February into March

Clear blue skies and orange trees, beautiful a this time of year

The week when February turns into early March is a fickle one here in Lucca.   Some days are downright gloomy with gray skies, rain, and wind.  If you’re fortunate enough to have a fireplace (I am not, I admit to a bit of envy when I see smoke billowing out of a chimney), then a warm fire, a cup of coffee, and a book are just the thing.  Then, suddenly, a day of blue skies and sunshine comes along, teasing the notion of spring, only to be followed by a chilly day with clouds but no rain. 

Even within the same day, chilly mornings still require the radiator to be turned on, while warmer afternoons encourage the opening of windows.  One hardly knows how to dress – winter coat or light jacket?  Warmest scarf or lighter weight one?  In Italy it is most definitely still scarf season – after all, no Italian wants to get that hit of cold air on the throat which surely would lead to illness. 

Should I throw my gloves in my purse when going out in the evening ?  Chissa! (who knows).  All I know is that I am not yet packing away my winter clothing just yet.

The view of Palazzo Pfanner from Lucca’s wall, is always a welcome sight on my return to Lucca.

The nice thing about this time of year is that, unless it is rainy, it’s perfect weather for a walk on the walls surrounding the city center.  The trees are still mostly bare, with just the tiniest leaf buds, but the wildflowers are beginning to bloom. The mountains are visible in the distance through the bare trees.  Mothers walk (or jog) the wall with babies in strollers, dogs explore the new foliage, little kids ride bikes and so do adults. 

Since I’ve just returned to Lucca after 6 weeks away, I enjoy walking through town and along the walls to discover what is new or for the reassurance that some things are unchanged.

In town, the Magnolia trees burst into bloom last week, a recurring yearly event that is the first hint of spring. They only last a couple of weeks (less is the weather is awful) and seeing them against a blue sky is nature’s artistry at its best. We were lucky to have such a day last week!

Magnolias in bloom along Corso Garibaldi in Lucca, last week of February, 2026

Flowering bulbs and spring herbs have appeared in the flower shops, and bright purple artichokes fill baskets at the ortofrutta (green grocers).

On the walls is a new art piece - La Luna Innamorata (The Moon in Love). Colorful and larger than life, the scupture is part of a wellness and health initiative of the group Amici del Cuore. Finding new art installations in “real” spaces around town, where they are accessible to all, is one of my favorite things in Lucca.

The Boldini exhibit will be in town through early June

Early March is also the time to anticipate what is to come.  Art exhibitions are ongoing, perfect indoor activities to be enjoyed on a not-so-perfect day. Soon, it will be time for the Camellia Festival.  Later in the spring we’ll have the annual spring garden show followed by a classical music festival in May.

For me, March means that I will head to Trieste next week. Trieste lies in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, one of Italy’s 5 “home rule” regions.  It is a unique area, part of Italy and yet more autonomous, with a location closer to Slovenia than to Rome. I am looking forward to spending two weeks there attending an intensive language program and exploring the region. I have been told to be prepared for sea views, windy weather, and great cafes with outstanding coffee.  Sounds perfect.  I’ll let you know!

Daydreaming of Spring in Italy

Cloudy and cold in Albuquerque. I need some spring!

Most years I am well into February before the “winter blahs” hit me, but for some reason they’ve come early this year.  It might just be the weather - the last 24 hours have brought cold, rain, hail, gray skies, and overnight snow to New Mexico where I am visiting my family this month. 

Today it is cold, windy, and overcast with intermittent snowflakes. Usually snowy days in New Mexico are gorgeous, especially once the sun comes out and makes everything sparkle. But today there is not enough snow to create a pretty winter scene and no clearing skies to bring the sparkle.  It is just cold and dreary.  It is a good day to stay inside, sip some chai, write a blog post, and daydream about spring – sunshine, green leaves on trees, flowers – along with spring travel plans.  And that is exactly what I am doing today.  

These little yellow blossoms are one of the first signs of spring along Lucca’s walls

As for travel, I am finalizing plans for spending two weeks in Trieste in early March with a friend from Albuquerque. It is a part of Italy that I have never visited, with a unique culture that is part Italian and part Eastern European.  I have been warned that it will still be chilly and quite windy, so may not quite bring me the dose of spring I am craving but it does give me something to look forward to. The trip is centered around some time in a special language program for seniors age 60+ and it includes several excursions into the surrounding areas. I’ll let you know how it goes!

March is the time for Camellias, especially in the small village of Sant’Andrea di Compito

Flower art in Spello for the Infiorata (photo from the Le Infiorate website)

I will get the taste of spring I need in the first week of June when I will do a few days of cooking classes on an agriturismo outside of Perugia in Umbria.  That program will include a visit to the famous Infiorata in Spello, a celebration of the Feast of Corpus Domini, where the streets are paved in designs made from flower petals. .  Visiting Spello for the Infiorata has long been on my list of things to experience, and this is the first time the opportunity has worked out for me.  Definitely a spring event to look forward to.

April poppies in Umbria last spring

In the meantime, I am looking back on springtime photos from a variety of places in Italy.

The Iris garden in Florence is opened for just a few weeks in May each year

They are chasing away this gloomy, cold day and making me smile. 

I hope these hints of spring in Italy make you smile too.  And just maybe they will get you started planning some travel!

Parma is lovely in Spring, especially in the Giardino Ducal

Spring Tulips in Lucca

Bright Shiny Objects in a Medieval Town

Lucca never fails to surprise and delight, especially when it comes to outdoor art.

One day in May, I spotted a bright, shiny object in Piazza San Michele. Large, geometric, and standing on point, it shimmered under blue skies on a sunny day. Even better, I watched as a child first touched it and then gave it a push, which set it spinning. I am not sure who was more delighted – the child, his mother, or me. This is outdoor art of the best kind – accessible, touchable, relatable, and engaging for people of all ages.

Expansión Geométrica II 2021 Gustavo Vélez.

Over the next few days, a collection of these modern art pieces appeared throughout the historic center of Lucca. The works, entitled Geometria Senza Confine (Geometry Without Borders), are the creation of sculptor Gustavo Vélez. The exhibit is presented by Oblong Contemporary Galleries and curated by Eike Schmidt. In all, 14 pieces are on display around Lucca.

Fiore VI, a sculpture in white Carrara marble by Gustavo Vélez. Piazza Anfiteatro, Lucca

Born in Colombia, Vélez has a studio in Pietrasanta, a city known for its sculptors and proximity to the Carrara marble quarries. Many of the pieces in the exhibit are marble, with works in bronze and stainless steel also included. Below: The same piece, Fiore VI, seems alive with movement when viewed from two different angles.

 According to the description by Oblong Contemporary Galleries, Vélez’s art “merges form, space, and movement” working “in dialog with historic spaces”. That makes Lucca the perfect background for this exhibit.

Hipercúbicos V in stainless steel, Gustavo Vélez 2024

The works are impressive in their scale, texture, and forms full of angles, curves, and waves. Seeing them surrounded by Medieval buildings adds a striking dimension. I am not sure if it was intentional or a happy accident brought about by Lucca’s historic setting, but several of the pieces have open spaces which offer glimpses of ancient buildings, stone arches, balconies. Others, the stainless steel pieces, have polished  surfaces which reflect the surrounding buildings, passersby, and even a certain blog writer with camera in hand. Each one invites inspection from all angles and in different lights throughout the day. I find myself taking detours as I walk through town just to walk by my favorites or to watch the one that spins delight people as they realize that they can interact with the sculpture.

 A few of the larger pieces are mounted on bases big enough to serve as benches. The pieces take on quite a different aspect when surrounded by people sitting below them – another way in which the art is immersed in the life of the city and accessible to all. 

The sculptures can be seen throughout Lucca from now through September 21.  They are a definite can’t miss for visitors to Lucca this summer.

Cono Geométrico 2023. Gustavo Vélez

The Colors of May

The month of May is the perfect time to be in Tuscany. April’s rains are mostly gone. The skies vary from clear, deep blue to blue studded with white clouds. Temperatures are mild and a bit breezy. Mornings and evenings are cool but the afternoons are warm but not yet hot. We are still having some rain, but the showers are brief and not nearly as chilling as the April storms.

Other than a few lamentations about allergy season, everyone is out and about in Lucca enjoying the beautiful, mild days. It’s a joy to sit outside in a cafe or restaurant or to sit and watch happy children ride the carousel. 

Best of all, the last few weeks have seen an explosion of color in Lucca. The roses are especially gorgeous, with large rows of them blooming in parks and public spaces. 

Flowers fill containers in piazzas, spill from window boxes, bloom in private gardens, and decorate balconies. Stands of star jasmine arch along doorways and walls or climb above terraces, filling the streets with the wonderful scent of jasmine.

 The wildflowers are my favorite. I love the ones that have found homes in the crevices of old stones. The delicate flowers blooming all along the walls of the fosso (the canal that runs along one of Lucca’s streets) are delightful. 

Wildflowers along the fosso

May days are perfect for long walks and discovering Lucca’s hidden corners, especially the ones filled with flowers.

Verde Mura Is Where Spring Gardens Begin

Some recurring events serve to mark time, shepherding in a new year or a new season.  One such event in Lucca is the annual spring garden show, Verde Mura. 

Each April, Verde Mura takes place atop the walls that surround Lucca.  Just about anything one wants for a garden – whether garden means a small herb patch, several long rows of vegetables, a bed full of flowers, or a small stand of fruit trees – is available.  

With garden art and assorted crafts on display, there is little need to look elsewhere for spring garden inspiration.

This year - surprise - there were chickens and one very loud rooster !

Readers of this blog may recognize scenes from Verde Mura because I’ve written about it in past years.   But the event always seems to bring something new, not to mention it really does mark the beginning of spring for me, and so each year I go, camera in hand, learning about everything from heirloom beans to new varieties of tulips and daffodils.  

Sadly, I don’t have space for a garden in my tiny Lucca apartment. I can sometimes manage a few potted herbs, but that’s about all.  Despite that, I always come home with at least a gorgeous bunch of flowers, some treats from the food vendors (this year delicious black pepper and almond taralli), and the joy of having spent a few hours on a spring morning up on Lucca’s walls immersed in the colors and scents of the Verde Mura.