs branch out from the main road.

The views of the surrounding hills add to the joy of wandering through town.

Above the town are two landmarks. The first is the castle fortress, the Rocca Manfrediana, built in the 14th centrury. The second is the not-quite-so-old (19th century) Torre dell’Orologia (clock tower) that seems to rise magically from the rock formation at its base. In some ways the entire city seems to have risen from the rocks.

Rising above the main street is the Via del Borgo, also known as the Via degli Asini. Long ago this was an important defensive structure. Later asini (donkeys) climbed this street with their loads of gypsum. Today it is lined with small homes with characteristic wooden doors, pretty windows, and a series of arches framing views of the street below and the distant hills.

Up above the Via degli Asini is a pathway that leads to views of rooftops, distant hills, and the fortress. As for the donkeys, the only ones we saw were in a ceramic shop - a colorful souvenir of a stop in Brisighella.

Like other places in Emiglia - Romagna, Brisighella is supposed to have excellent food. On my short visit there was no time for lunch, just a quick coffee. This gives me one more reason to plan a return visit. Next time I will take the regular train, about a 3 1/2 hour journey from my home in Lucca. With winter coming up, I’ll enjoy doing some planning for spring adventures on cold winter morning.

Melograni (pomegranates) growing in Brisighella

November

November is a gentle month here in Lucca. The tourists, who returned this summer and lingered into September and October, have mostly returned to their homes. Lucca Comics and Games, smaller than usual this year but still bringing lots of costumed visitors to town over the Halloween weekend, has come and gone. We may have given up our summer Aperol Spritzes in favor of deep red wines but we are still enjoying outdoor seating at cafes. I am thankful for the ones that have set up heaters so that we can continue to sip a morning cappuccino or an evening aperitivo outside in a pretty piazza.

Of course the very best part of November is the explosion of color throughout Lucca. A walk along Le Mura (the ancient wall surrounding the historic center of town) is a kaleidoscope of changing views. The wall makes a complete circuit, so that some parts face north, others south, still others east or west. Each section is planted with different types of trees and receives varied amounts of sun and shade, so the type of foliage varies as does the progress of color change and the dropping of leaves. In November, the reds, golds, yellows, and browns provide a complex palette of hues. They contrast with the evergreen pine trees, the green of grass and moss, and the ever changing skies.

Along the southern stretch of the wall.

November walks along the wall engage other senses as well - the sound of dried leaves crunching under foot (or the squish of wet ones on rainy days) and the gentle touch of leaves drifting overhead like a colorful snow storm. But beware the less gentle feel of a chestnut falling on your head! And as a bonus - the distant sound of church bells ringing gives many of my November walks a pleasing soundtrack.

A view towards the Church of St. Gemma, outside the walls of Lucca.

Not all the colorful action takes place on the walls. From the walls, the views out over the larger city of Lucca are also full of fall beauty. And those distant hills!

Distant hills make a dramatic backdrop to the walls northern section.

Throughout town the season is changing too. A walk through the botanic gardens is enchanting at this time of year. The trees ringing Piazza Napoleone are changing colors too. Not all the color is on the trees - colorful scarfs are wrapped around the necks of everyone to ward off the chilly weather.

Piazza Napoleone

Street vendors are beginning to roast chestnuts, a smell that hints of winter just around the corner. And while many of the Americans here are beginning to plan Thanksgiving dinners (we are oh so thankful that we can gather together this year), local shops are already beginning to display Christmas goods (I am not ready for that yet!)

Fall in the Orto Botanico (Botanic Garden)

November here is so lovely - the chilly mornings, the long hours of dusk, the mild temperatures, the colorful trees, even the scattered rain showers. Lucca continues to enchant.

Hello Lucca

After several months away, it is a joy to be back in Lucca. I feel a bit like the little bunny in the children’s book Goodnight Moon - only instead of saying goodnight to every little thing, I wander around Lucca saying hello as I greet my favorite sights, sounds, and people.

Piazza San Frediano

Hello pretty square where I can sip a morning cappuccino or an evening cocktail. Hello Torre Guinigi with your tall trees on top. Hello church bells. Hello Saturday flower market in Piazza San Michele.

Hello to the music school with the sounds of practicing students spilling from the windows. Hello stunning architecture. Hello blue Tuscan skies. Hello to Le Mura, the tree-lined wall surrounding the historic center. Hello flower filled balconies. Hello to “La Pupporona”, the graceful nymph who sits atop my very favorite Lucchese fountain.

Hello to the musical Italian language. Hello Maestro Puccini. Hello aperol spritzes on warm summer evenings. Hello gelato! How I’ve missed you all.

Piazza Cittadella - always a favorite spot. That’s Puccini keeping watch over the piazza.

It’s wonderful to say hello to friends I’ve missed while I was away. We have so much catching up to do. And to all my favorite shopkeepers, teachers, and restaurant staff - hello and please excuse my rusty Italian

Some things have surprised me as I’ve slipped back into life in Lucca. I had almost forgotten how lively it is here in a “normal” summer. And while we are not really back to normal yet (masks are still required indoors, the green pass is the new essential, and COVID still poses a threat) there is a definite upbeat change in atmosphere. The streets are busy, tourists have returned, and social groups are meeting once again (outdoors mostly).

While most of the visitors right now are from EU countries, the Americans and Canadians are arriving too, despite frequently changing requirements. One example of those changes - when I arrived on August 28th I needed only to show proof of vaccination status and complete the EU PLF (the on-line passenger tracking form). As of September 1 however, visitors from the US and Canada also need a negative covid test 72 hours before arrival. No quarantine required if fully vaccinated and COVID negative but be prepared to show proof of vaccination and a photo ID to enter most venues.

The return of art exhibits is definitely something to savor. This one is a personal favorite of mine.

Another pleasant find is that while summer 2020 saw the cancellation of almost all events, this summer there are posters up throughout the city advertising concerts, garden shows, art exhibits, and other upcoming events. This past weekend the fall garden show (Murabilia), cancelled last September, took place along the city walls.

Perhaps best of all, the Cartasia (Biennale poster above) art show has returned (after a year’s delay) with installations all through town. I’m looking forward to exploring this always fascinating display of paper art.

One of the many paper art installations around Lucca, part of the Lucca Biennale Cartasia show.

I’m looking forward to visits from several American friends in the next few weeks and to doing some fall travel within Italy. And even though I already miss my family and friends in the US, it is good to be back. Hello Lucca!

Autumn in the Val d'Orcia

Tuscany is incredibly diverse. The land includes hills, valleys, mountains, forests, rivers, marshlands, lakes, and coastlines. There is even an island - Elba. Tuscany boasts small hilltop villages that few tourists have discovered, popular walled cities such as Lucca, the bustling port city of Livorno, Florence which is famous for its art and architecture, industrial areas and transportation centers. Whew - I could go on and on describing all the different aspects of Tuscany.

But when you ask someone to close their eyes and picture Tuscany, the image they are very likely to conjure is one of soft hillsides dotted with farmhouses, winding roads lined with tall cypress trees, fields terraced with grapevines, and groves of olive trees. This classic image of Tuscany comes from one specific area - the Val d’Orcia.

A classic Tuscan landscape, just outside of the small hamlet of Montichiello in the Val d’Orcia

The Val d’Orcia lies in south central Tuscany, beginning just south of the city of Siena. The whole region - comprised of the municipalities of Montalcino, San Quirico d’Orcia, Pienza, Castiglione d’Orcia, and Radicofani - is a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are no big cities in this region. Small towns and even smaller picture-perfect hilltop villages are scattered throughout. Driving around the Val d’Orcia provides one astonishing view after another. Gorgeous at any time of year, seeing the Val d’Orcia in fall is a special treat.

After the harvest, grape leaves turn gold and red on the vines

The colors of autumn, as the leaves on the grapevines turn gold and then red, the olives ripen on the trees, the valleys and oak forests shimmer with color, are nothing sort of breathtaking. I was fortunate to spend a week in this area in late October / early November - peak color season. Each day brought changes - deepening hues on the grapevines, vines which seemed on fire as their red leaves climbed up stone walls, waves of yellow in the fields, ground covered with oak leaves which crunched beneath my feet as I walked, and the sound of acorns falling from the trees.

As a bonus, the autumn skies had ever changing cloud formations and mornings often began with deep fog rolling down the valley, cloaking familiar sights in an air of mystery.

As for the autumn sunsets and moonrises - wow.

Dusk in the Val d’Orcia, from the grounds of Agriturismo Cretaiole near Pienza

The Val d’Orcia is beautiful when viewed close up on a walk or on a drive, but is even more spectacular when viewed from high up in a hill town. There is something deeply moving about these small hill top villages, about the land here, and about the changing seasons view from above. It fills me with a sense of peace, hope, and the feeling that everything really will be all right with the world, everything in its season.

Fall seen from Montepulciano which lies just beyond the border of the Val d’Orcia

As Italy entered into a “soft” lockdown (less restrictive than last spring, more restrictive than summer and early fall), I felt incredibly fortunate that it was still possible for me to travel to this part of Tuscany and experience the wonder of autumn in the Val d’Orcia. The experience was not diminished by the need to wear masks outdoors, the lack of evening dining (the latest decree meant that restaurants had to close by 6pm that week), frequent hand washing and never being far from a bottle of hand sanitizer, and the closure of many shops. In fact, I think those restrictions gave me a deeper appreciation for the things we can still do and the beauty we can still experience. And next year, when (fingers crossed) things open up again, I hope that visitors will once again return to this region. The area will need our support to recover from this year of economic hardship and we will need the beauty of these places to help restore our spirits.

Sunset, near Pienza, early November 2020