Tuscany
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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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Spinning Fibre Demo & Water Mill
Demonstrating making wool fibre After the Breadmaking, some of the local ladies from Petrognola (I believe church ladies) did a demonstration of spinning with a distaff and drop spindle. Spinning is the process where, in this case, wool or other fibre are pulled and twisted to form yarn. The distaff is the rod that holds…
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Baking Potato Bread & Farro
After breakfast, we drove from Venturo to Petrognola a beautiful little village in the Garfagnana to meet with Paolo Magazzini, the village baker. He showed us how to make the bread dough using a starter that he has kept ‘alive’ that was his mother’s (who has since passed) and putting in freshly boiled potatoes that…
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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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Village Life – Casabasciana
The village I am living in (and where Heather lives) is called Casabasciana. It is a village on top of a mountain, located in the Province of Bagni di Lucca. Today was a work day for me and while Heather was out giving a honeymoon couple a private tour, I was busy doing some marketing work…
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Wine Tasting at the Anteprima
Heather is taking a sommelier course in Lucca and we have a wine professional development course we are working on, so Heather suggested we go to the ‘Anteprima‘. The Anteprima, an annual event, is a large scale wine exhibition where Tuscan coast vinters debut their new wines (about 400 labels) and it was held at…
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Daily meals up on the Mountain
I’ve been asked “What are your daily meals like?” Well, I am fortunate that Heather loves to cook. Not only that but she cooks only with locally sourced product. Daily. In the morning, the meals are planned and we go to the grocery store in the village to buy the ingredients for the day’s meals.…