small villages
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Devil’s Circle
Today, our last day of the tour, we travelled to San Pellegrino in Alpe. A bit chilly, we nestled together in a little cafe and had somo ‘cioccolata calla’ (hot chocolate) which is served very very thick – I needed a spoon. We visited the Ethnographic Museum Don Luigi Pellegrini. It was full of objects…
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Sightseeing in Bagni di Lucca
Before our cooking class we had a little time to kill. We stopped for some gelato in Bagni di Lucca and enjoyed the picturesque village as we walked around. We took some scenic photos of the 18th century chain bridge and walked to the unused Casino at Ponte al Serraglio. Chain Bridge 2 Casino…
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The Best Pecorino Cheese I have ever tasted!
The home on the farm View from the farm happy sheep Up another mountain today about 1000 meters up to Cerasa Farm. The Cavani family is part of a project to save the native breed of Garfagnana sheep. Signora Gemma uses their milk to make pecorino cheese. She explains how she makes…
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Exploring Barga
In the wall above the entry to Barga About 6 pm we drove to Barga. As we entered the area I could see ‘New Barga” on the outskirts with newer buildings and ‘Old Barga’ the picturesque medieval hilltop town with a vibrant artistic community. It was an absolute pleasure to get lost and explore the…
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Festa di Primavera in Castiglione
At 11 am we arrive in Castiglione for their Festa di Primavera (Spring Festival). This picturesque walled town in the Garfagnana featured handmade crafts and food vendors. We strolled through the town and ooh and ahh’d at the beautiful old buildings and scenic views seen below. Tour group arrival Church at the base of…
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Cheese-throwing in Castiglione
This year, the Festa introduced a ‘Cheese-throwing Competition’. A local explained to me that this started off as a pass-time and has developed into a sport with different leagues. This competition starts at the bottom level of the village and the goal is to reach the finish line (at the top of the village) in…
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Milk from the Mechanical Cow
Heather doesn’t drink much milk. I do. I love all dairy. On the last visit, about a year ago, she told me of the mechanical cow that sits in the middle of Borgo a Mozzano, a local village. I was intrigued and had to go ‘milk’ it…. Below is a photo of it in all…
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The Village on the Mountain
Long travel, but finally arrived. Heather picks me up at the airport and whisks me away. We stop off in Lucca (for lunch) and I pick up my SIM card for my Italian telefonino (which gives me an Italian phone number) and buy some minutes. So easy and inexpensive to purchase minutes, 5 Euros for…