A February Week in Lucca

The last week or so here in Lucca has been mostly cold, rainy, and windy.  Some days saw just a slow drizzle but others were seriously rainy.  One night brought drama with thunder, lightning, hail, and brief periods of flickering lights.  Mixed in were periods of cloudy, chilly weather with breaks in the rain.  The rare days of sunshine felt like a gift with blue cloudless skies and some sunshine!

 Despite the less-than-ideal weather, there is a bit of buzz in the air. The long weeks of January are over, and the days are getting longer.  February is short and will land us one month closer to spring.

It is a time to make the best of breaks in the weather, go for walks about town, and see what might be new to discover.  Camera in hand (well, my IPhone camera) each bit of clear sky was a chance to set out and explore.

One walk last week brought a surprise encounter with a local group of Steam Punk enthusiasts.  All in costumes, they make for compelling photographic subjects. 

A lovely Steam Punk lady!

 Walks around Lucca last week also provided a chance to see Valentines Day themed window displays.  Look closely at the typewriter in the photo below – the brand name is most appropriate.

 A lot of the buzz in the air had to do with the start of Carnevale, an event that will go on until the beginning of Lent.  Viareggio is home to most of the Carnevale action, but the themes, masks, confetti, and  paper mâché creations spill over into Lucca in many ways. 

Last week it was in the arrival of the Skull Parade, a collaboration between Viareggio and Mexico City.  The large paper mâché creations reflect Mexican Day of the Dead culture with a splash of Italian Carnevale.  They are scattered throughout Lucca so you never know when you might stumble onto one.  Searching for these teschi (skulls) was good motivation to go out for a walk, even when an umbrella was required.

Other Carnevale related arrivals included a huge Gorilla mask, created by the Cinquini brothers, under the loggia in Piazza San Michele.   Could his eyes really be following me?  Indeed they can!

 A Carnevale event just for children on Saturday was a blizzard of confetti thrown by costumed kids.  It was a fun kind of chaos. A stilt walker threw streamers for the kids and the unicycle rider provided bags of confetti.  Give a kid a bag of confetti and just watch what happens.

Inside the Piazza Anfiteatro, the oval-shaped piazza that follows the outlines of the old Roman Amphitheater, nightfall brought Carnevale themed projections on the buildings.  It was just warm enough to sit outside in a cafe (cozied up to the gas flame heater), sip a glass of wine, and enjoy the light show.

 All this in one week! And what will next week will bring? More Carnevale events and hopefully some drier weather.

Keeping Busy on Cold Winter Days in Tuscany

Watching kids enjoy the giostra (carousel) on nice days is a good pastime.

It’s important to make the most of the cold January days in Lucca, even the rainy ones. 

While the heavy periods of rain have definitely kept me indoors at times, lighter rains and clear periods see me heading out for walks, window shopping, photography, meeting up with friends, watching the giostra (carousel) go round and round, and looking for general inspiration.

The monthly antiques market was a great diversion in between rain showers on a cold and cloudy day earlier this month.  Many of the vendors are the same from month to month, but a scavenger hunt to search for new and unusual finds is always fun.  

Cooking is a good rainy-day activity and, after finding some really nice guanciale in the market, I’ve been working on perfecting my pasta carbonara skills. But sometimes eating out is a good rainy-day activity too.

Pasta is cold weather comfort food and Macelleria Pucci is a butcher shop / restaurant that makes a great southern Italian spaghetti with polpettini (little meatballs). Lunch there with friends was a treat as it is unusual to find this dish in northern Italy. I requires lots of rainy afternoon walks to balance out those pasta calories!

Catching up with friends after being away from Italy over the holidays has been great too.  Lucca has lots of cafes, perfect for meeting over a cup of coffee, pot of tea, or glass of wine.  The indoor cafes are warm and cozy and have led to some great chats about world issues with locals at the next tables.  It is always interesting to get the Italian perspective on US and World events.  And it is great for practicing my Italian.

 A stop at the Saturday flower market, on one of the few sunny days this past weekend, brought a touch of spring and some bright color into my apartment, a necessity on these winter days.

The Saturday flower market in Piazza San Michele is great in any season

One of my favorite winter cold weather activities is planning spring travel and I’ve been busy doing just that.  Spring in Emilia- Romagna and Umbria is a welcome thought on these cold days. And the planning is almost as much fun as the travel will be.

 My book club selection for the month is The Stolen Lady by Laura Morelli.  It has transported me to Florence in the late 1400s and Paris in the 1930s.  A great escape on a cold or cloudy day.

 And for real escapism, day dreaming about spring blossoms is hard to beat.  Photos can make the gray skies fade away and bring a reminder that spring is just around the corner.  I think that readers in the frigid parts of the US and Canada might appreciate these reminders as much as I do.  Stay warm everyone!

January

On one cold afternoon I had Via Sant’Andrea all to myself - something that never happens in warmer months

How to best describe January (Gennaio in Italian) in Lucca?   Certainly it is tranquilla (calm), especially after all of the December holiday activity.  January is a month without crowds.  Walking through the quiet town at the beginning of the new year is a treat.  It is as if January reclaims Lucca for the locals.

 This January arrived with some really cold temperatures and dark, moody skies.  Lliving in a 400+ year old brick building, and just above an unheated cantina (cellar), I really feel the cold.  Even indoors, a scarf, a fleece vest, and warm socks are standard wear.  As for bedtime, an old-fashioned hot water bottle works wonders. I admit that I miss the programmable thermostat in the US that makes my New Mexico condo toasty warm before I get out of bed in the mornings.

Going outside requires winter coats, thick scarfs, warm hats, and gloves even on the days when the skies are a beautiful clear blue.  Don’t be fooled into thinking that blue skies = warm weather.  Even when the skies are clear, it is cold outside. Especially on Lucca’s Medieval streets which get very little sun on winter days. Best to bundle up when going outside. 

Beautiful blue skies - but still really cold!

Ponce Mandarino

 When the wind blows or the rains come, as they have many days this month, it is hard to stay warm no matter how many layers you put on.  These are the January days that are perfect for staying indoors, reading, planning spring travel, and writing. We’ve had quite a few of these days this month.

Cold January weather requires hot drinks – a cappuccino (ask for it molto caldo), a thick hot chocolate (maybe with a touch of whipped cream), or, on an especially cold evening, a ponce mandarino which packs a lot of heat and just enough alcohol to clear the sinuses and warm the soul.

 Walking though town this past week, the streets were nearly empty. The outdoor café tables are mostly abandoned, waiting patiently for a sunny day and warmer temperatures.   Only a few brave souls sat outside, often clustered around a gas heater.  The weekend was a bit livelier, especially because the Antiques Market was in town. Even the damp, dark skies couldn’t keep people away from the monthly market.

Usually a busy cafe, this spot sits quiet and empty in cold January weather.

 Lucca’s historic walls are also quiet this time of year. Gone are the summertime crowds, the 4 person pedal-bikes, and the shorts-clad joggers. A few walkers are out, some mothers pushing prams with babies in warm buntings, and an occasional bicyclist. But the bare trees and nearly empty paths paint a picture of cold winter weather.

Along Corso Garibaldi, a street currently lined with leafless Magnolia trees, a close look reveals the beginning of the buds that will burst into bloom in about 6 weeks.   A welcome hint of spring.

The rest of January will be filled with quiet activities – I’ve joined a new book club as well as an Italian conversation group.  I have a stack of books waiting to be read.  I will embrace walks along the walls on crisp days and errands that take me though the quiet streets. 

Soon it will be February and Lucca will begin to buzz as we await the beginning of Carnevale.

Bare now, soon the wisteria will bloom above this terrace.

An Evening in Venice

There are actually people who don’t like Venice.  Go figure! They find lots of things to complain about – the steps, the crowds, “smelly” canals, tour groups, cruise ships, pickpockets, the prices.  I feel bad for those people; they are really missing out.  With a little careful planning, an off-season arrival, and basic street smarts (canal smarts?) Venice is a wonder.      

Venice in mid-October. Lively but not terribly crowded.

 I recently spent one day in Venice, visiting from my base in nearby Padova.  Most of the day was spent at the Biennale Art event.  After seeing some of the exhibits, my friends and I took an almost-dusk evening stroll through Venice followed by dinner.

 We did not encounter big crowds other than in two spots.  First, on arrival, at the ticket booths for the vaporetti outside of the train station.  Definitely a spot to watch out for pickpockets.

The Bridge of Sighs

Next, in the early evening, in the area around the Bridge of Sighs and into Piazza San Marco.  The viewpoint near the Bridge of Sighs is where everyone stops for a photo. Other than those two spots, Venice was busy but not jam packed. Even Piazza San Marco, always a busy spot, wasn’t bad.

Piazza San Marco. As Venetian crowds go, this was great!

With my passport and credit cards tucked safely into my money belt, and a minimum of cash and a few other things in a small backpack, one whose zipper sits up against my back making it a not so easy target for thieves, I had no worries about pickpockets. This gave me the freedom to enjoy the views and take photos.

There were no cruise ships to be seen, thanks to the new rules which prohibit the biggest ones from docking in Venice. A great old sailing ship and some Naval vessels near the Arsenale were interesting and didn’t tower over the landscape.

Best of all was an amazing sunset view over the Grand Canal followed by a wander through the maze of back streets just beyond Piazza San Marco. 

 After a full day of art appreciation at the Biennale, and a stroll through Venice, we were hungry.  Luckily, we found Ristorante Central Venice, part wine bar and part restaurant. Located on a little side street, the atmosphere was warm, the staff friendly, the menu enticing (fresh seafood!), and the wine list included a good and moderately priced prosecco.  Perfect. 

 After dinner, it was time for a vaporetto ride back to the now uncrowded train station and a quick 30 minute ride back to Padova.  Our day in Venice was wonderful.  No complaints from me!

Steampunk, Italian Style

Steampunk is a type of science fiction that transports us not to the future but back to the past.  Back to an era of Victorian style combined with early industrial era mechanical devices.  

It’s almost as if a person in the 18th century was looking 100 years into the future and imagining what the world would be like.  Machines powered by steam, dark magic, devices made of bronze, time travelers, flying machines, good guys and evil. 

Steampunk fashion reflects this in its elaborate Victorian style costumes embellished with all sorts of mechanical Industrial Revolution era devices.  Think ladies in dresses with corsets, lace, and full skirts.  Victorian, but with an edgy feel.

Picture men in brocade suits, breeches, leather vests or jackets, top hats, and boots.  Men and women both sport goggles - they seem to be hallmarks of Steampunk style

 And it’s not just the adults - Steampunk kids are beautifully costumed as well.

Now, add in the industrial bits: clocks, gears, pocket watches, moveable wings, mechanical arms, metal face masks, fancy canes and weapons.   

One of my favorite parts of Lucca Comics and Games is the Steampunk Italia group which has a big presence throughout the event.  This year, there were 3 separate Steampunk gathering days.  All took place in Piazza San Michele and were followed by a parade through the center of Lucca.    Many of the participants wore different costumes on different days – some days black, other days white, one day even an a Puccini opera theme.

The costumes were elaborate, very individual, and nothing short of amazing. I can’t even guess at the number of hours that go into crafting each one. The little details – mechanical arms, elaborate face masks, industrial style devices strapped to backs, arms, embellished hats, fancy canes – just wow!

Steampunk Italia is one of the most photographed groups during the Comics event.  It’s easy to see why!

The 2025 Edition of Lucca Comics and Games will take place from Oct 30 to November 3rd. It’s not too soon to make plans to attend.