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.

The Olive Press Kitchen (Formerly Extra Virgin Cooking Classes)

Chef Giuseppe at work

Here is a recipe for a wonderful day of cooking in Italy:

Start with Chef Giuseppe Mazzocchi (he makes the magic happen). You’ll meet Giuseppe, along with your small group of classmates, for a bit of shopping at Montecatini’s market. Here you’ll find fresh herbs, veggies, and just the right beans for soup. It’s a great way to start the day and learn about local ingredients.

This very old “hog-back” bridge spans the stream behind Il Molino

Next, spend the day at the historic molino (mill) where Giuseppe’s grandparents lived and worked. The mill property is over 600 years old and sits alongside a stream whose waters once powered the mill equipment.

Inside the old mill you’ll find a professional kitchen with lots of workspace. Here, under the chef’s guidance, you will prepare and cook authentic Italian dishes. If the day is chilly, there will be a fire burning in the kitchen’s large fireplace. Could there be a better atmosphere for cooking? I think not!

To make the atmosphere even better, enjoy some Prosecco while prepping ingredients and take a break to sample some regional olive oils and cheeses.

Later, when all the work is done, you’ll share a fabulous lunch with your classmates in the beautiful dining room, the spot which once housed the olive press. Today it is a rustic yet elegant space with a table large enough for all to gather. Giuseppe will select wines that pair perfectly with the food you’ve prepared. A member of the Italian Sommelier Association, he knows his wines and happily shares that knowledge during the meal.

A beautiful table setting adds to the enjoyment of lunch

Some of you may have done a class with Giuseppe at Extra Virgin Cooking when it was located inside the historic center of Lucca. Those classes were wonderful and inspired me to write an earlier blog post (from April 2022). With completion of the mill renovations, all of the classes moved out to Il Molino last summer. New location and a new name - The Olive Press Kitche. I was excited to experience the new location when, with a couple of friends, I signed up for a class this past October.

The cooking school is in the hills outside of Montecatini. Montecatini can be reached by train along the Florence - Lucca line. Coming from either Lucca or Florence, it is about 30 minutes to the Montecatini Centro stop. Once there, Giuseppe will meet you and it is just a short walk to the market. Classes include round trip transportation between Montecatini and Il Molino.

My October class took place on a chilly, rainy day so we enjoyed the fireplace while we prepared our first course, a Zuppa Frantoiana. This is a typical fall soup of vegetables and beans drizzled with the season’s fresh pressed olive oil.

We also prepared a beef based ragu to go with Gnudi, a light as a cloud ricotta and spinach dumpling. Shaping the gnudi takes practice and we all had fun learning the technique (but even more fun eating them at lunch).

Fall is funghi (mushroom) season, so we also made a risotto with several types of mushrooms, including porcinis.

I can almost smell these thyme scented mushrooms cooking!

Last, we made a wonderful classic Italian dessert - zabaglione. Rich with egg yolk, sugar, marsala wine, and whipped cream, it was topped with fresh berries. A perfect way to end our meal.

Everything about classes with The Olive Press Kitchen is special. From Giuseppe’s care and teaching, to the gorgeous setting, to the small group of students, to the shared meal of authentic foods and wines. For anyone interested in food, cooking, or just good eating, a day spent at the mill cooking with Giuseppe is a fabulous experience.

Classes are scheduled 3 days per week, 9 am to about 2:30 pm. All classes are in English. Cost (as of January 2025) is €130 per person.

Contact info: info@theolivepresskitchen.com

Website: theolivepresskitchen.com

Lucca Comics and Games 2024

I must admit that I have a bit of a “bah humbug” attitude about the huge Comic Con held each fall in Lucca. I think this is mostly due to not liking big crowds.  And Lucca is definitely crowded during Comics. Just imagine 80,000 people flowing into this small walled city each day of the 5 day event!   The streets are packed and going about normal business is pretty much impossible for those who live here.   

To escape the madness that is Comics, I usually plan an out of the city escape.  Last year, Florence.  The year before, Pontremoli. The year before that, PIenza. 

My one and only experience with Comics was in 2019, my first year living in Lucca.  But this year, I found myself in Lucca for the big event.

Perhaps my general feelings are better expressed in Italian - after all, doesn’t everything sound better in Italian?   So I will simply say that my usual attitude is Bah, che sciocchezza! (Oh, what nonsense). And yet, circumstances having conspired to keep me in Lucca this year, I decided to get out for a bit each day and experience Comics.  I found the “nonsense” to be a lot of fun!

 Even though the crowds were a bit overwhelming, I found several things to enjoy about Comics. Top of my list were the costumes.  For 5 days the streets of Lucca were filled with an amazing assortment of characters – superheroes, cartoon characters, pirates, medieval maidens, clowns, historical figures (both Dante and Jesus roamed the streets), monsters, sprites, and animals. 

 Another thing to appreciate were the children.  Comics is a family affair and a safe space to bring the kids.  The evening of Halloween was especially enjoyable due to all the costumed little ones roaming about. What’s more adorable then costumed kids, happy and smiling?

Even pets became part of the action!

The crowds, while large, were also very well behaved.  Costumed participants gladly posed for photos, there were a lot of oohs and aahs at the remarkable get ups, and everyone just seemed to want to have a good time.  Another plus - no worries about bad behavior and no safety concerns despite the huge number of people.

 A lot of the activity related to gaming, comic books, and movies took place in large tents erected throughout Lucca.  These were mostly ticketed events with lines to enter.  Definitely not my thing, but clearly a big draw to participants in the Comics and Games event.

 The pictures posted here are from the first 2 ½ days of the event.  More photos and can found on the Two Parts Italy Facebook page and IG.

Photos from the last couple of days to come next week.

An Elegant Caffè in Lucca, Italy

Caffè Santa Zita with a view towards the Basilica of San Frediano

Most of the time grabbing a coffee here in Lucca means a stop at a local bar.  The coffee may be downed quickly standing at the bar or a bit more leisurely at a table. Going out to prendere un caffè (have a coffee) is a common way to socialize informally with friends and an almost daily ritual here for many. 

 But sometimes it is nice to get fancy.  When that impulse strikes, it is time to head to Caffè Santa Zita.  Located in Piazza San Frediano, and named for the Saint for rests forever in the nearby church, the caffè is a spot of elegance and old world refinement in the center of Lucca.

There is a small outdoor seating area in front of the caffè.  It offers great views of the Basilica San Frediano with its unique mosaic topped exterior along with great people watching in the piazza.  But for me the real fun happens inside where the entry leads you past a pastry case full of temptations and into a series of intimate, cozy, fashionable rooms. 

The pastry case is full of delicious treats.

Inside, the paneled and painted walls, classic tile floors, and beautiful furnishings lend warmth to the experience while the display of tea and coffee accoutrements set the stage for an upscale coffee break or teatime. 

Tea comes with a little dish of "miracles"

It is a bit unusual to find an afternoon tea service in Lucca, but the Santa Zita offers an English Teatime with an impressive variety of teas, tisanes, and infusions. 

Don’t miss the chance to taste their little “miracles” – small cookies representing classic Lucchese flavors.  They are named miracles in honor of the many miracles associated with Santa Zita herself. 

Beyond tea, the Santa Zita also offers morning coffee (with pastry of course), brunch, lunch, and an evening aperitivo.

Not an everyday quick stop, it is just the place for a bit of upscale lingering.

This flaky pastry is unique to the Santa Zita.  Called a La Giunchiglia (the daffodil) it comes with a variety of toppings.  My favorite is the pastry cream shown above but it also comes with chocolate, pistachio cream, or whipped cream on top.. 

The back garden is a pretty and welcoming spot for brunch, coffee, tea time or an aperitivo in good weather. 

Caffè Santa Zita is open Monday – Saturday  8 am – 9 pm and  Sunday 9 am – 9 pm 

Closed Wednesdays 

An evening of cocktail and music is a special treat at the Santa Zita Caffè.