Villa Torrigiani

My last field trip with my school buddies was a good one, to Villa Torrigiani in Camigliano, not far from Lucca.  Back in the day, the wealthy merchant families of Lucca built mansions outside of the city, usually at the foot of the hills that surround Lucca.  They were probably originally isolated, but, now are visible among the vineyards and olive groves.   These country mansions provided many elements that town living could not:  an excess of space and cool, clean air in the summer.

With my school chums

Villa Torrigiani was constructed in the second half of the sixteenth century and then, enlarged and completely transformed in the 18th century by Alfonso Torrigiani.  The architecture is a bit busy for my taste, but I did love the colors of the stucco and the stone.  There are many statues and urns on the front of the palazzo

At the rear, there is an inviting loggia with wicker furniture and beautiful murals in the stucco. The family who owns the property now and visits in the summer months surely enjoys the vista from here.

The loggia

I enjoyed the grounds and gardens of the villa more than the villa itself.  We were not allowed to photograph the interior, but the house is filled with antiques, art and period furnishings.

The day we were there, the workers were moving the citrus trees from the hothouse to the grounds.

The extensive grounds of Villa Torrigiani would be the perfect place to explore and picnic on a warm summer day.

What Lurks Beneath San Giovanni

There are many, many churches in Lucca.  It is said that at one time there were more than one hundred.  Some have been deconsecrated and are used for other purposes.  One such church, the Church of San Giovanni, is now home to the nightly Puccini concert series.

The 16th century facade of San Giovanni

A view of the bell tower and baptistery from Piazza San Martino

I’ve been to several concerts there and the acoustics are fantastic.  It is also the church where Puccini was baptized and, where he served as church organist before finding fame and fortune in the world outside of Lucca.

A night at the opera

Until last week, I never knew what was behind those screens with the images of Puccini and was I surprised!

There are five layers beneath the floor of the church and the baptistery.  An excavation begun in 1969 and opened to the public about ten years ago, unearthed 1200 years of Lucca history.  The “ground floor” about 4 meters down revealed the remains of a first century BC Roman Domas.  There are roman mosaics, the foundations and columns of the  houses and temples, and a spa complex complete with Roman baths.  Another layer revealed the remains of a 4th or 5th century paleo-christian church, the next the 9th century church, including a baptistery and crypt and, finally the version of the 12th century, which has a 16th century facade.

Under the baptistery, one level down

The octagonal brick dome of the baptistery

It is said that one cannot put a spade in the ground in Italy without unearthing something historic.  The Church of San Giovanni in Lucca proves that.

Kids These Days

This past week, our granddaughter, Mary Catherine, spent the week with me in Lucca.  She is the younger daughter of Steve’s daughter,  Susan and husband, Michael Smith.  MC will be a college coed in a few months, as her graduation from high school is at the end of May.  Some time ago, I decided that I would travel with each of our grandchildren.  This trip with Mary Catherine was the third of those promises fulfilled.

The adventure begins

MC has a lot of things going for her: she’s smart, beautiful, genuine, sincere and just plain nice.  People love and care about her.  And, she’s a lot of fun.  Only 17, she thinks she might be a missionary.  In the meanwhile, she plans on college.  So far, she has a full scholarship offer on the table,  from  the University of North Alabama.

Firenze

While in Italy she experienced some new food (gelato, prosciutto crudo, gorgonzola, capers,  tagliatelle, cappuccino, buffalo mozzarella, ravioli with butter and sage, cecina,  to name a few); new places (Lucca, Florence, La Spezia) ; new ways of transportation (bus, train, bicycle, foot); new places to buy food (the panetteria, from the  fruttivendolo,  the pasticceria, the salumeria).

Making pizza

She changed planes in Paris (twice), buses in Pisa and Florence, trains in Lucca, Viareggio and La Spezia.  And, like a real Italian, she had plans canceled because of an unexpected scopero (bus strike).

I think this girl is ready to try her wings.  If the world has a few more Mary Catherines in it, I’m hopeful.  MC definitely has the right stuff.

Her granddad had one word to describe someone like Mary Catherine:  “Superstar”!

Giacomo Puccini, Rock Star

In Lucca, Giacomo Puccini is definitely ‘The Man’.  Even if you know nothing about Puccini, you probably know his work, or at least the arias from his most famous operas.  It seems to me that his music plays in the background of our lives.

Puccini with a camellia in Piazza Cittadella

Puccini was born In Lucca in 1858 to a lower middle class musical family, that went back five generations.  He was one of many children but he was given a name that included 6 first names and it’s not hard to imagine that great things were wished for the child.  Unfortunately, his father, the reigning Lucca Maestro of Music, died when Giacomo was only six.  His musical future was then in the hands of an uncle.  It was presumed that eventually he would follow in the footsteps of father, grandfather, etc.

But, he didn’t.  After seeing a production of Verdi’s ‘Aida’,  Puccini left Lucca to study composition in Milan and never looked back.  The Lucchese were not pleased by the rejection,  especially from a young man of modest circumstances. Thus began a caustic relationship between city and composer that lasted for many, many years.   After he achieved financial independence, Puccini built a villa at Torre del Lago, which is not far from Lucca,  but, apparently,  far enough.  When he was not traveling, he lived there until his death.

Portrait, 1902

Puccini wrote twelve operas which were very successful during his life and of course, are staged everywhere now.  Three operas, La Boheme, Tosca and Madame Butterfly were produced to great acclaim within a ten-year span, between 1896 and 1905.

Like a Rock Star worthy of the title, there was scandal associated with Puccini.  While he was still toiling away as a church organist back in Lucca, he had a torrid love affair with the wife of one of Lucca’s most influential merchants.   After the woman became pregnant, the couple left town and lived together in sin, certainly a shocking situation in Lucca.   After Elvira’s husband died, they were then able to marry.  Of course, the life of the rock star comes with temptations and Puccini was reported to be a serious womanizer.  His name was often linked romantically with the sopranos of his operas.  A handsome man who didn’t shy away from the camera, he wore stylish clothes and always was well turned out.  He seems to have a cigarette in almost every picture, which likely led to his death of throat cancer at age 65.

I visited Torre del Largo not long ago which is now a music venue, staging events throughout the summer months.  In addition, the Puccini home is now a museum and mausoleum.  There are many, many  photos of Puccini in fast cars and fast boats.  I think he enjoyed the fast life and used the house on the lake as a refuge from his rock star status.  It was very peaceful place,  conducive to composing his beautiful music.  It was also a place where he could pursue his other passion, hunting.

View of Torre del Lago from above

The lake with the mountain backdrop

The music venue

Lucca is extremely proud of its native son.  His birth home in Piazza Cittadella is a museum  which contains photos, costumes, scores, letters and the Steinway on which he composed Turandot. There is a nightly concert of his music, during the spring and summer months, at the Church of San Giovanni.  I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I have never seen a Puccini opera performed live.  I think I need to remedy that.

Searching for the Sun

It’s been raining in Lucca.  A lot. Too much.  So far, spring seems like a distant promise. But, yesterday, the weatherman said that if we drove to Livorno, we would find the sun. And, we did!

Livorno is south of Lucca on the Tyrrherian Sea, about a 40 minute drive.  It has been around for a long time and like many seaports, has a history and a culture that is influenced from elsewhere.  Like other cities in Tuscany, it was ruled by the Medici family. There is a system of navigable canals within the city.  Much later, like other places in Tuscany and Italy, it suffered extensive damage in WWII.

There is a beautiful black and white terrazzo lungomare beloved by the Livornese. It’s not hard to see why.  And, it was there that we found what we all needed.  The sun and the sea.

Medici fortress

Sunset on the canal

When we returned to Lucca, the world had its new pope, Francesco I.

War and Chestnuts

Today,Tuscany is a peaceful, beautiful place of mountains, rivers, and vistas. But, during the years 1944-45, it was a place of intense fighting. After the fall of Mussolini in 1943,  Italy made truce with the Allies and the battle was joined with the Germans.  Living through it must have been a nightmare for the Toscani.

The American film director, Spike Lee made a movie near Lucca,  in the town of Colognora di Pescaglia, a few years ago.  The movie, ‘The Miracle at Sant’Anna’, recounts the story of the American Buffalo Soldiers participation in the Italian campaign of 1944 and the massacre of more than 500 civilians (women, children and the elderly) by the German forces.

On a cold, rainy day we visited Colognora, not because a film was made there, but to see the village and its Museum del Castagno.  A mountain road winds its way up into the Alpi Apuane where we found ourselves above the clouds.   All the streets are accessible only by foot.  We parked in a small lot and walked up.

The walk into town

The tiny hamlet is built entirely of identical grey stone.  The streets go up and down so at times you are below houses and at other times, looking down on rooftops.  Currently, there are 80 fulltime residents and on this day, the place was deserted. If chestnut forests produced tumbleweeds, we would have seen them tumbling along.

This village has been here a very long time. It has been home to farmers and peasants since at least the 1000s.  I don’t know who lives here now, but, it is beautifully preserved.  There is a decidedly lack of color. I struggled to find anything to contrast with the grey stone and the grey sky.  I found some orange, a little yellow, some light blue and some green.

Gardening with compost

Yellow shutters

Matching door and lamp

A bright green cross

The Chestnut Museum,  in a building within the village, is dedicated to the importance of the chestnut culture of the region.  Something like a medieval townhouse, the ground floor is a room depicting a typical home, with the floor below containing all of the equipment used in harvesting the chestnuts and using the wood for everything needed in the village.  It was really fascinating and informative. I found a small Volto Santo tucked away on the wall of the home. The upper floor is the Town Hall, where our group stopped for a snack of cheese, bread, olives, prosciutto, mortadella, wine and later, Vin Santo and biscotti.  And, of course, lots of conversation.

Volto Santo

I can see why Lee chose this village for the setting of his movie.  There were some realistic scenes of urban fighting in the courtyards and narrow streets.  Now, this mountain town and the others in this area of Tuscany, are quiet and peaceful.  I hope to return in the summer when the air is cool, the sun warm and the people welcoming.

The stone in the arch reads 1623

Holy Smoke! Habemus Papum!

I am not Catholic; I am not in Rome but, I am in Italy.  I feel like I am in the moment.

Tonight,  Pope Francesco I, appeared before the faithful, as the new Bishop of Rome.  I watched the TV like millions of others and waited.  Many firsts.  A South American, a Jesuit and a new papal name.  And, I was here; in the moment!

Sto aspettando

Two things I took away from watching the arrival of the new Pope:  a man who chooses the name, Francesco I,  has promise; and, I understood every single word he said!