March in Lucca

The month of March starts off slow in Lucca and then builds towards the first hints of spring, an explosion of flowers, the beginning of the busy visitor season and, finally, Spring.

But so far, the first week of March isn’t feeling much different than February.  It’s still raining.  With gray skies and bare trees, most of the color comes from a rainbow of umbrellas. 

And while the temperatures are slowly creeping up, it is still chilly. Perfect weather for soup, pots of tea, afternoon naps, and catching up with friends. 

Even better if the catching up happens over a cappuccino in an elegant cafe.

I’ve been back in Lucca for two weeks now, after a long visit to the US over the holidays and all through January. A walk around town, even in the drizzly weather, is a good remedy for the prolonged case of jet lag that has hounded me since my return.  

This statue of Luigi Boccherini is always there to greet me when I return to Lucca. He sits outside the Boccherini Institute, a music school. It isn’t far from my apartment so I pass by often. Walking past and hearing the sounds of students practicing is always a sure sign that I am back in Lucca.

As I walk, I enjoy seeing familiar places as well as small forgotten details and surprise finds. 

Stumbling across a little vignette like this one is always a delightful surprise.

I am always delighted by how many new details I find even after 5 years of living here - a previously unnoticed stretch of decorative brick, a bit of street art, a beautiful art deco piece decorating a building, a fanciful torch holder, a unique door knocker, beautiful decorative ironwork, a statue.    

 On my recent walks I’ve also tried to pay attention to the signs of the season in Lucca.  The nearly empty weekday streets are a sure sign that it is still late winter. 

The many temporarily closed cafes and bars signify the owners’ chance to grab a bit of rest after the holidays and the excitement of Carnevale and before the hubbub of events that surround Easter.

The bare branches of this tree are like a sculpture against the backdrop of the old brick and stone church wall.

At this time of year there is a stark beauty in the bare trees and vines.  In a few weeks the wisteria will begin to flower and the trees will turn green with leaves.  And the visitors will arrive.  But not just yet.  And, with all those bare branches, what a wonderful surprise this week to turn a corner and find a whole street of magnolias already in bloom. 

Mimosas are the traditional gift for la Festa della Donna

I am looking forward to several events that will come later this month. March 8th marks the Festa della Donna (International Women’s Day), a day to celebrate the achievements of women in all fields. Bright yellow bunches of mimosas are a traditional part of the day.

After that comes the Festa di San Giuseppe (Feast of Saint Joseph) on the 19th.  I admit that it is the traditional feast day frittelle that I really look forward to.  I’ll take two cream filled ones please.

Later in March, Good Friday will be marked with a traditional and very solemn procession through the streets of Lucca.  

It is an historic and moving event and one that always marks the beginning of spring for me. March will conclude with Easter. It arrives early this year, on March 31st. 

The Good Friday procession in Lucca

There are also some unique events happening this month. One is an exhibit of works by Antonio Canova (it runs through September). That exhibit will be a good thing to do on one of these a rainy March afternoons.

2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Giacomo Puccini. And Puccini is a big deal here in Lucca where he was born. He started his musical career playing in local churches and spent much of his adult life in the area. He spent a lot of time in Lucca’s Caffe di Simo (in Puccini’s time it was known as Café Caselli).  Sadly, that cafe has been closed for more than a decade now, sitting empty on Via Fillungo.  It is a legendary place that has not been significantly changed since Puccini last met his friends there. It will reopen (temporarily) for several special events during the Puccini celebrations this year.  It’s one of those abandoned, dusty places that I have long wanted to see. I am looking forward to being able to get inside! 

This pretty cat made me smile on one of my wanders through Lucca. Here he sits outside the church where Puccini was baptized.

After its slow and quiet start, March promises to be a busy month in Lucca with lots of activities, celebrations, and the slow unfolding of spring. 

I’m ready!

Planning Spring and Summer Travel

The end of February, the longest short month of the year, is in sight.  The last few days have been damp and chilly in Lucca. Today, there is a constant rain pouring down. That makes it perfect weather for staying inside and writing.   I always forget that 50 degrees in Lucca, with its deeply shaded medieval streets, cold stone buildings, and dampness, feels a lot colder than 50 degrees in the sunshine and dryness of New Mexico.  Add in some rain and the chill is inescapable.

And while the end of February may have us dreaming of warm weather, in Lucca we are still in scarfs and warm coats. But the desire to shrug them off and unpack a spring wardrobe is strong.  I wouldn’t mind hanging up my umbrella either.

A summer vision along the Ligurian coast.

With spring just around the corner, and summer not that far behind, I have been daydreaming of warm weather, breezes coming off the sea, lake vistas, blooming flowers, and drinks on sunny piazzas. 

The rainy days also have me looking through my cache of photos and daydreaming about past and future travel. It is time to get serious about planning some adventures for spring and early summer.

Living in Italy, the whole of Europe is within reach. The only problem is deciding where to go.

In the spirit of travel planning, today I will share photos of spring and summer European travel ideas. I hope they serve as inspiration as you daydream about your own spring and summer plans. They are definitely giving me some ideas.

I found that the daffodils were beautiful in the Netherlands the first week of April last year. It was a bit too early for tulips which were still a few weeks away.

Below (left to right) are some fun things to do in Spring within easy reach of Lucca: riding the funiculare up to Montecatini Alto, April in the Cinque Terre (before the summer crowds arrive), Montecarlo as seen from the old Fortezza, and Bagnone, a charming small town along the Magra river in the Lunigiana region.

The south of France is lovely in spring and early summer. This year I will avoid the Olympic crowds near Paris, but would welcome some time in the south. To that end, a Viking Cruise along the Rhône river from Lyon to Avignon is on my spring bucket list. Below: photos from the market in Uzès, a small village in the Languedoc region, and a wonderful place to visit.

Spain is another good spring and early summer destination. It is not a place I know well, but the time I spent in Barcelona a few years ago was memorable. I would definitely jump at the chance for a return trip. Some favorites, below: a panoramic view from the department store at Plaza de Catalunya, Park Guell, La Sagrada Familia Basilica, the Palau de la Musica

In the heat of summer, England and Scotland can offer a cooler get-away. Below top row: Chawton House and its gardens (perfect for fans of Jane Austen). Bottom row: the ruins of the chapel at Holyrood House and the famous Grayfriars Bobby Pub in Edinborough. Chilly even in August!

Back in Italy, a summer vacation at Lake Como brings hot temperatures and crowds, but gorgeous views and a chance to catch breezes while riding the boats that crisscross the water.

Lake Como is always a good place for spring and summer fun.

The Ligurian coast is a wonderful early summer destination - views, beaches, charming fishing villages, pesto, and fabulous seafood!

Camogli, a small fishing village on the Portofino peninsula.

Do you have other recommendations for spring and summer travel? Let us all know on the Two Parts Italy Facebook page.

Carousel, Marseille

Carnevale Lucca Style

Venice, 2020

 If you come to Italy during the month of February, be prepared for some excitement.  February is the month of Carnevale - the big post-Christmas season event that brings fun and celebration in anticipation of the more restrained period of the 40 days of Lent which precede Easter.

 Picture processions, costumes, fantastic masks, balls, parties, sweets and lots and lots of confetti. 

The character of the celebrations may vary, from the elegance of Venice, to the satire of Viareggio, and the many celebrations in large and small towns throughout Italy.  Fun and a chance to cut loose prior to Lent are the common denominators.

 Lucca, where I live, is just about 30 minutes from the seaside town of Viareggio.  Viareggio plays host to Italy’s 2nd largest Carnevale event (just behind Venice’s) on successive weekends throughout most of February. 

Viareggio, 2019

Paper-mâché floats are the centerpieces of the Corso Mascherato (masked route) procession which takes place along Viareggio’s seaside promenade.  Some of the floats are huge, requiring a whole team to propel them forward and move their various extremities  - nothing is mechanized, it’s all human powered.  

Others are smaller, but all are works of art created by a carrista, a master craftsman / artisan / maker of floats.  Their creations make comments, allegorical and satirical, on society, politics, culture, and a host of modern-day issues. Over the course of the month half a million plus visitors will come to Viareggio to enjoy the procession. 

For the first several years that I lived in Lucca there was barely a hint of Carnevale here.  A few children’s parties, some glitter and confetti, but not much else.  With Viareggio just a short train ride away, none of the action came our way.  

That changed in 2023 with the advent of Lucca in Maschera, a collaboration between the cities of Lucca and Viareggio to bring some of the Carnevale magic here to Lucca. 

This year the festivities began on February 4th with a parade of masked groups, some 400 people strong, and some of the smaller floats / figures from Viareggio, along Lucca’s historic walls. And that was just the beginning. This year I watched the excitement of the parade from afar, as I was still in New Mexico visiting family. A big thanks to Lucca resident Sandra Liliana Pucci for the parade photos below.

Several large installations remain on display in the piazzas throughout town. I was delighted that they were still in place when I returned to Lucca last week. Walking through town to discover the various works was a great welcome home for me!

Paper-mâché Rolling Stones tower over Piazza Napoleone in memory of their concert here several years ago.  A huge tiger sits under the loggia in Piazza San Michele. 

This Shaman made its way from the parade on the walls to Piazza Anfiteatro. Thanks to M.A. Fisher for this photo

The whale from the Pinocchio tale fills the space in front of the tourist information center in Piazzale Verdi and huge Shamans work some magic in Piazza Anfiteatro. 

 Throughout February a host of other Carnevale activities are taking place.   Events in Lucca include children’s celebrations, a masked ball, the return of a historic masquerade in Piazza San Francesco (an event that has been missing for several years), musical performances, and lots of good Carnevale sweets in the pastry shops. 

I won’t make it to Viareggio this year, much less to Venice, but I am enjoying the Carnevale events in Lucca. Even the leftover confetti on the streets make me smile.

A British Style Sweet With an Italian Twist

Before I get to the description and recipe for this British-with-an-Italian-twist sweet, we must take a minute to talk about the word “pudding”.

Date “pudding”, served alongside some fruit, goes well with a morning coffee.

I remember being quite confused hearing my friend, a lovely English lady whom I was visiting in Hampshire, ask her cat if he was ready for his pudding. Pudding for a cat?  I must have misunderstood.  My friend explained that in this context pudding simply meant a mid-afternoon treat. Not literally what I thought of as a pudding.  An English pudding, in a general sense, can also refer to an after dinner desert. Dinner is over, bring on the pudding! Again, not what we Americans think of as pudding (a milk-based custard that definitely requires a spoon), but any type of a sweet desert.   Ok, I thought that I was beginning to understand (maybe).

If only it were that simple. But it’s not, because there is also a more specific meaning to the word pudding, British style. Historically, pudding is a steamed concoction which can be either sweet or savory.  At least it was originally steamed.  These days it might just as easily be baked. The one I am most familiar with is Sticky Toffee Pudding. Though as an American I would describe that as a type of very moist, very sweet cake with a sauce on top. 

As for an Italian equivalent of a British steamed pudding, I am not aware of one.  There are wonderful custard based Italian desserts (budino, zuppa inglese, tiramisu) but these are neither steamed nor baked and so are a different thing entirely.

Call this dense, moist, sweet a pudding, a cake, or a loaf. It is delicious no matter what it’s called.

This leads me to my British-with-an-Italian-twist sweet.  I first had this at an American friend’s home in Lucca.  She referred to it as Date Pudding, the name given in the recipe from the King Arthur Baking Company.  For just a bit more confusion – King Arthur sounds like it should be a British company, but it is actually an American flour producer.  And yet…. pudding.   What she served was a wonderful, not too sweet, very moist, slightly sticky cake. No jiggly American style pudding in sight. 

 My friend had tinkered with the recipe some, substituting a whole grain flour for the King Arthur white and decreasing the sugar to make a healthier version.  Whether it was called pudding or cake it was delicious.

Because I had been experimenting with Italian farina di castagna (chestnut flour), I decided to try the recipe using half chestnut and half white flour.  Like my friend I decreased the sugar by 25% and I upped the spices a bit.  The chestnut flour added an extra dimension of nuttiness to the flavor, and added the Italian twist. The original recipe called for baking the “pudding” in a square pan, but I tried it in a loaf pan with a slight increase in baking time which worked great. I liked being able to turn it out of the loaf pan and slice it for serving

 I made this recently for a morning coffee with a friend in New Mexico.  I could not find any chestnut flour in my local stores, so substituted all white flour.  I missed the nuttiness of the chestnut flour a bit, but it was still delicious and made for a very nice mid-morning coffee treat. It seems the type of flour is quite flexible with this recipe (shh… don’t tell King Arthur, he might not be pleased).

A morning coffee with date loaf as the centerpiece. It is normal for this moist loaf to sink in the middle.

Here’s my version of the recipe, which I will call Date Loaf rather than pudding. A big thanks to King Arthur for the original and my friend in Lucca for introducing me to this treat.

 Date Loaf Recipe

1 cup pitted dates, chopped (be sure to use unsweetened dates, not the kind dipped in glucose syrup)

¾ cup sugar

1 Tablespoon butter (omit for a vegan version)

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ rounded teaspoon ground ginger

The batter will be quite moist

1 cup boiling water

½ cup finely chopped walnuts

1 1/3 cups flour (half chestnut, half white is my go to blend)

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Chop the dates and add the sugar, butter, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger.

Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the date mixture.   Let cool to room temperature.

Stir in the flour and the nuts. The batter will be wet.

Put the batter into the prepared loaf pan (it’s ok to lick the spoon since there are no raw eggs in the batter; taste and add more ginger if you want!)

Bake for 30 minutes until set but moist.   A toothpick will come out sticky but without any wet batter clinging. (Baking time may be longer if using a long, narrow European loaf pan rather than a wider US style loaf pan and shorter for an 8x8 square pan).

Cool in pan on a rack x 10 minutes.  Turn out of loaf pan and remove parchment paper.

Serve warm or at room temperature. The loaf slices best with a serrated knife.

 The date loaf is tasty served plain for a coffee or a tea gathering. It works well as a dessert too, just top with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Leftovers keep in the fridge for a few days.

Topped with vanilla ice cream, date loaf makes a nice dessert

Winter Reading, Italian Stories

January has finally dragged itself into February on its slow crawl out of winter.  Is it just me or did last month seem unusually dreary?  And long.  I spent all of January in New Mexico so I can’t speak for the weather anywhere else, but in New Mexico it was cloudy, gray, and drizzly for days on end which is quite unusual here in the land of sunshine.  Two light snowfalls were pretty but cold.   

Pontremoli, a city where books are everywhere.

Dreary winter days are perfect for sitting with a cup of coffee and reading a good book.  When I am away from Italy, as I have been for the last 6 weeks or so, I find myself drawn to books set in Italy. There are endless choices – memoirs, travel diaries, historical pieces. 

There are Donna Leon mysteries and Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano.  Who hasn’t fallen under the spell of A Room With a View or Enchanted April? More recent books have been best sellers - Under the Tuscan Sun and My Brilliant Friend (though I admit I struggled a bit through that one) - come to mind.  Perhaps Umberto Eco’s Name of the Rose or Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron (which I found my grandson reading recently) is on your reading list.  The list could go on and on.

 I am currently enjoying two series that may not be as universally known. Both are by contemporary authors.  The two series are quite different, but if you love Italy, and especially Tuscany, then I recommend them as perfect for winter reading.

Don’t you love it when a novel takes you to a familiar location in Tuscany ?

The first is a series of historical novels by the art historian Laura Morelli.  Her well-researched novels intertwine Italian art, craftsmanship, long-ago artists, and history in compelling reads.  Through her writing I have sat by Da Vinci’s side as he painted, walked with Lisa Gheradini through Florence, hid vanities from Savonarola, and worked alongside a gondola craftsman in Venice.  Parts of her novels are set in 15th and 16th century Italy, but the stories often move between time periods - from Renaissance era Italy to World War II when Italian masterpieces were being hidden from, or acquired by, the Nazis. If not familiar with her books, The Stolen Lady, which revolves around the painting of the Mona Lisa and life in Florence during that time period, and how the painting was hidden during WWII, is a great place to start.   If Venice calls to you, then The Gondola Maker will transport you to the 16th century workshop of a family of gondola craftsman.   

A very different series is written by Camilla Trinchieri.  Set in the present day, her 3 novels are what the Italians call gialli.  The word giallo literally means “yellow” (the plural is gialli), so called for the yellow covers that were traditionally used for Italian mysteries. 

Trinchieri’s protagonist is a very likable retired American cop, widowed and living in the Chianti region.  There is an appealing Italian maresciallo (a type of local policeman) stationed in Greve, his endearing young second in command, and a host of interesting Italian characters.   Reading these novels are like taking a vacation in Chianti, one where you recognize the towns immediately and feel right at home.   Best to read these in order, starting with Murder in Chianti.   A 4th book in the series is due out this year, so I am rereading the series this winter in preparation.

What’s next on my reading list?   I have just started The Sixteen Pleasures, set in Florence after the big flood of 1966. So far I’ve learned quite a bit about the restoration of water damaged books and an American book conservator volunteering in a convent library. A scandal is just unfolding - a book of erotic drawings hidden away in the convent’s library. I wonder where that will lead?

I head back to Italy soon and there will still be a month of winter ahead. I am looking forward to starting the Bookseller of Florence by Ross King.  It is sitting by the reading chair in my Lucca apartment just waiting for me.

Do you have favorite books set in Italy?   Please share your favorites on the Two Parts Italy Facebook page.   Happy winter reading!