Spending Christmas with Dante

 I love Italy year-round, through rain and shine, ordinary days and extraordinary ones, warm springs and crisp autumns, rare snowy days, and yes, even in this year of pandemic. But Christmas time remains just about my favorite season.

The holidays are pure delight in Lucca - streets aglow with lights, small alleys filled with trees and lined with colorful shop windows, whole buildings wrapped in lights or bows, skating rinks, decorated doorways and windows, nativity scenes large and small, Babbo Natale (the Italian version of Santa Claus) and Old Befana (the best witch ever).  From the simplest touch to the most elaborate display, it’s all magic to me.

This month, despite Italy’s very difficult year, Lucca is once again all dressed up for Christmas.  And, really, how can you not love a city where the piazzas are decorated for the holiday with poetry by Dante spelled out in lights?  Not visions of hellish infernos (though many might think that fitting this year), but rather words with eyes toward the stars and full of hope. In piazza San Frediano (pictured above) the message is: L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle (the love that moves the sun and other stars).

A short walk over to Piazza Cittadella, there is another quote from Dante: E quindi, usciamo a reveder le stelle. (and then, we go out to again see the stars).

In Piazza San Francesco the words drift above the large Christmas tree - Se segui la tua stella, non poi faillire glorioso porto (loose translation - if you follow your star, you cannot fail to reach a glorious place).

This year, Dante’s star filled words offer a perfect glimpse of hope and light. And isn’t that a perfect way to end this year?

I wish you all a happy and safe holiday season. Buone Feste !

Classic Italian Motorcycles

What is it about a vintage Italian motorcycle that is so alluring, so romantic?

I can just picture myself, a scarf around my hair Audrey Hepburn style, arms wrapped around someone who looks a lot like Marcello Mastroianni, speeding through the Italian countryside.  Pure fantasy!  In reality, my motorcycle days were back in the 70’s, the countryside was rural Colorado, my then “fidanzato”, while cute, was no Marcello, and the motorcycle was Japanese made. Back then, Italy hadn’t yet entered my dreams.  

A week or so ago, while watching Italian TV (a strategy for increasing my Italian vocabulary), an interview with the mayor of Lucca caught my attention. He was talking about an exhibit of classic Italian motorcyles. Even better, he said that the exhibit was being held in the beautiful setting of Palazzo Pfanner, one of the loveliest spots inside the historic city center. This was something I had to see.

The motorcycles filled both the entry courtyard of the grand palazzo and the limonaia (the outbuilding where the lemon trees are stored in cold weather). What a stunning backdrop for the beautiful classic motorcycles!

Scooters filled the entry courtyard to the palazzo. These are by Vespa and Lambretta, both companies began manufacturing in the 1940’s.

 If you’ve ever enjoyed a motorcycle ride, say a word of thanks to two inventors from the province of Lucca - Eugenio Barsanti and Felice Matteucci. They did not invent the motorcycle but they did develop and patent the first internal combustion engine (way back in 1853).  This type of engine, based on harnessing the power of exploding gases (sounds a bit frightening), provided an alternative to the steam engine and was a precursor to the modern piston engine. The original models of Barsanti and Matteuci were far too large to use on a motorcycle; it would take German engineers to make the first “modern” motorcycle (the Daimler Reitwagen) in 1885. How things have evolved from those early models!  And, since no one does style better than the Italians, the classic made-in-Italy models from the 1920’s through the 1960’s are not just means of transportation, they are stylish works of art.

 Some of the names are recognizable - Ducati, Lambretta, and Moto Guzzi. Other older brands have been out of production for years and are less well known (at least to non-Italians).  The exhibit included both the famous brands and the less famous.  There were even some American classics like Henderson and Harley-Davidson and the first American motorcycle brand, the Indian.

 Some of the motorcycles in the exhibit were very early models, some were war-time vehicles, some were designed for work, and some were clearly designed for fun and for speed. There was even a group with fancy side cars. All were fascinating, from the leather seats, to the spoke wheels, to the saddle bags and the somewhat primitive looking engine parts. 

The oldest model in the exhibit was a Galloni, a brand produced only between 1920 and 1931. The one in the exhibit was from 1924.  Moto Guzzi was represented with the largest number of bikes, but there were also models by Sertum, della Ferrara, Bianchi, and Benelli.

The exhibit was fascinating. It was visually interesting, it presented a different aspect of Italian culture and history, the setting was gorgeous, and I learned about Barsanti and Matteucci (and more than I ever thought I’d know about combustion engines).  Now, if only I could take one for a spin around the Tuscan countryside!

A Fall Day in Lucca

Fall is my favorite time of year whether I’m in the United States or in Italy. I love the changing leaves, the autumn scents (roasting green chile in New Mexico, chestnuts in Italy), the colorful gourds and pumpkins, and the feel of crisp air on my face. But to spend fall in Lucca - now that is seasonal bliss.

I spent a good part of this summer outside of Italy, returning in mid-September. With a two week quarantine on arrival, I watched from my window as the last days of summer slipped away and fall crept in. What a relief to finish those two confined weeks and step out into an Italian autumn.

Looking down from the walls into the city of Lucca

Fall began with a spell of stormy weather marked by cloudy skies, rolling thunder, falling tree branches, and periods of heavy rain. Everyone tried to take advantage of breaks in the storms to get outside, run errands, stop for an outdoor coffee, and go for walks. That’s exactly what my Saturday consisted of this past weekend. The best part of the day was a mid-afternoon walk along le mura (the walls that enclose the historic city center). It took place under dramatic skies and a mist in the air that almost, but not quite, required an ombrello (umbrella).

Storm clouds over Piazza Santa Maria, Lucca

The city walls are lined with trees which, at this time of year, make a colorful statement. Looking up into the branches is an artist’s palette of color. Looking down, the falling leaves cover the ground in shades of gold and yellow. Chestnuts fall and crunch under foot, their spiny outer shells and dark brown nuts symbolizing the season.

A tree trunk covered in moss and “Venus’s belly button”

Many of the trees along the walls are covered in moss (something I certainly don’t see in arid New Mexico).

This year, for the first time, I’ve noticed another plant growing through the moss on one of the trees - delicate stalks with small, round, green tops. I’m told they are called Venus’s Belly Button (officially Cotyledon Umbilicus). An internet search tells me they are used in homeopathic medicine. Fascinating!

As my walk around the walls continued, each bend in the path brought a different view of the increasingly dark and cloudy sky. It was an if an artist were painting individual scenes with expert use of light and dark against trees and sky. If only I could paint! Instead, I pulled out my camera in an attempt to capture the beauty of the day.

I could not have asked for a more perfect autumn afternoon or a more beautiful setting in which to enjoy it. I arrived home just as the mist turned into rain. Perfect timing, perfect fall day.

A storm brewing on an October afternoon in Lucca

The Luminaria of Santa Croce - 2020 Style

 In Lucca, September is traditionally a month of festivals including street fairs, music performances, and – most importantly – the Festival of Santa Croce. The Santa Croce festival venerates the Volto Santo (Holy Face), an ancient wooden crucifix which is the most important religious relic in Lucca. The famous crucifix is housed in a small chapel within the larger Cathedral of San Martino.  For most of the year it is viewed through the openings in the small chapel walls, beautiful in its simplicity.

The Volto Santo dressed in gold vestments for the Feast of Santa Croce on September 13th.

 But for the September festival the crucifix is anything but simple. Instead, it is adorned with gold vestments – from crown to shoes – and the small chapel is opened for up-close encounters with what is, depending on your personal beliefs, a holy religious artifact or an important cultural and historical object. (For a more detailed description of the legend of the Volto Santo see “The Legend of the Volto Santo” post from September of 2017). Unfortunately this year, while the gold vestments are in place, entrance to the cathedral is limited which means that most of us will have to make do with memories and photos from past years.

The beauty of a candle-lit piazza during the 2016 procession

The highlight of the festival is the September 13th luminaria procession through the historic center of Lucca.  It begins in front of the Basilica of San Frediano and slowly makes its way across town, illuminated by the sea of candles which line the buildings along the narrow streets, and ends with a special ceremony upon its arrival at the Cathedral of San Martino.  

Imagine thousands of these luminaria lighting the streets of Lucca. Magic!

The luminaria procession is an important event - calling home from around the world those with Lucchese roots - and has only rarely been cancelled. The last two cancellations were due to a terrible storm in 1976 and before that a disruption towards the end of World War II.  This year the cancellation of the procession is due to concerns about the potential spread of COVID-19 through the crowds of on-lookers that typically line the streets and the many participants in the procession. The candles were lit, but there was no procession this year.

The beginning of the 2017 procession, on the steps of the Basilica of San Frediano.

 Although we could not witness the luminaria procession, and could only watch today’s religious services via Italian TV rather than from inside the Cathedral of San Martino, a look back at previous processions can remind us of the beauty of the event. With luck, we will be able to experience the joy of the luminaria once again next year. Let’s make a date for September 13, 2021 in Lucca.

A banner with the representation of the Volto Santo begins the procession each year (the actual crucifix is too large, and too valuable, to be part of the procession).

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.