A Child's Eye View of Lucca

Colorful balloons for sale in Piazza San Michele.

When I think of Lucca I picture medieval streets, renaissance walls, lovely gardens, music and fabulous food. Not so my 6-year-old friend Edie, who visited me in Lucca recently, along with her mom, Holly, and great aunt Pat. She gave me a whole new perspective - Lucca looks different when seen through a child's eyes.

At 6, Edie is already a good traveler. She likes the overnight flight, doesn't seem to suffer much from jet lag, and sleeps like a baby despite the time change - which made the adults in our group quite envious. She likes the outdoors and Lucca offers a lot of outdoor activities, making it a great destination when traveling with children.  She enjoyed discovering succulents growing along the wall (she recognized these from home), smelling the roses in the gardens at Palazzo Pfanner, and was delighted to find that Italy has some interesting bugs (though not spiders - she didn't care for those).

Here are some fun activities for young kids visiting Lucca (all come with Edie's endorsement) :

Photo courtesy of H. Baker

Ride the carousel. This was definitely a highlight though it took some thought for my young friend to pick which animal she wanted to ride. In fact, she needed several attempts to try out the different options. Smart girl!

Edie and me, exploring plant life on the walls. Photo courtesy of H. Baker

Explore. Together we found "secret" spots all along the walls. Spots with huge rocks to climb, wild buttercups to smell, bugs to investigate, steps to climb, and statues to see. The wide grassy areas on the wall are great spots for running or playing games. Don't forget to look up - especially at the statue of the Archangel Michael atop the Basilica of San Michele, which Edie said was her favorite in all of Lucca. All this outdoor activity may explain why Edie slept so well! 

Sottosopra (upside down)

Find the playgrounds and let the kids climb, swing, and tumble. There are several playgrounds on the wide areas of the wall in Lucca and some down in the town as well. Edie tried out most of them and gave them her kid-tested seal of approval.

Drink a milkshake. Or two or three. Italian milkshakes are quite different from American ones - less ice-creamy and more frothy, like a frappe. Flavored with vanilla, these were a real kid treat. Pretty good for grown-ups too.

Eat foccacia. This may have been Edie's favorite food in Lucca, and who can blame her? It's one of my favorites too. 

The walls are the perfect bike path. Photo courtesy of P. Baker

Bike the walls. This is a great family activity, even if the adults do most of the work!  There are all types of bikes for rent - everything from two- or four-person surreys to tandem bikes and single bikes in adult and child sizes. Rent by the hour, half-day, or full day. When Edie's legs get longer we'll let her do the pedaling and she can go as fast as she'd like!

Do some shopping. Children love having some of their own money to shop for gifts to take home to grandparents or friends. Putting thought into picking out just the right gift is a valuable life lesson too. 

Some of Lucca's beautiful door knockers. Photos by E. Baker and H. Baker

Take photos. Give a kid a digital camera and set them loose to take their own pictures - it's a great vacation activity and helps create wonderful memories. Edie especially enjoyed taking pictures of flowers and all the beautiful door knockers in Lucca. I think her mom liked those door knockers too! Edie used her mom's camera, but I suspect her very own will make a good gift before her next trip. 

Take a day trip to Pisa. This is especially fun for kids if they get to take the train from Lucca to Pisa, see the famous leaning tower, hear the music echo in the Baptistery, grab lunch in Pisa, and then take the train back to Lucca. This makes a perfect day trip and what child wouldn't like a photo of themselves next to the leaning tower as a reminder of their trip?

Edie and her mom, Holly, in a famous spot. Photo courtesy of P.Baker.

When traveling with a small child it's important to plan kid-size activities, shorten visits to places like museums and churches, and add in lots of breaks for active play time. It also helps to be based in a smaller, less chaotic city like Lucca. Having an apartment is a good strategy too  - it gives everyone room to breathe, accommodates child bedtimes, allows for some meals at home rather than always eating out, and gives a child a space they can settle into. Having a flexible agenda is key, as is planning some time for the parents to get out on their own for some grown-up exploring. Then relax and enjoy the view through a child's eyes.                           -post by JB

Florence - A City of Science As Well As Art

It’s not hard to fall in love with Italian men, especially when they are as intelligent and forward-thinking as Galileo Galilei. I have been enamored with Galileo for years – ever since someone described him to me as a polymath. A polymath (a person with significant knowledge of several subjects)! What’s not to love? The man was a genius! There is a great tribute to him - and to science in general - at the Museo Galileo in Florence.

A bust of Galileo in the Florence museum that bears his name.

The Museo Galileo, just behind the Uffizi Gallery, is a repository of scientific instruments ranging from telescopes to thermometers and covering topics ranging from The Science of Equilibrium to The Science of Warfare. The museum says it is “heir to a tradition of five centuries of scientific collecting” and credits the Medici and Lorraine families of Tuscany with emphasizing the importance of such collecting. Indeed, I felt like I was in a toy store for scientists as I wandered the rooms of the museum.

An astrolabe from the 16th century, used to measure the inclined position in the sky of a celestial body.

An astrolabe from the 16th century and a huge armillary sphere are just two of the items on display that help explain how Galileo and other astronomers from centuries ago looked at the heavens.

The giant armillary sphere at the Museo Galileo.

There is plenty of information about Galileo, too. And for the non-squeamish, there is a display of his right-hand index finger and thumb, and one of his teeth. It is said that admirers of the man removed the digits and tooth, as well as a vertebra, from his body as it was being transferred from storage to a tomb in Santa Croce Basilica.

Several telescopes at the Museo Galileo.

Even for visitors who aren’t scientifically inclined, seeing the intricacy of the instruments used so many years ago is fascinating, as is reading about the practical applications of various scientific discoveries.                                                   -post by JG

Museogalileo.it

Cooking Class: Gnocchi

Eva demonstrating the making of gnocchi.

Gnocchi. Getting the Italian pronunciation right gives your tongue a workout - that "gn" sound is a struggle for English speakers (it sounds much like the "ny" in canyon) and don't forget that the final "chi" is a hard sound, like in "key". Gnocchi. 

I've eaten only a few truly good ones, all in Italy. Too often I've had gnocchi that were either gummy or pesante (heavy) and, to make matters worse, served in a sauce that was much, much too rich, making the dish even heavier. To make proper gnocchi - tender little dumplings - is a real test of culinary skill. Luckily it is a skill possessed by Eva, the maestra di cucina (cooking teacher) at Lucca Italian School (LIS).

One of the highlights of my last trip to Italy was a cooking class, sponsored by LIS, that included a hands-on lesson in the art of gnocchi making. The class was held in a fattoria (farmhouse) kitchen in the countryside outside of Lucca, with beautiful views, a great wine cellar, a large kitchen with plenty of space for our group of 10 students, and a wonderful dining room where we all enjoyed the food we had created. Picture us laughing, sipping wine, and chatting away in Italian (with a bit of English as needed) as we prepared a multi-course meal.

The fattoria kitchen, ready for the start of our cooking class.

The ingredients for the gnocchi were simple - potatoes that were boiled, peeled while hot, put through a ricer, and then mixed with flour, egg, and salt. Sounds easy but the magic is in determining just the right amount of flour, which varies with the moisture of the potatoes and must be judged by feel.  Eva recommends about 300 grams (10 ounces) of white flour for every kilo (2.2 pounds) of potatoes along with 1 large egg and some salt. When well mixed, the dough is shaped into a long rope and cut into little pieces (about 1 inch each).

Forming the dough into strands

Shaping the gnocchi

Everyone practices their technique

Then comes the fun part - shaping the gnocchi to create those little ridges that are the key to holding onto the sauce. We used the traditional wooden tool for shaping the gnocchi and everyone had fun learning the technique.

Finished gnocchi, dusted with flour and ready for immersion in boiling water.

To go with the gnocchi we made a traditional ragu, starting with a soffritto (a saute of onion, carrots, and celery in olive oil), to which was added ground meat (beef and pork), a little tomato sauce (the tomato is subtle, not the base of the ragu), some red wine, and spices.

Finished gnocchi topped with ragu.

We started our cena (dinner) with a traditional panzanella salad and then moved on to the star of the meal - the gnocchi. They turned out just right - light and fluffy with the flavorful ragu clinging to the ridges, enhancing but not overwhelming the gnocchi. Topped with some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, it was one of the best gnocchi I've eaten, thanks to Eva's great instruction! We followed the gnocchi with a porcini-stuffed chicken breast, an insalata mista (mixed salad), and a dessert of creme caramel, which we made during the class. After dinner, we all took home the recipes for each dish, along with some new Italian cooking terms and a lot of wonderful memories!                      post by JB

Contacts: Lucca Italian School

Porcini filled chicken, ready to saute

Panzanella salad

Creme Caramel with a berry sauce

Happy LIS students sharing a great meal.

Scenes from an Italian Neighborhood

Each time I arrive in Italy, I spend the first couple of days wandering the neighborhoods of whatever town I'm visiting. Still feeling the effects of jet lag, wandering helps me to orient myself, scout places for future exploration and soak up the Italian vibe.

A shop display in Lucca.

Even when I've visited a city before, such as Rome or Florence or Lucca, I enjoy my hours wandering. I am reminded that I am in vacanza (on vacation) with no need for hurrying. Inevitably, I find sights I have not seen before or I capture a new angle on an old favorite.

San Michele Church in Lucca.

Neighbors chat outside a produce store.

The social aspect of Italian life is always on display in some form - finding neighbors chatting or spotting old friends walking arm in arm makes me feel part of the warm culture, even if I'm wandering alone from time to time.

A nun walks toward a sun-splashed area of town.

Kids pedal their way through town.

With no goal in mind, no destination I have to reach, I find myself more relaxed than ever and more in tune with la dolce vita (the sweet life) of Italy.

-post by JG

Fagiolini Verde

I admit it, I'm a food nerd. I love reading recipes. I find mountains of purple artichokes or eggplant stunningly beautiful. The scent of good (some might say stinky) cheese is like perfume to me. And the first salty bite of a fresh focaccia is a sensual delight. Yes, I'm a food nerd.

One of the things I love most about Italy is that it is heaven on earth for food nerds like me. The "slow food" atmosphere, the focus on quality over shelf life, the regional specialties, the artisanal bakers, cheese makers, and producers of salumi -  all these things contribute to the fact that I love shopping, cooking, and dining here. It's also one of the reasons I like to have an apartment - apartments come with kitchens and kitchens are the pathway to experimenting with the use of local ingredients to make simple, seasonal, and tasty dishes. 

Colorful eggplant at the Ortofrutta.

My favorite place to buy fruits and vegetables in Lucca is the Ortofrutta in Piazza Salvatore. I love the eye-catching colors of the produce, the artful way they are arranged, the changing selection based on season and freshness, the friendly staff, and the whole process of purchasing here - pick out the fruits and veggies, put them in little paper bags, bring them to the counter to be weighed and priced, and then take your receipt to the cassa  (cash register) to pay. No grocery store can compare!

Another view of the Ortofrutta, so much more charming than my local grocery store at home!

In addition to produce, the Ortofrutta has flavorful foods to go (think homemade pesto and other sauces, cooked spinach, little trays of lasagna, olives), along with basics - milk, eggs, dried pasta, jams, olive oils, canned tuna, wine.

Prepared foods to go.

Recently I went to the Ortofrutta without a clear idea of what I wanted to cook. I found beautiful, tiny fagiolini verde (the kind of green beans we would call by their French name, haricot vert) and pretty lemons. Together, they inspired me to make marinated green beans - a perfect accompaniment to the chicken I roasted for dinner. 

Here's how I prepared them (amounts are approximate and based on kitchen spoons, not measuring spoons).  Experiment! 

Simple ingredients for the marinade.

Marinated Green Beans

Start with 2 big handfuls of fagiolini verde (using tiny green beans is key), cooked in boiling water until just fork tender (about 6 - 7 minutes). Rinse in cold water, let cool a few minutes, and then toss with marinade while beans are still warm. 

Marinade:  

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard  (use more or less to taste)

Juice of 1/2 medium lemon

A few shakes of good sea salt and black pepper (taste finished marinade and correct to taste)

Whisk well and slowly drizzle in about 4 tablespoons of good olive oil, whisking to emulsify

Pour half of the marinade over the cooked green beans, toss, and let sit at room temperature for 1 - 2 hours. Toss again before serving. 

Finished marinated green beans.

Save the other half of the marinade to use on a salad or to pour over steamed asparagus - that's what I did a couple of days later when I found beautiful asparagus at the market.

Same marinade, different veggie.

That's it!  When you start with great ingredients and blend in a little creativity, you end with great taste.  

-post by JB