An Autumn Weekend in Pontremoli

For 5 days at the end of October and beginning of November my Italian hometown of Lucca hosts the huge Lucca Comics and Games event.   Picture 75,000+ people a day descending on the small, walled city and a series of white tents lining the historic walls and filling the piazzas.   It is an important economic event for the city and a big deal for afficionados of costumes, gaming, anime, superheroes and the like.  Lots of people love it, but for some of us it is simply crowds and chaos.  This year, after two pandemic years in which the festival was cancelled (2020) or scaled back (2021), the crowds were predicted to be bigger than ever.  That made it the perfect time to for me to plan an out-of-town escape. 

One of Pontremoli’s small alleyways - an invitation to explore!

 This year my “escape from comics” destination was suggested by Nancy, one of Two Parts Italy’s readers. Just as I was trying to decide where to go over comics, I received a lovely email from her asking if I’d ever been to Pontremoli.  She went on to say that she had just spent several days there and thought it was just the kind of place I would love.  She included photos and recommendations for things to do.  What serendipity!  I had never been to Pontremoli and receiving that email was all the inspiration I needed.  I quickly found that I could get to Pontremoli by train from Lucca in under 2 hours.  I found a lovely Airbnb apartment to rent and a friend who was ready to share the adventure.  The more I read about the town, the more excited I was to visit. I am so glad that Nancy took the time to write to me!

Pontremoli is a village in the Massa-Carrara Province of Tuscany, population around 7000.  The town lies in the historical region of the Lunigiana, which straddles the regions of Tuscany and Liguria.  It is a region of mountains, forests, rivers, old towers, castles, and small medieval hamlets.  The Via Francigena, the pilgrim’s route between Canterbury and Rome, crosses the area including right through Pontremoli. 

Pontremoli’s historic center as seen from one of the foot bridges over the Torrente Verde

 Like many of the medieval towns in the region, Pontremoli has a well-preserved centro storico (historic center) which feels a world apart from the more modern town beyond.  The centro storico is wedged between two rivers, the Torrente Verde and the Fiume Magra.  The rivers are crossed by a series of old stone bridges.  Ponte is the Italian word for bridge and Pontremoli means trembling bridge.  Perhaps the original, ancient wooden bridges trembled, but today the bridges are rock solid. 

Several of the bridges are for foot traffic only. Strolling across them gives views of the green riverbanks, parks, medieval buildings, and the Castello del Piagnaro which sits high above the village. 

My companion and I quickly settled into the habit of a daily walk across the Ponte della Cresa to the north, down the green space along the Torrente Verde, across the Ponte Stemma on the south, and to the tip of Pontremoli where the Torrente Verde joins the Fiume Magra, forming one larger river. A green and peaceful park sits at this spot, quiet other than the sound of the tumbling waters of the two rivers. 

During this October visit the trees where changing colors and the fallen leaves made for a special landscape during our walks.

The Torre del Cacciaguerra, Pontremoli

 The historic center stretches between two tower gates along what is basically one long street, although the street name changes several times from Via Cavour to Via Armani to Via Garibaldi. 

Along the way are two side-by-side piazzas, the Piazza della Repubblica and the Piazza del Duomo.  Long ago the two piazzas divided the town between two opposing groups, the Guelphs and Ghibellines, preventing all-out conflict. 

A very tall campanile (bell tower), built in 1322 as part of a city fortress, stands between the two piazzas and is known by two names – The Campanone (meaning really big bell tower) and the Torre del Cacciaguerra (Tower of the War Fighters). 

Today there are no warring factions and the two pretty squares are ringed with cafes and shops. The piazzas are also where the Saturday market is held. Visiting a local Saturday market is a great cultural experience in any small village and the one in Pontremoli was no exception. Local produce, especially from the fall harvest, made for a colorful market.

The route to the castle

 Off the main street are several alleys which climb up towards the castle.  The walk is uphill but not terribly steep and the experience of wandering through the medieval castle village is well worth the climb.  The castle also houses a museum with pre-historic rock carvings called Stele.  More on the castle and the Stele in a future post !

 Pontremoli was a perfect fall getaway and wonderful spot for a long weekend.  Views over the river, the sound of rushing water, green spaces, changing leaves, and stone bridges made for a perfect weekend escape.

Adding to the fun, we found some wonderful restaurants serving local dishes such as Testaroli (a type of large round crepe) with Pesto and Frittelle di Farina di Castagna (little fried chestnut flour cakes) con Ricotta. 

For morning coffee and a pastry, the Antica Pasticceria e Caffè degli Svizzeri with its scrumptious pastries and beautiful liberty-style café, can’t be beat. 

Where the Torrente Verde joins the Fiume Magra

Agriturismo Cretaiole and Luciano's Farm

Some places, and some people, are special.  Agriturismo Cretaiole is one such place and Luciano Moricciani, its founder, is the special person who started it all.  Son Carlo and grandson Nicco, both of whom are pretty special too, have taken over much of the day-to-day operations at the Cretaiole with the help of the delightful Fernanda who is a whiz at organizing everything for guests. But it is Luciano, at 82 years of age, who remains the steady hand, keeper of history, and the warm heart behind the agriturismo and farm.  

Agriturismo Cretaiole - a classic Tuscan stone farmhouse with beautiful accommodations for up to 20 guests.

 I’ve written about Cretaiole before – after my first visit in 2016 and again in 2020. The 2020 visit took place during the pandemic when no other tourists were around. At that time, Carlo kindly allowed my friend and I to stay and participate in the olive harvest.  The quiet of that visit was quite a contrast to the laughter and activity during my first stay. For more info, the previous posts can be found here: www.twopartsitaly.com/2020/11/2/1erwrj2r1njhhb89nvw9j1b43wv5ic. www.twopartsitaly.com/2016/12/14/a-week-at-agriturismo-cretiaole

The living room / kitchen of the Il Granaio apartment at Cretaiole

This year the visitors have returned, many of whom waited nearly three years to reschedule pandemic cancelled trips.  They came for many reasons – the beauty of the Val d’Orcia, the excellent local wines, the peacefulness of Cretaiole’s setting. They also arrived to take part in the wonderful activities included in Cretaiole’s “Dolce Vita” package - pici making, truffle hunting, early morning hikes, group dinners, wine and olive oil tasting. And then there is “The Isabella Experience” which includes luxury linens and many special touches as well as the opportunity to visit all the small villages of the Val d’Orcia which are just a short drive from Cretaiole. 

And, as one guest told me, she came because she’d read about Luciano in several blog posts and had been waiting for 3 years to drink grappa with him! 

 One of the highlights of a Cretaiole stay is a chance to visit Luciano’s farm, Podere San Gregorio, just 10 minutes from Cretaiole.  During my October visit Luciano was recovering from a fall but he was still enthusiastic about walking the farm with us.  He is the person most involved with the animals including sheep, chickens, geese, guinea fowl, one goat, a friendly dog, and some very large pigs.  The sheep are pretty much pets but the pigs are the source of some of the farm’s specialties – prosciutto and salami – all prepared on-site. 

The farm tour includes a stop at the barn where some of the oldest farm tools can be seen and where fascinating tales of the old ways of picking olives and harvesting wheat are told by both Luciano and grandson Nicco.  It is easy to imagine the young Luciano scrambling up the trees on the rather rickety ladder that still hangs in the barn, basket at his waist, collecting olives and trying not to fall out of the tree (a common hazard in those days).

Luciano and me at Podere San Gregorio. I will present this photo on my return to claim a bottle of his Vin Santo.

Next stop: the building where the preparation of meats, sauces, and Vin Santo takes place.  A promise was made that anyone who returns to the farm and presents a photo of themselves with Luciano, hands on the Vin Santo casks, takes home a free bottle.  You can bet I have that photo saved, more because I hope to have another visit with Luciano then for the free bottle. Although that Vin Santo is really tasty!

 Behind the work room is the small room where the white grapes for vin santo are dried. The grapes were still quite moist in mid-October, having only been harvested two weeks before.  They tasted sweet and the aroma was wonderful.

 Besides the barn, garden, work rooms, and animals there is also the large space where the wine is made and the olive oil stored.  Next door is an aging room for pecorino cheese, prosciutto, and salami. The grape harvest had taken place a week or two before, the grapes pressed and the wine placed into the large vats to begin fermenting.  Huge piles of dried grape skins remained, waiting to be sent off to grappa makers.  The olive harvest will take place in late October / early November, so soon the olive oil tanks will be filled with the new 2022 oil.  I would like to go back even if just to buy some of the new oil.

 After the farm tour we all gathered around tables for a straight-from-the-farm lunch.  Slices of bread with Cretaiole olive oil (it is really, really good), local pecorino aged on the farm, platters of prosciutto and salami, caprese salad, and Cretaiole red wine (also quite good).  We finished with some of Luciano’s very special Vin Santo and cantucci for dipping. There may even have been a bit of grappa poured.

It was wonderful to have Luciano with us on the farm tour and again at Cretaiole’s group pici dinner.   He clearly enjoys sharing his stories and his farm with visitors.  He also enjoys talking with visitors and hearing the stories they tell (he speaks Italian and is also great at using google translate to speak with English speaking visitors).  He has a lifetime of experience as an authentic Tuscan contadino (farmer) but, even better, he shares the joy of his land, his family, his farm, and his heart.  Luciano is one very special part of the Cretaiole experience. 

Ti voglio bene Luciano!

A Fountain of Beauty in Lucca

I probably have more photos of her than of any other subject in Lucca - photos taken from every angle, in every light, in every season.  She is a fascinating subject and one of Lucca’s most graceful landmarks.  She is The Naiade or Water Nymph.

 The Naiade rests atop one of Lucca’s many fountains, built in the 1800’s to bring fresh water to the city via Nottolini’s aqueduct. 

Some of the fountains are simple utilitarian structures but are few are quite decorative, none more so than the Naiade fountain. 

She was sculpted by Luigi Camolli from a design by Nottolini, one of Lucca’s most famous architects and sculptors.  She turns an ordinary fountain into a work of art.

The fountain itself is a marvel.  At the base is a large bathtub-like marble basin resting on claw feet and decorated with lion’s heads.  Above the large basin is a rectangular marble column with water spigots on 3 sides, each one placed above a small basin.  This is where so many Lucchese come to fill containers with fresh water direct from the hills beyond Lucca.  Locals swear this water is much better, and much more tasty, than either tap or bottled water.  Some even have a preferred spigot, always filling their bottles from one side of the fountain.   More than just a place to get water, this is also a gathering spot and a place for social connections.

 Above the fountain sits the Naiade who is commonly known by a much less proper nickname.  To locals she is “La Pupporona” which loosely translates to “The Busty One”, so called because of her one exposed breast (in Tuscan dialect the word puppora means breast).  That breast so scandalized a long-ago bishop that he tried to have the statue removed.  Fortunately he did not succeed! 

 The Pupporona is elegant, with softly draped folds in her garments, curvy hips, and perfectly coiffed hair.  She is made even more striking by the backdrop offered by the surrounding buildings, including the oche colored Church of San Salvatore (also known as the Church of the Misericordia).  The piazza where she resides is also named Salvatore, but don’t be surprised to hear it called Piazza della Pupporona, such is her fame.    

 Much loved by locals, she is occasionally adorned with a red scarf, a symbol of support for female victims of domestic violence.  Once, back in 2017, she was vandalized when someone drew a mustache on her face during the night.  Che peccato! The damage was quickly repaired.  I don’t believe the culprits were ever caught, but the vandalism caused quite an uproar. 

 On one of my first visits to Lucca I snapped a photo of the Naiade long before I knew the story behind her creation.  I just knew that she was lovely and she quickly became the representative image of Lucca in my memory.  Today, that photo is one I use as the symbol for Two Parts Italy and which accompanies each Monday morning email to subscribers.  It is still one of my all time favorite photos.  Be sure to stop by this small piazza when you visit Lucca. And don’t forget to fill your water bottle!

The statue of the Pupporona at Christmas time

The Mystery In Italian Details

Italy’s “big picture” is full of things to love - culture, art, architecture, music, food. Everywhere you turn there is something wonderful to be experienced. But sometimes, there is enchantment to be found in the smallest of details and in the little mysteries that no guide book can describe.

I am still amazed that after 3+ years of living in Lucca, I continue to find new small details to appreciate. The iron fixture near my apartment door that I noticed for the first time in April, the decorative brick arch just down the street, a small fountain tucked away in a rarely visited courtyard. Lucca presents a never ending series of discoveries!

Sometimes those little details are just noted in passing. Other times, a bit of mystery draws me back again and again, examining details, feeling intrigued, painting imaginary explanations in my mind. Often this occurs with some of Lucca’s many ruins and abandoned places. How I wish I could explore all the abandoned and locked churches, those ruined buildings with their encroaching vines and empty windows, the slowly decaying wooden doors.

Behind my apartment building lies one of those abandoned places. The mystery is why this one spot - a garage - lies abandoned. It is surrounded on all sides by restored buildings, in fact the rest of the attached building is painted a sunny yellow and is full of apartments, flower boxes, and pretty doors. A simple line of color separates the two spaces.

So why is this place, a garage with old wooden doors, chained shut and abandoned? And is the window above a sign that there might have once been a living space up there? Was it perhaps the home of a carriage driver for one of the surrounding palazzi? A rough apartment for a not-so-favorite relative? A storage space, hay for the horses? Who knows? Certainly not I. But I often find myself stopping to look at it, as if someday I expect the answer to come to me.

There is beauty in this abandoned structure, especially in the small details. My camera loves this space with its rusting bolts, peeling paint, and crumbling wood. I think I will be disappointed if ever anyone comes along and restores it. It is perfect just as it is, mysterious and aged.

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)