An Italian Seaside Vacation

Some people think that living in Lucca means that I am on permanent vacation. Not true! My daily life here consists mostly of routine things - grocery shopping, laundry, cooking, paying bills - along with doing the research, photography and writing for Two Parts Italy. Fortunately, I am able to do these things in a spectacularly beautiful walled town surrounded by the musical sound of the Italian language, make little day trips to surrounding towns, and enjoy all the riches Lucca has to offer. Life here is a joy but not an endless vacation. As with any daily life, sometimes a gal wants (needs) to change things up a bit and go on a real vacation. Even better if that vacation includes sun, sea, quaint villages, and the beautiful rugged coast of Liguria. Add in a visiting daughter and a couple of grandkids and you’ve got the foundation for a great trip.

Rapallo’s seaside promenade - the view from our Airbnb apartment. Perfect location!

Arriving by ferry to villages from Portovenere to Portofino added a fun dimension to visiting villages along the Ligurian coast

I always think that the best vacations combine someplace new with a much loved place from a previous trip. My June vacation met both of those criteria. The new place was the Portofino Peninsula. The return visit was to Levanto, a special request from my grandkids who fell in love with this laid back seaside town on their first visit to Italy several years ago. And while I picked the two towns in which we based, I pretty much let the activities be driven by my grandkids who, at ages 17 and 13, had some pretty specific requests - boats, beaches, one big city adventure, a little shopping, and lots of gelato.

First stop: Rapallo and an Airbnb apartment a block from the sea and just steps from lively restaurants, bars, and shops. Rapallo makes a great base for exploring the whole peninsula, including the towns of Santa Margarita Ligure, Camogli, and Portofino as well as the more rugged areas (great for hikers) around the Abbey at San Fruttuoso. In the summer all of these are connected by the Tigullio Ferry System, a fun way to travel around the area. Rapallo also has a very convenient train station with quick connections to Santa Margarita and Camogli. Genoa is an easy day trip too, just 23 miles away.

The castle fortress in Rapallo.

Rapallo has a lovely seaside promenade, the Lungomare Vittorio Veneto, which curves around from a harbor and sailing school at one end, to a private beach club, a small public beach (under construction during our visit), and down to a castle fortress. The fortress was built centuries ago to defend the city of Rapallo from the 16th century pirates who once caused havoc along the coast. It seems to still be working - there wasn’t a pirate to be found during our visit. Next to the castle is a small public beach. As is typical for this area, the beaches are more pebbles than sand. Walk further and find some seaside hotels, good spots for a sunset cocktail, and pretty villas. All along the way are street mosaics with sea themes and gorgeous views.

Across the street from the promenade are several restaurants with pretty views, attracting lots of tourists.

We had great pizza there one night at Pizzeria Nettuno where you can select your crust (classic, integrale, or a soy/rice blend) and choose from a huge variety of toppings. It may have been along the seaside “tourist row” but it was terrific pizza.

Small pedestrian only streets lead away from the water and into the center of town where we found our favorite bars and restaurants. No sea views, but lively and with really good seafood and trofie with pesto, a local specialty. We particularly liked the Osteria Vecchia Rapallo for it’s fritto misto and pasta dishes.

Aperitivo time (virgin cocktails for the kids)

Of course, summer in Italy means sipping a cocktail in a piazza or pretty side street before dinner.

In that spirit, I introduced my teenage grandkids to the joys of the Italian aperitivo at the wonderful Taverna Gallo Nero. Sitting here during aperitivo hour is the very best kind of street theater and people watching.

While my daughter and I sipped Aperol Spritz, the kids enjoyed virgin cocktails along with traditional aperitivo snacks. After all, an aperitivo is a not-to-be-missed cultural experience when in Italy!

Rapallo is filled with beautiful architecture. The Liberty Style villas are gracious and colorful. The old part of town is famous for the painted tromp-l’oeil details on the buildings.

It’s fun to spot the false painted windows, an 18th century tax evasion trick (when taxes were based on the number of windows in a building).

Wandering through town we found ourselves watching ladies make fresh pasta through a shop window, intrigued by a storefront where they made delicate lace by hand, and inspired by kids learning to sail with instructors from the local sailing school. We also roamed through pretty parks (with a statue of Christopher Columbus pointing the way to the new world), along canals leading to the sea, past small churches, and through markets. There were charming piazzas, inviting courtyards, and cafes around every corner.

Rapallo made the perfect base for exploring this part of the Ligurian coast. Our visit provided an introduction to the town ( a longer stay is definitely in my future) and a chance to visit several surrounding villages. I think we all agreed that our favorite spot was the small fishing village of Camogli. More about that next week!

A Historic Garden In Collodi, Italy

Collodi is a fairy tale place. It is not the Tuscany of rolling hills, carefully tended vines and olive trees that most people picture when they think of this region. Instead, the small village of Collodi seems to climb straight up a mountainside in the middle of a forest, hanging precariously on the slope. At the top is the medieval fortress La Rocca and a small church. At the bottom is the Villa Garzoni, built on the ruins of a Medieval Castle. An imposing structure, with its yellow color and 100 windows, the villa sits at the entrance to the town of Collodi. The villa itself is not open to the public, nor is the colorful Palazzina d’Estate (Summer Palace) which sits directly behind it. The only part of either that it is possible to enter is the Palazzina’s chapel, pictured below.

And then of course there is Pinocchio. Carlo Lorenzini, the author of Pinocchio, used the pen name Collodi as an homage to this village where his mother once worked. Many families come to Collodi to visit the Parco di Pinocchio (Pinocchio Park), a children’s adventure theme park based on the storybook character. But it was not the Pinocchio story that drew me to Collodi. Instead, I went with friends who were in Italy to visit classic gardens. The historic Giardino Garzoni, dating from the mid-1600’s and completed by the Lucchese architect Ottaviano Diodati in the 17th century, was on their “must see” list. I was delighted to join them for a day of visiting gardens near my home in Lucca.

Looking down on the lowest part of the garden, from an upper terrace

The Garzoni garden is a wonder, with something enchanting to see at every turn as it climbs the steep slope beside the villa. Like many Italian Renaissance gardens there is amazing architectural detail including a dramatic twin staircase (which contains a hidden grotto)

The twin staircases to the upper terraces

Water also plays a starring role in the garden, with a series of fountains and cascades of water tumbling down the slope. Tucked under the stairs is the Grotto of Neptune, another watery feature.

Two round pools lie at the bottom of the garden, just below a parterre full of greenery and flowers. Above that lies the staircase which begins the upward climb through several levels of terrace.

Keep climbing to the water stairs which flank the cascade that runs down to the lower garden. At the top of the climb lies a pool with a statue of Fame, who blows jets of water from a horn in dramatic fashion.

From the top of the water stairs lies a path, lined with camellias, which leads to the villa and the summer palace. This path too is lined with statues and interesting architectural details.

The fantastical nature of the garden reveals itself in places like in Neptune’s grotto, secret pathways and hidden spots, a labyrinth, and statues of mythical creatures and assorted ancient gods, goddesses, and legendary figures.

A visit to the gardens of Villa Garzoni provides a glimpse into leisure activities of a powerful family during the Renaissance. It is one of the finest examples of an Italian Renaissance garden and a lovely destination for anyone interested in classic gardens. A perfect way to spend a spring morning in the Tuscan countryside.

A Tuscan Grape Mystery

4 generations ago, around the year 1950, Pietro Beconcini began to work land he had purchased near the city of San Miniato in Tuscany. His land was located along the ancient Via Francigena, the route pilgrims, from England, France, and Spain traveled to reach Rome. The importance of these passing pilgrims was likely not known to Beconcini at the time, but 4 generations later this has proved to be an important and most interesting fact. It has also contributed to a mystery.

The land Beconcini purchased was used to raise crops and animals. It also had some very old grape vines which were tended along with other crops.

Later generations of the family moved away from tending crops and instead turned their attention to those grapevines. Today the Pietro Beconcini Vineyard, now run by Leonardo Beconcini and Eva Bellagamba, produces several grape varieties and some very, very good wine.

Ah - but there is that mystery. A bit of a twist.

Some of those very old vines, at least 100 years old and perhaps as much as 900 years old, looked a bit strange. Unlike the other more typical vines of Sangiovese grapes grown throughout Tuscany, this vine was a mystery. They called the vines “X” for unknown.

Fast forward to modern viticulture and the ability to identify the genetic origins of grapes. It turns out these grape vines are actually Tempranillo. Tempranillo? Isn’t that a Spanish grape?

Let’s back up to those pilgrims walking the Via Francigena. Many came through Spain along the Santiago di Compostola. Those pilgrims likely carried grape seeds (not cuttings which would have been too hard to transport) some of which ended up in this very vineyard. The exact way that happened is unknown. Did clerics tending vineyards in the area plant them? Were they used in trade? Did some unlucky pilgrim spill them? This remains a mystery. But the production in the modern day Beconcini vineyard is now 30% Tempranillo. The Tempranillo grapes have of course changed a bit over time due to evolution and the unique terroir of this region which is rich in fossils and minerals.

I visited the Agricola Pietro Beconcini last week, along with a group of friends, for an afternoon of wine tasting. Definitely a family operation, Leonardo and Eva welcomed us, provided some of the history I have recounted here, and poured some of their wines. We tasted 3 wines made from Tempranillo grapes - a rosé and two 100% Tempranillo wines, the iXe and the Vigna Le Nicchie. The later comes from the oldest vines, those very hardy 100+ year old ones, vines that survived phylloxera. The flavors are a bit different than a Spanish Tempranillo, both due to the terroir here and to the way in which they are produced (less time in wood barrels, beginning fermentation in cement vats). Not being anything close to a wine expert, I would find it hard to describe the difference - perhaps a bit lighter, less intense than a Spanish wine. Both were good, the Vigna Le Nicchie was outstanding. Picture me carting home a bottle and wishing I could carry a case.

We also tasted a wine that was a 50/50 Sangiovese Malvasia blend (Maurleo) and one that was 100% Sangiovese (Reciso). The Recisco is the winery’s signature Sangiovese wine, the one that best represents the vines and their methods of production. Both were wonderful and a significant number of bottles accompanied our group back to Lucca. With this much wine tasting we were quite happy that we had arranged a driver to transport us to and from the winery!

We arrived back to Lucca happy with our day of wine tasting and pleased to have learned about the mystery and delight of Tuscan Tempranillo. We are looking forward to the Tempranillo Festival in San Miniato which takes place the first weekend in September. Ci vediamo lì ! (see you there)

Villa Torrigiani di Camigliano

For wealthy and prominent citizens of Lucca in the 16th and 17th century, having a villa outside of the city was both a summer getaway to the cool, fresh air of the hills and a status symbol. The villas were set in farmland, olive groves, or amid grape vines and were often surrounded by lovely gardens. Luckily for us, many of those historic villas still exist, are open to visitors, and are just a short distance from Lucca. A perfect day excursion.

The worker’s cottages are in Borgo Parigi, just outside the villa’s gates.

One such place is the Villa Torrigiani in the tiny village of Camigliano, in the commune of Capannori, about 6 miles from Lucca. The villa is framed by stone walls with large gates. The approach brings you slowly closer to the villa on a path that cuts through open fields. When I visited in mid-April, the fields were full of vibrant yellow buttercups and small purple flowers.

Close to the villa’s gates lies the small, picturesque Borgo Parigi which at one time housed the estate’s workers. After passing through the stone buildings of Borgo Parigi it is on to the villa itself, just across the road.

The “new” facade, from the 1600’s, was much more ornate than the original one

Villa Torrigiani sits in a park-like setting, surrounded by reflecting pools, broad lawns, trees, water features, and manicured gardens. The history of the villa is fascinating. The summer home of Lucca’s Buonvisi family in the 1500’s, it had a simple facade and was surrounded by vegetable gardens. When the Buonvisi fortunes changed (because the King of France failed to repay them money he owed) the villa had to be sold. Enter Marquis Nicolao Santini, the Ambassador from Lucca (at that time Lucca was an independent republic) to Versailles and the court of Louis XIV. Santini purchased the Villa in 1636 and began to rework the more simple Italian villa into a French style building and garden - a smaller version of Versailles. The facade was changed to the more elaborate style that we see today, complete with the columns, statues, arches, and a variety of colors.

This staircase leads down to the lower level garden and it hides a surprise - a narrow grotto passage full of mythical creatures. Don’t be afraid to enter!

The Marquis Santini also banished the vegetable gardens in favor of elegant reflecting pools surrounded by flower gardens and avenues of cypress trees. A stunning tiered staircase leading from the foot of a long pool down to a sunken garden, complete with a nymphaeum (the Ninfeo di Venti, middle photo below) at one end and a hidden grotto passage at the other, were also added. To create that French feel in the garden, the Marquis employed André Le Nötre, one of the designers of Versailles.

The villa landscape has continued to undergo changes, the biggest being a change in the 18th century to a more English style garden. Out went the flower beds around the reflecting pools and in came broad lawns, imported trees (including Magnolias, Cedars, and Camellias), and a wooded area. At some point the vineyards behind the house were also removed (though the old wine cellar remains).

The villa itself is also interesting. The ground floor is open for tours (arranged at the ticket booth just inside the entry gates). The tour guides provide wonderful historical perspective, plus with much of the information I’ve recounted here, along with family history of the occupants from the earliest Marquis to the present day owners. The glimpse inside the house is a chance to admire the still vibrant ceiling frescoes (look for camellias, a symbol of the family), the trompe l’oeil wall decorations, and many other artifacts on display.

The rear loggia of the Villa Torrigiani and the meeting place for tours of the home.

The villa is large but once past the ornate facade it has a very human scale. Perhaps that is because it remains to this day the summer home of descendants of the Santini-Torrigiani family. Family photos are scattered throughout, original fabrics adorn the beds, the dining table is set, there is even a dress worn by a previous occupant (1920’s style) on display in her bedroom. It is easy to imagine sitting on the back loggia with a book and a cup of tea, enjoying the birdsong, the breeze, and the history. Because this is still a family home (the family quarters are upstairs, tucked away from the visitors downstairs) photography is not permitted inside the villa. It was a challenge to keep my camera in my pocket and not to dash up the stairs to see the upper floors!

Just as it did for Lucca’s historic families, a visit to a villa outside of town provides a countryside experience different from that of the walled city. There are 6 historic villas to visit close to Lucca, Villa Torrigiani is a good place to start.

The villa is open from March through November. 10am - 1pm and 2:30 pm - 6 pm. Note that they may close earlier in bad weather.

Contact Info: Villa Torrigiani del Camigliano. Via del Gomberaio 3, Camigliano email: villacamigliano@gmail.com phone: +39 0583 928041 tickets available on site, 8€ for the garden only, 15€ garden plus villa

The family chapel on the grounds of the Villa Torrigiani

A Morning in Padova's Market

When I first visited Italy, nearly 30 years ago, I hoped to attend a cooking class.  I had been studying Italian cookbooks (especially those by Marcella Hazan) and wanted more than anything to cook in Italy, using local ingredients, with a teacher who could show me how to make authentic Italian dishes.  Unfortunately, the cost of the week-long classes just did not fit my budget.  Instead, I came to Italy determined to taste regional dishes, shop local markets, and take lots of notes.  Or, as someone said to me, “So, you’re going to Italy to eat?”  Well, yes.  That pretty much summed up my intention.

My first bite of prosciutto with melon was a revelation!

 I learned so much on that trip, in large part through food experiences.  Restaurant dining introduced me to many dishes – sweet melon wrapped in salty proscuitto, a delicate risotto with saffron, fish straight from the lake, tiny wild blueberries atop gelato, pasta fatto a mano (homemade). The flavors and preparation methods were enlightening.  As good as the restaurant meals were, it was the Italian markets which really enchanted me.  Fresh produce artfully displayed, pan-ready trimmed artichokes floating in lemon water, perfectly ripe melons.  I marveled at the fishmongers in Venice who arranged their products in photo-worthy displays and at the shops in Florence filled with hanging legs of prosciutto, a vast array of cheeses, and cases of colorful filled pastas.  How I longed for a kitchen on that trip!

Fresh pasta at the Sant’Ambrogio market in Florence

 Since that time I have sought out markets whenever, and wherever, I’ve traveled.  They form some of my most vivid travel memories.  The best ones are the “mamma’s markets”, catering to locals rather than tourists.  Two of my favorites over years of travel are the weekly market in Uzes France (oh those olives!) and the Sant’Ambrogio market in Florence.   

Italy is not the only country with fabulous markets. This one in Uzes, France is among my favorites.

 My most recent market experience was in Padova (Padua) where I was delighted to find a fabulous daily market.  The outdoor market, centrally located in Piazze delle Erbe and Piazza della Frutta, was a wonderland of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Multiple vendors set up stalls each morning filled with just about everything a cook could desire -  baskets of bright lettuces, mounds of greenish-purple artichokes, piles of vibrant oranges, rows of tomatoes in different shapes and sizes, fat stalks of asparagus, dark purple eggplants, dried beans, herbs, and even flowers.  

Spending a morning there was a joy.  In the afternoon the market stalls disappeared and the piazza became a social hub of cafes, bars and casual restaurants. 

Beautiful blossoms in the Padova market

 In addition to the outdoor market stalls, an adjoining indoor market lies beneath the Palazzo della Ragione.  The culinary fun continued here with a host of shops selling fish, meats, prosciutto, bread, pastries, cheeses, and a variety of prepared foods.  There was even a rare sight in Italy – a “to go” coffee bar.   

There is so much to appreciate in Padova – stunning frescoes, historic churches, architecture, historical buildings, parks (I will get to all of these in another post) but never underestimate the power of a good market to add a fun experience when exploring a new city.