Italy in Phase Three

It’s July and here in Italy we have now moved into Phase Three of the COVID-19 response. This further easing of restrictions, which began on June 15, is a slow roll out of what promises to be a long period of the “new normal.”

Some measures remain in place. Masks are still required, though now only in enclosed public spaces (groceries, shops, offices, banks) or when in groups. Here in Lucca that means early morning walks on Le Mura (the walls surrounding the historic center) when there are no crowds can be enjoyed without a mask. Wow — that’s huge progress. When walking, masks are in hand, or around the neck, ready to be pulled into place when meeting someone and stopping to chat face to face.

Social distancing poles dot the beach in Lerici.

Social distancing is required, even on the beaches. Large group meetings are still banned and public schools remain closed.

Lucca Italian School, a private school where I continue to study Italian, has reopened for small, socially distanced group learning and priviate instruction (they also continue to offer online lessons). Thinking about the huge garden space that surrounds the school, and the large and lovely terrace, I know that this is the place to study Italian this summer!

Other big changes include playgrounds reopening as of mid-June (a joy for kids and parents alike) and the carousel in Lucca’s biggest piazza, Piazza Napoleone, is once again whirling happy children around and around on a variety of fantastic animals.

It wouldn’t be summer without a ride on Lucca’s beautiful carousel.

Amateur sports have been permitted since late June. Just think how happy Italian kids are to get back to playing soccer! Movie theaters and performance spaces have opened as well with limits as to the number of people admitted at any one time. The outdoor movies, a highlight of summer here in Lucca, have begun too. This year they will limit attendance, require advance seat reservations, and provide plenty of space between movie goers.

A spritz on Piazza San Michele - perfect on a summer evening and a post-lockdown treat

By mid-July nightclubs can begin to open, with socially distant dance floors. No dirty dancing allowed! And bring a mask for the dance floor, removing it to sip a drink when not dancing.

I must say that this is an activity I can skip altogether. I’m content with sipping a coffee at a cafe or a drink on a warm summer evening in a pretty piazza.

I have a new appreciation for these simple pleasures.

Travel is also opening up, with travelers from EU countries as well as England and Ireland, allowed to visit Italy without the need for a quarantine on arrival as of mid-June. Soon, travelers from non-EU countries who have managed to gain control of their COVID infections will be allowed to return as well. Sadly, the United States will not meet the requirements as COVID continues to run rampant there and so no tourists from the U.S. will be permitted to enter Italy (or most EU countries). It’s a bit unclear at this point when those of us who live in Italy, but need to make a trip back to the United States in the coming weeks, will be permitted to return to our Italian homes. One thing for certain is that we will need to self-quarantine for two weeks on our return.

A recent road trip took me past the tiny hill town of Castello di Nozzano. The ability to get out to hill towns, beaches, mountains, and cities is a huge benefit of Italy entering Phase 3.

The best part of the advance into Phase Three is that it means that with continued social distancing and prevention measures, Italy has, through much economic and social pain, not just flattened the curve but driven the new cases down to a trickle.

Spring 2020

Spring is perhaps the most glorious time of year in Italy. The sun shines, plants bloom in sequence, beginning with the magnolias and then on to the wisteria. Later, the hydrangeas bud, blossoming as summer begins.

Magnolias in early bloom, just before the lockdown began, March 2020

Trees also bud and then begin to leaf. Wildflowers grow along stone walls throughout the countryside and Le Mura (Lucca’s historic walls) have their share of wildflowers as well. Flowers appear in window boxes and on terraces as people shop the traditional spring garden markets. Locals and visitors alike begin to revel in mild temperatures, enjoy walks along Le Mura, sip coffees at outdoor tables in pretty piazzas, make excursions to the countryside, and trips to those spring flower markets.

Buying flowers at the traditional Santa Zita Flower Market April 2019

At least, that is what spring is normally like here. This year, however, is anything but normal. I know it is spring because the calendar tells me the spring equinox has passed. And, in late March, Italy changed to daylight savings time. Easter has come and gone, though without the usual festivities. The days are longer and warmer. But, spending most of my time indoors, I find few visual clues to remind me that Mother Nature is shrugging off her winter sweaters for more colorful spring garb. It seems as though I am missing seeing spring unfold because of the quarantine restrictions. Judy, although she lives not far from me, is having a different experience both because of geography (she can see Lucca’s walls from her street) and because she has a dog and the rules here allow a bit more liberty for dog walking (see her post from last Monday for her perspective on spring). I am spending the lockdown in a relatively small (though lovely) apartment in the center of town (no views of the walls) and my outdoor walks until this week have been limited to the couple of streets around my apartment. For the most part I have only been able to imagine what is unfolding outside. Missing spring’s beauty hurts, but in light of the bigger tragedies unfolding around us it seems a small sacrifice.

A stone wall, somewhere in Tuscany, spring 2019

I do catch glimpses of spring as I walk to the market for groceries, across town to the cleaners, or around to my mailbox. And, I am lucky to have a view to a pretty courtyard and garden just across from my apartment.

Joanne feels lucky to see these pretty photinia bushes from her window.

More fortunate still are those who have a little garden space of their own, a huge bonus in a city like Lucca, especially during this quarantine. My friend Michael has such a garden and I am thankful that he shares photos of emerging bulbs and greening trees - it’s a sort of mental oasis! (Photos below by M. Boyd, used with permission).

So, to celebrate this unusual spring, I thought I would post some photos of springs past and present in and around Lucca. And - good news - as of May, because the lockdown has worked to decrease the spread of the virus, we are once again permitted to go for walks throughout Lucca. Today the walls will reopen. Joy! The wisteria may have faded, and we may all be wearing masks, but there is still a lot of spring to be enjoyed! -post by Joanne

Spring flowers in the Cinque Terre, spring 2018

Wildflowers along the fosso (canal) in Lucca, spring 2018

Today I Walked to the Mailbox: Quarantine Day 3,427

Okay - so I exaggerate just a bit.  It isn’t really day 3,427 of the quarantine lockdown here in Lucca.  But some days it sure feels as though it is.  

The days take on a sameness, which feels a bit like living in the film “Groundhog Day” (and who would have thought that possible at the beginning of my exciting Italian adventure?). It feels especially long because the tentative end date has just been pushed out again, this time from April 15 to the new tentative date of May 3. There is logic to this new date - the curve of disease cases has flattened but not quite enough to return to normal and there is fear that the April holidays will encourage too many big gatherings. These April events include Easter and the day after, which is also a national holiday, the Sunday after Easter when the celebration of Lucca’s liberation from Pisa takes place with all of its Medieval pageantry, Liberation Day on the 25th, marking the end of Nazi occupation in Italy, and right on to the first of May, which is another national holiday.  So, waiting until May 3 to begin to loosen the restrictions makes sense.   

Last year crowds gathered to celebrate the liberation of Lucca from Pisa in the 1300s. No such gatherings will take place this year.

The people I know are mostly in good spirits here and have taken to heart the two Italian sayings: Io Resto a Casa (I Stay at Home) and Andrà Tutto Bene (It Will All be OK). And yet, we are getting restless with days that center around mundane tasks masquerading as big outings - taking the trash out, going to the laundromat, grocery shopping. Worse, the days seem to go from “what can I have for breakfast” to “is it time for a coffee” to “oh good, it’s time for lunch” to “hey, is it too early for a cocktail” to “what’s for dinner” and, worst of all to “oh my gosh I’m out of cookies.”  This focus on food (a natural side effect of combined anxiety, sadness, and inability to leave the house I’m told) is worse due to our marked decrease in outdoor activity and exercise. One can only walk circles in the house and hoist cans of tomatoes as ersatz weights so many times a day. We live in fear of gaining the Covid 15 (or should that be the Covid 19?).

A pretty terrace above old brick walls, out by my mailbox

Today, because I’m expecting a package, I made an excursion to my mailbox. There are two ways for me to get to the mailbox. I can go through the lobby of my building, down a hallway, out the room where the bikes are stored and then out the portone (big door) to the back of the building where the boxes are. This requires three door keys and a flashlight for the dark part of a hallway.  Or, I can go out my front door, walk half a block down my pretty street, turn up a tiny covered alley (top photo), and through a pretty outdoor space to the back of my building. Option 2 is much more inviting!    

The outdoor space behind my building is a hidden gem. It isn’t an official piazza and it has neither a name nor a designation on my map. But, like so many hidden corners here in Lucca, it is a fascinating and charming space. 

Quintessentially Lucca, the small courtyard behind my building

There are balconies and large terraces to be seen, beautiful brick work, pretty and neatly tended front doors, graceful street lights, and mysterious old wooden doors. 

What’s behind these old doors ? I keep thinking it would be a good spot for a table, some chairs, and an outdoor reading space. I don’t think my condo association would go for that idea though.

I enter through the small alley with an arched roof, at the other end of the space and just around a bend is the back of a little church (now used as an exhibit gallery). 

Santa Giulia Church, from the back. This church sits across from the Boccherini Institute and is now used as an exhibit space.

Take a few steps further (permitted if I’m heading to the grocery story after checking the mail) and you get to two of my favorite views in Lucca - the Piazza Suffragio in front of the Boccherini institute to the right and the Vicolo dell’Altopascio to the left.  All this just steps from my apartment’s mailbox.  

Vicolo dell”Altopascio

I might still be in lockdown here, but most days I’ll make at least one trip out to check my mail. With scenes like this, the quarantine is a bit less difficult.

Wherever you are during this challenging time, I hope you are safe and hopeful. And I would love to see you here in Italy when the day comes that we can all travel once again. -post by Joanne

Looking down onto the Piazza Suffragio in front of the Boccherini Institue

Wine Tasting in Tuscany

In fall 2018, I spent a day driving through the Chianti region with friends (see A Taste of Chianti, October 2018). I’d been itching to get back to that area ever since, for its beauty and for the opportunity to do some wine tasting. The regional wine is Chianti Classico - a medium-bodied, dry red wine made mostly from Sangiovese grapes, grown and produced in the limited geographic area of the original five Chianti villages (outside of this small region the wine might be called Chianti, but it can not be labeled Chianti Classico nor can it carry the Gallo Nero (black rooster) symbol). And while I appreciate good wine, and loved my first experience with genuine Chianti Classico last year, I am definitely not a wine expert. And that’s where Mirko Gosgnach and Frontier Wine Tours enter the picture.

Mirko is an Italian/Canadian who knows a lot about wine, especially Chianti Classico.

He works with a small group of wine experts to help support smaller vineyards in the Chianti Classico region, to market their wines and to teach people like me about vines, grapes, wine production and the beauty of the Chianti region.

And since you can’t properly learn about wine without visiting the vineyards and tasting, Mirko leads wine-tasting tours, which is how I came to join a group of friends for a day with Mirko exploring the wines of the Chianti Classico region.

The day began in Italian style with a cappuccino at a local bar in Lucca where our group gathered to meet Mirko. We settled into his big, comfy SUV and quickly learned that we were in for a fun day visiting two wineries, one of which was on the grounds of a historic villa. The villa was not open to the public but, lucky us, Mirko had the keys! We also discovered that he not only speaks perfect English (along with fluent Italian) but he is charming, funny, knowledgeable, and flexible. And, he is prone to breaking into song as he drives through beautiful Tuscan landscapes.

Canonica a Cerato (the chapel)

Our first stop was at Canonica a Cerreto, just east of Siena in the comune of Castelnuovo Berardenga, part of the Chianti Classico region. The first wines were produced here a thousand years ago for the monks of Siena. The name, Canonica, reflects its origins as a summer rectory for the monks, and Cerreto, the name of the oak trees in the surrounding woods. Loosely translated: Little Chapel in the Oak Woods.

Today the vines cover gentle hills and the grapes are harvested by hand and aged in oak barrels. Around 120,000 bottles are produced each year, some of which are exported to the United States but many of which remain in local wine shops. And while the modern area for processing and bottling the wine is new, the older cellar is where we tasted the wines.

The old wine cellar and tasting room at Canonica a Cerreto

What lovely wines they were! Some were DOCG wines (this designates a wine of highest quality under Italian standards, with strict requirements for production and taste), including a wonderful Chianti Classico Riserva.

My favorite wine was the Sandiavolo (a bit of an oxymoron, which translates to Saint Devil). Sandiavolo carries an IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) label. Restrictions for IGT wines are less strict and allow producers more flexibility in the blends of grapes used, though the grapes still come from a single region. This type of wine is often called “Super Tuscan.” And the Sandiavolo really was super! A blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, it was … well, I can only say it was smooth, dry yet fruity, with not too much tannin. I am not nearly wine savvy enough to say things like “notes of blackberry, a hint of mineral” but Wine Spector gave the 2006 vintage this review: “generous, complex, elegant, and sweet. Small red and blackberries are in perfect equilibrium with a hint of forest floor, mineral notes, and sweet balsamic spice.” Uh huh … that’s just what I meant.

View from the terrace at Canonica a Cerreto

Canonica a Cerreto is also a stunning villa. Initially built as a retreat for clergy from Siena, remodeled by the Bishop of Siena in the 1700s. It passed into private hands in the early 1900s and sat abandoned from about 1930 until 1978. Since then it has been owned by the same Italian family who have restored the property, maintaining original character wherever possible. The results are a home elegant and comfortable filled with art and unique furnishings. And views to the Tuscan countryside!

Armed with several bottles of Canonica wine, we headed to lunch at restaurant Peposo in the nearby village of Pianella. Lunch featured regional Tuscan food - a starter of several types of cold cuts, cheese, a bruschetta with sausage and stracchino cheese, and some stuffed zucchini blossoms. Next came a primi (first course) of two types of pasta (light as a feather gnocchi with Bolognese sauce and a ricotta-filled ravioli with sage and butter) followed by a second course of roast meats (sausage, pork, and lamb). All were delicious and the setting, a long table on a pretty outdoor patio, made for a relaxed lunch with good conversation. The meal ended with coffee and a desert of a grilled peach topped with amaretti crumbles. If you find yourself driving through the hills of Chianti, it’s worth a stop here for lunch or dinner. The day was already perfect, and we had one more winery to visit after lunch.

The second winery, Fattoria Lornano, also operates as an agriturismo, hosting visitors who can enjoy their lovely gardens, pool, and Tuscan views. Here we tasted light summery rosato (rose) wines, a couple of Chianti Classicos (one a Reserva and one their most special Gran Selezione - a limited production of a fantastic wine).

Fattoria and Agriturismo Lornano

We ended with tasting a Vin Santo that one of our party called “nectar of the Gods.” It was simply the best Vin Santo I have ever tasted.

The wines of Fattoria Lornano

The day was one of those peak experiences - good company, great wines, wonderful food, and Tuscany. It doesn’t get much better. . There might even have been singing on the drive home. -post by Joanne

Contact information : www.Frontierwinetours.com

Mirko Gosgnach email: contact@frontierwinetours.com +39 338 608 5634

A French Market in an Italian Town

On a recent spring morning, I woke up as usual in my apartment in Lucca, Italy. But by the afternoon, I had the sense that I’d been transported to a little town in France. The reason behind my confusion was the arrival of a French Market, which suddenly appeared in the aptly named Piazza Napoleone, right here in Lucca. 

French bread baked in an Italian piazza

II love European markets and have been delighted to visit them in many cities. Although I am a confirmed lover of all things Italian, I must admit that most of my favorite markets have been in France.  

The charming market in Uzes, France, 2014

In France, I especially loved the weekly outdoor market in the tiny town of Uzes, the large indoor market in Avignon, and a lively market with a whole street of olive vendors in the town of Charon sur Saone. Visiting each was a thrill for me, but I never expected to find a French market here in Lucca. 

Market in Uzes, France, 2014

The Luccchese French Market was a “pop-up” market, here only for a long weekend in mid-May. How delightful to wander through a French bakery (with baguettes, brioche, and pastries baked right on site), a patisserie, and a whole stall of French biscuits and cookies.

There was also a colorful spice market and, of course, gorgeous French cheeses, tarts, and wines.

The spice vendor used this long-handled scoop to fill bags of spices.

In addition to the food booths, there were vendors selling a variety of French products. I browsed through stalls with French soaps, perfumes, linens, hats (or should I say chapeaux?), jewelry, and handbags.

Pretty summer hats

Hand-made French soap

The language was a mix of French accents and Italian words. Not a bad combination! And now I’m daydreaming about trips to France, past and future. One of the great things about living in Italy is that it puts all of Europe within easy reach. It’s time for me to plan some travel - who wants to come along?             -Post by JMB

How delicious does this little tart look?