Walking Through Lucca’s History

In Italian, the verb rievocare means to recall, commemorate, or evoke.   Lucca is, for the most part, a Medieval city.  That history can be recalled easily in the current street plan, Medieval towers, and the many churches from that era that can be found throughout town.  To “rievocare” that Medieval history is easy. 

There are of course vestiges of earlier eras, the outline of a Roman amphitheater, remnants of the Roman wall, and some remarkable Roman ruins lying under churches and houses.  The later Renaissance history can also be spotted, most clearly in the walls that surround the historic city center.   But when it comes to celebrating historical events, it is usually the Medieval period that is recreated through costumes, processions, music, and competitions.

How would one even go about planning an event that would recall the broader scope of Lucca’s history?  From before the Roman era and through the period at the end of World War II?   Well, fortunately, someone decided to do just that, and in late May a festival took place – Rievocando Lucca, A Festival of History.

A call to arms for Roman soldiers

 The event took place on the city walls, a perfect way to present, in chronological order, a series of vignettes tracing Lucca’s history from pre-Roman/Etruscan times through the city’s liberation at the end of WWII.  Each stop along the walls featured costumed actors, period specific crafts and weapons, and representations of daily life during the time period.  The actors were a wealth of information, explaining the displays, answering questions, and demonstrating the use of tools and weapons.

 Some highlights:

The Roman Legionaires made camp along one section of the wall and they were fierce!  Dressed for battle, armed, and bearing shields, they made an impressive sight during the commander’s morning call to arms.  Marching through town one evening, they caused quite a stir with their chants and battle cries. 

 In the Medieval village, a candlemaker described the process and coloring agents used in making her candles. Nearby, a woodcarver demonstrated his skills.   The Medieval costumes were beautiful too.

Piazza Napoleone and the Ducal Palace, both created by Elisa Bonaparte.

 Napoleon also left a mark on Lucca’s history – gifting the city to his sister Elisa who ruled as the Princess of Lucca and Piombino in the early years of the 1800’s.  Her influence can still be seen in Lucca -  the largest piazza is the Piazza Napoleone and it sits in front of the Palazzo Ducale, the palace Elisa Bonaparte built.

 For the Rievocando festival, a Napoleonic camp was filled with French soldiers in their colorful uniforms.   Alongside were a group of French ladies taking tea, as they might have done once upon a time in the Palazzo Ducale.

 The final vignette was of WWII, during a time when American and Brazilian troops played an important role in and around Lucca.  It was American Buffalo soldiers who entered Lucca in September 1944, ending the occupation by Nazi forces.   

 Also fun was walking around town and seeing the many costumed participants having lunch or strolling the walls.  The weekend event provided little glimpses of Lucca as it once was. 

Suddenly Summer

Just an interesting display down a shady street, outside of an antique shop

The Italian expression all’improvviso means “suddenly”.  To say improvvisamente estate means suddenly summer, and that perfectly describes the change in weather over the last week.  It seems we went from cool and often rainy days requiring jackets and scarves, to sun and heat, dresses and sandals almost overnight. 

Over the years I’ve learned to cope with the Italian summer heat and humidity (coming from the desert of New Mexico, the humidity is still a struggle for me). The key to schedule errands and walks in the mornings, social gatherings in the evenings, and middays at home with fans and the “pinguino” (portable AC unit) running. Truth be told, the pinguino isn’t very effective in cooling my apartment due to the really high ceilings, but if I sit right in front of it, it helps. 

So does the Italian habit of closing the shutters and curtains in the mornings, especially on the east facing windows, to keep the house cooler.  I’ll sacrifice light for coolness every time.

The cafes around Piazza Napoleone are shady and the piazza is full of activity.

It also helps to walk on the most shaded streets, dashing quickly through the open and sunny piazzas where the difference is temperature is considerable. Restaurants with shaded patios, cafes with tasty iced coffee, and places with good indoor AC are invaluable on hot summer days. 

None of this is to complain though.  The sky is bright blue, the trees are green, flowers bloom throughout town, outdoor musicians provide the soundtrack, and special events and festivals (like the ceramics market this past weekend) are a weekly occurrence.

Piazza Napoleone offers both shade and liquid refreshment

Tuscany is wonderful at this time of year.  Not to mention that an Aperol Spritz, sipped on a shady piazza, has a remarkable ability to cool me down and make me sigh with contentment.

I am enjoyed morning walks, whether up on the walls or through town. I continue to be delighted by interesting details spotted while having a coffee or when turning down a small street, by small details that I may not have noticed before, by gardens that I haven’t visited since last summer, and by the general day-to-day scenes of life in Lucca. 

May June be delightful wherever we find ourselves!

This tucked away garden is a favorite, and very quiet, spot in Lucca. It’s a great place to listen to birds singing.

3 Days of Music and Flowers in Lucca

The last weekend in April was a busy one here in Lucca. The weekend began on Friday evening with the smallest of the weekend events – a performance by two choral groups in the Oratorio San Giuseppe, a small chapel built in the early 1500’s.  Napoleon once used it as a warehouse, but today it is a small performance space with a historic interior and great acoustics.  Better still, my favorite local a cappella group, Coro Puntaccapo, performed.  Their style is swing, classic and modern pieces, in both English and Italian.  I never miss a chance to see them perform. 

For this evening, they were joined by Coro Melisma, a large chorus from Göteborg, Sweden.  They came to Lucca with wonderful harmonies, full sound, vocal runs, and their dry, Swedish sense of humor.   Each group performed individually at first but later as an ensemble singing everything from swing to pop to something you might expect from a Swedish group – a three minute mash up of Abba songs.  A fun evening to kick off a busy weekend.  (video on IG two_parts_italy and on Facebook)

 Saturday, April 25th, was a national holiday in Italy, la Festa della Liberazione (Liberation Day), marking Italy’s liberation from Nazi Occupation at the end of WWII. 

There were local ceremonies to mark this important date in history, a wreath was placed at the war memorial, and, as a national holiday, many visitors came to celebrate.  

Another big event, the Santa Zita festival, was ongoing throughout the weekend.  An annual celebration for Lucca’s own very popular saint, the festival has two main components.  The first takes place inside the Basilica San Frediano where Santa Zita (yes, the actual saint’s body) is placed front and center so that people may pay homage to her.  

Santa Zita in the San Frediano Basilica

And because Santa Zita is known for the miracle of the flowers, the second event fills the Piazza in front of the church with a floral “island” and fills the nearby Piazza Anfiteatro with a flower market.  This is an event that I always look forward to, especially since my own superstition is that a visit to Santa Zita on this day guarantees that I will be in Lucca for the next year.  In my experience it is more effective than coins in the Trevi Fountain and I am not about to take a chance by skipping it!

Sunday afternoon brought more music, this time in Lucca’s Teatro del Giglio with a performance of Puccini’s opera Turandot, 100 years after it made its debut.

Turandot was Puccini’s final opera, as he died before its completion. The final scenes were completed by another Italian composer, Franco Alfano.

When the opera permiered, with Toscanini conducting, he stopped the performance at the point in the opera that marked the end of Puccini’s work, not performing those final scenes. The performance today chose to end in the same way, presenting the uncompleted work just as Puccini left it. The performance was wonderful with dramatic stage sets, unique costuming, tremendous voices, and of course a moving Nessun Dorma.

It seems there is always something happening in Lucca, especially at this time of year.

One Spring Weekend in Lucca

Jazz at Caffè di Simo

Perfect spring weather has finally arrived!  Blue skies, temperatures in the mid to high 70’s, and slight breezes made for a wonderful weekend in Lucca. The weekend was full of activity and the city was filled with blossoms. There is no better time to be in Tuscany than spring.

On Friday, the first of a series of events took place at the Antico Caffè di Simo. The caffè has been closed since 2012, other than for a brief reopening for performances 2 years ago to mark the 100 years since Puccini’s death.  The historic café, with its elegant wood and glass interior, was a favorite “hang-out” for Puccini and his pals and looks untouched from his time.  It’s easy to imagine him sitting here, smoking (of course), and having great discussions with the literati of his time.  

This year a collaboration between the city government, a local cultural group, and the owners of the property will see the caffè opened for music, dance, and literary events on weekends from mid-April until mid-June.  This past Friday, the first performance was jazz with a lovely singer and an outstanding pianist.  At one point a man in the audience, who seemed to know the singer, got up and spontaneously began singing with her.  So much fun to watch!   No tickets needed, the free performances are limited only by the small number of seats in the caffè.  What a great way to start a weekend. Of course spring weather means outdoor aperitivi and the official start of Aperol Spritz season.  No one had to twist my arm to get me to enjoy a post-concert aperitivo on a pretty piazza.

The monthly antiques market is always fun to visit.

Saturday also brought the monthly antiques market, especially enjoyable with the spring weather.  The vendors are nearly always the same, but they bring some new and interesting items each time they set up their booths.  I still daydream about buying some of the bigger pieces of furniture (not practical with my small apartment) but have a hard time resisting other items - especially the vintage linens.

The local Misericordia (the ambulance service) hosted a Saturday fair in Piazza Napoleone. On display were some very old wooden “ambulances” alongside the more modern ones. Need to learn how to use a defibrillator? This was the place to go.

Sunday brought church bells and more great weather - a perfect morning for a coffee with a friend. We weren’t the only ones with that idea, as many of the pastry shops and cafes were filled with people enjoying the chance to sit outside, enjoying the weather and a simple breakfast.

Pasticerria Pinelli has a great spot under the arches on Via Beccheria

After coffee, a wander through town led to Piazza San Michele where the local Puccini Marching Band, complete with baton twirlers, was performing. The youngest twirlers were a delight. Always fun to watch, the music was lively and the crowd that gathered appreciative. (You can find a short video on IG two_parts_italy and on Facebook).

On a different side of the musical spectrum, a one-man band street musician entertained passersby on a street corner. From the look of his harmonipan, you might have expected some Ragtime music. Instead, he was playing a lovely Ave Maria.

It is hard to navigate around big tour groups

Spring weather also means an influx of visitors to Lucca.  Walking through town this weekend I’ve heard German, French, Japanese, and a variety of English accents spoken along with lots of Italian speaking visitors too. I enjoy meeting the visitors that spend some time here, especially blog readers who write me to say they are coming to Lucca.  I’ve met several of them in just the past week – all delightful.

The big tour groups however can be trying.  I admit to already having had a few moments of frustration with groups who take up an entire street, oblivious of people trying to get around them.  I am trying to remember to be patient, but I definitely do some mumbling about this.  An occasional Italian parolaccia (swear word) might creep in, sotto voce (under my breath).   If only I had a euro for each time I had to say “permesso” and squeeze by. Those euros just might overcome the worsening dollar to euro exchange rate!

It’s hard to beat a spring weekend in Lucca. I can’t wait to see what next week brings!

A tucked away garden in Lucca - a favorite spot to sit and read.

Hello April

I know that spring officially starts in late March, but for me it is the first of April that marks the true start of spring.  When the calendar flips to April 1st, I begin to look forward to a month full of blossoms, green leaves sprouting on the trees, and the annual springtime events that take place here in Lucca.

Wisteria in bloom - a sure sign of spring

Usually, the month starts with warming temperatures that hint of beautiful days to come, even if April showers sometimes require umbrellas. But this year gentle April weather has been a little late in arriving. The first week started out downright chilly and windy.  I even needed to turn up my heat on few cold mornings, something I rarely need to do in April.

One Italian social media poster claimed to be uncertain whether Easter lunch should include a Colomba (the traditional Tuscan Easter sweetbread) or a Panettone (which is served at Christmas).  With Easter coming quite early this year, and the chilly temperatures, that is a reasonable question.

Some signs of spring are starting to appear, despite the chill.  For one, wisteria are blooming across town.  That is always one of the best parts of spring.

In the markets, both asparagus and shiny green pea pods have made an appearance.  The shops have been busy as people gathered supplies for Easter lunch.  In Italy that is typically a family affair. For me it meant brunch with good friends.  Some of that gorgeous asparagus was definitely on the menu, along with some pretty yellow freesias from the twice weekly flower market.

Best of all, Easter weekend brought sunshine and the first spring like temperatures. Finally !

The week leading up to Pasqua (Easter) is always busy.  Good Friday was marked by a procession that harkened back to medieval times as it wandered through Lucca, complete with the barefoot men of the Misericordia carrying a large crucifix with stops made at small chapels and roadside shrines.  Ancient and meaningful, with chanting and prayers, it is an integral part of Easter time here. 

In the Duomo (Lucca’s main cathedral), an Easter week visit gave me a chance to see the restoration work that has been completed on the Tempietto del Volto Santo, the small, 15th century temple where Lucca’s 1500+ year old wooden crucifix is usually kept.

The crucifix itself was restored last year and is on display within the cathedral in the workshop were the restoration work took place.

The Tempietto work uncovered layers of history and hidden decorations. Behind where the crucifix usually stands, remnants were uncovered of frescoes that reflect patterns that might have been seen in Lucca’s Medieval era silk works. The inlaid floor, marble altar, and blue starry ceiling are wonderful. All are viewed through the intricate “cage” of the structure.

The Tempietto was just recently opened for public viewing (through April 19th). In early May the process of returning the Volta Santo crucifix to the Tempietto will begin.

On the lighter side of the holiday, Easter displays decorate shop windows and the pastry shops are full of holiday treats - Colombas, fancy decorated cakes, and sweets. And the chocolate shops have no shortage of Easter hens, bunnies, and giant cellophane wrapped eggs.

Preparing the wheel of cheese for the Ruzzolone in Panicale, Pasquetta 2025

An Italian Easter is a two-day affair, continuing today as Pasquetta (Easter Monday).  Pasquetta is a day for fun, friends, and picnics.  Or, as I learned last year when visiting Panicale on that day, a chance to participate in the Ruzzolone, where big wheels of cheese are sent rolling downhill – winner keeps the cheese. 

No such event takes place here in Lucca, so I’ll have a quiet Pasquetta that will certainly require a coffee with friends.

I hope you all had a Buona Pasqua. May you sneak in an extra day to celebrate Pasquetta Italian style.