Swing and Pop in a Stunning Church

Like most Italian communities, Lucca is home to a multitude of churches from which music often rings out. Sacred hymns, opera arias and classic sonatas are typically the repertoire, which is why a recent concert in the tiny Chiesa di Santa Caterina was such a delightful surprise. The a cappella Italian group, Coro Puntaccapo, enchanted a small audience for an hour with fun arrangements of swing and pop music from the '30s, '40s and '50s. Such greats as “Ain’t Misbehavin’," “Chattanooga Choo Choo” and “Tea for Two” were harmonized perfectly by a sextet for the first half of the concert and by a septet for the second half.

The stage is set for a swing concert in the Chiesa di Santa Catarina in Lucca.

Toes were tapping and fingers were snapping as the group started out the set with a couple of Italian ditties and then moved into American standards. A young soprano almost stole the show with her great voice and stage presence but the three men in the group also had shining moments with solos and sound effects.

The Italian swing group Coro Puntaccapo

And while the music lacked the solemnity of “church music,” there was no dissonance between the music and the setting. The joyful music blended perfectly with the bright and beautiful Chiesa di Santa Caterina. An 18-month project some three years ago resulted in restoration of the chapel. Statutes representing Charity and Purity, as well as paintings, adorn the interior. The domed ceiling is masterfully designed and although the church is small, there is something to catch the eye at every turn: a column here, the altar there. It was the perfect setting for an intimate musical performance.

Looking up at the chapel ceiling in the Chiesa di Santa Catarina, Lucca

The concert was free, as was entrance to the church. The event was a unique and bright way to spend the early part of a Sunday evening – just the right kind of surprise.

-post by JG

Brigidino di Lamporecchio

During the summer months in Tuscany, especially during festival times, it's common to see stalls of vendors selling a variety of sweets. These can be found along streets or in the many beautiful piazze (squares). The stalls are full of croccante (nut brittles), lecca lecca (lollipops), gummy worms and other gummy creatures (caramelle gommose) and a variety of candies (caramelle). Alongside the booth Is found the zucchero filato (cotton candy). In passing these stalls I've also noticed long narrow bags of what looked to me like oversized potato chips. How wrong I was! These are not potato chips at all but something much better and unique to this area - Brigidino di Lamporecchio.

I passed one of these stalls the other day, during a street fair in Borgo Giannotti, a neighborhood outside the walls of Lucca, and I was stopped in my tracks by a fragrant, sweet smell with a hint of anise. When I looked for the source of that wonderful scent I was offered an assaggio (a taste) of a thin, crisp, delicately flavored wafer hot off the griddle-like device on which it was cooked. I quickly realized two things - first, that these were delicious and unlike any other dolce (sweet) that I'd tasted, and second, that these where what I had mistakenly thought resembled potato chips!

The brigidino, of course, comes with a legend. As the story goes, a novice nun of the Order of Santa Brigida adapted the recipe for Communion wafers by adding eggs, sugar, and anise, thereby creating a wonderful sweet cookie wafer. Surely this is not something a novice nun would have done in the 1300s! This order of nuns lived in a convent near Lamporecchio, a small town near Pistoia in Tuscany. More likely, Santa Brigida, who came to Italy from Sweden, brought this recipe with her and introduced the sweet to Italy. I think I like the first version of the story better! Whichever version is closer to the truth, these crisp, anise-flavored cookies are still associated with both the Brigidine (nuns of the Order of St. Brigida) and the town of Lamporecchio and are found at festivals throughout Tuscany.  

If you pass a Croccante booth, take a minute to watch the way the brigidini are made (the machine is fascinating), breathe in the wonderful scent, and take a bag to go with you. This is a classic Tuscan taste.

-post by JMB

The wafers are cooked individually on the small griddles of the machine. This one rotates and drops them onto the conveyor belt for packaging. I think they are best hot off the griddle! 

Medieval Lucca

Porta San Gervasio, Lucca. 

At heart, Lucca is a medieval city. As you stroll through narrow streets lined with brick buildings and beautifully arched windows you literally walk through the shadows of medieval times.  

Among the structures dating from the Middle Ages are the 2 remaining medieval city gates, Porta San Gervasio and Porta Santa Maria di Borgo, along with many of the churches, including the cathedrals of San Martino, San Michele, and San Frediano.  

Dancers in medieval costume. 

An even stronger flavor of medieval life in Lucca can be experienced through its many festivals and reenactments. 

These events, complete with costumes and medieval accoutrements, celebrate major historical events, religious traditions, ancient political rivalries, and daily life from the end of the Roman period through the 14th century. Medieval history seems alive here.

As an example, the Lucchese still celebrate the liberation of Lucca from the control of Pisa - an event that happened in the 1300's!

Competitors in an archery competition. 

 On a recent Sunday afternoon, at the end of a weekend full of events for the Santa Croce celebration, I watched a medieval tournament that included costumed dancers, an archery completion (won by the team from the San Salvatore district), a drum and flag performance, and a costumed procession through the center of town. 

Each of these men carries an arco (bow) and freccie (arrows). 

The sight of the archers, with long bows and quivers full of arrows, along with costumed ladies, colorful flags, and the drumbeat of the musicians, all taking place against the backdrop of the Basilica di San Michele, brought this historical period to life for me. Spectacles like this are just one of the many reasons that Lucca draws me back, time after time.   post by JMB

I batteristi (the drummers) 

A British Invasion

Tuscany has long been a destination for British tourists. There is even a joke about Tuscany being "Chiantishire" because of all the Brits who own homes here. But I don't think Tuscany, especially Lucca, has seen a British Invasion quite like this before. 

It seems like there is a concert poster in every cafe and shop in Lucca. 

A happy crowd gathers, waiting to enter the concert venue. 

As I write this, it is the morning of September 23 in Lucca and the concert begins in about 10 hours. The stage has been under construction for weeks in the green space at the edge of the old town walls. Fans with tickets have gathered outside the entrance since early this morning - some even camped out overnight.

Locals seem divided about the event - some are excited and hold much-coveted tickets to the show; others find it a giant disruption. Its a big event for this small town and no doubt road closures, tree removal, and construction chaos have taken a toll.

Construction of the stage and seating areas.  Most concert-goers will stand on the grassy field beyond the city walls. 

And yet, there is definitely a sense of excitement in town. The band has arrived and everyone hopes for a sighting. Fans have begun to fill the town and everywhere I hear the question, "Hai un biglietto?"  Do you have a ticket? The tickets sold out quickly, only a very few remain. For about $300 it is standing room only - in the midst of 55,000 of your closest friends!

Hotel rooms went just as quickly; a newspaper headline claims houses are renting for 1,000 euro (about $1,200) for the night of the concert. Maybe I should sublet my extra bedroom? On second thought, maybe not!

Today's newspaper headline. 

Walking through town, I hear the sound of Rolling Stones' classics drifting (make that thundering) out of windows. "Ruby Tuesday" (playing in the apartment across the street) welcomed me home last evening. Teenagers walk the streets in Rolling Stones T-shirts, singing lyrics written long before they were born. There are also plenty of fans who look like they were around for the first Rolling Stones' hits in the '60s (and my guess is they have an original "Let it Bleed" LP to prove it). Timeless music in this timeless city. It's a big change from the rehearsal for a Puccini Mass that I heard a couple of days ago - and yet it makes me smile just as much. 

But I am a "have not" - no concert ticket for me. I doubt I'll catch even a glimpse of the show, as the areas surrounding the venue are completely blocked to foot traffic. But I plan to be just outside the stadium to hear some of it. Now, if only I could catch a selfie with Mick to post on the blog! 

-post by JMB

Staging area for the concert. 

The Legend of the Volto Santo (Holy Face)

This painting, in the church of San Frediano, depicts the arrival of the Volto Santo, in an ox drawn cart, to Lucca. 

Italy is a country full of mysterious legends. This is certainly true in Lucca - there are legends about deals made with the devil, of a saintly housekeeper and her miracle, of stone pillars mysteriously bent but not broken, of rivers diverted by prayer. Not far from Lucca is a stone bridge supposedly built with help from the devil himself.  Fascinating!

​Perhaps the most important legend in Lucca is that of the Volto Santo (Holy Face), a wooden crucifix said to be carved by Nicodemus shortly after the resurrection of Christ. As the legend goes, Nicodemus carved the body of Christ, but fell asleep before carving the face. When he awoke, the face was miraculously completed. The crucifix was then hidden for some 700 years at which time it was discovered, loaded onto an unmanned ship, set to sea, and eventually landed on the coast of Italy. From there, a cart steered only by oxen brought the crucifix (another miracle) to Lucca where it has remained ever since. Many miracles have been associated with the crucifix and pilgrims traveling the Via Francigena, between Rome and Canterbury, often included a stop in Lucca to see the Volto Santo.

The Volto Santo crucifix, clad in gold vestements for the Santa Croce Festival, Lucca, Italy. 

 Today, this unique work of art is housed in a small gated chapel within the San Martino cathedral and has a dedicated celebration, the Festival of Santa Croce (Holy Cross), held every year in mid-September. This is the most important festival of the year in Lucca and during this time the Christ figure on the crucifix is dressed in gold vestments, including a gold crown, collar, belt, and shoes. It is also the one time of year when the gates to the chapel are opened, allowing people to pass through right in front of the crucifix. 

Candles light the buildings for the Luminaria di Santa Croce Festival. 

Luminaria light Piazza San Michele, Sept 2016.

The highlight of the Santa Croce festival takes place on the night of September 13th with a stunningly beautiful procession in which luminaria (candles) outline the windows and arches of the buildings along the route. The procession includes townspeople, priests and bishops, the misericordia and red cross, community leaders, school children, people in medieval costumes, musicians and singers. Many carry candles, torches, or other religious objects. There is also a special mass in the cathedral the following day.

The candle lit procession is spectacular to see.

I was fortunate to be in Lucca for this year's Luminaria di Santa Croce. Whether here for the history, religious significance, or sheer beauty of this event, it is a moving experience to witness a procession whose history reaches back to medieval times.              Post by JMB

Some of the marchers are dressed in medieval costume.