San Gimignano

The Unesco World Heritage hilltop village of San Gimignano transports visitors back to medieval times within an idealic trademark Tuscan landscape. Surrounded by iconic rolling hills carpeted in vineyards, olive groves and historical villas, the village paints the perfect scene. Often referred to as the city of towers, San Gimignano dates back to the Etruscans or prehistoric times. The village thrived in the 1st century thanks to successful saffron and Vernaccia wine trades. The Black Plague of the Middle Ages depleted both the population and economy of the town, leaving it close to abandonment for many centuries. This twist of fate actually worked in the village's favour, preserving the medieval buildings and limiting other architectural influences. The 1900s introduced tourism to the village and it has flourished ever since. About 20 of the ancient towers still stand today and gift the village with a beautiful and unique skyline. 

Entering through one of the main gates (referred to as "porta") I immediately feel like I'm in the middle of a medieval movie set (albeit with a few thousand modern day 'extras'). Narrow lane ways shoot off in both directions as I walk up the main thoroughfare. Gift shops, pasticcerie, cheese and salami/prosciutto stores, wine stores and shops bursting with local specialties including pici pasta, saffron, honey and wild boar line the streets. 

The village has obviously inspired a variety of artisans including painters, potters, leather workers and silk weavers. Beautiful ceramics displayed in a small shop front catch my eye so we head in for a look. Franco Balducci, an acclaimed potter, tends to his clay at the potter's wheel and soon transforms the lump of brown clay into a perfectly proportioned bowl and sets it on his rack to dry. I ask him how many items he produces in a day and he explained that give or take a few, he averages 70 ceramics a day. Not a bad day's work! We purchase a set of 4 tiles depicting beautiful Tuscan landscapes for the humble price of 90euro. 

Http://balducciceramica.com

Handmade Tuscan leather goods including beautifully crafted boots, belts and sandals were found in via San Giovane whilst the highlight for me and thousands more every day was the World Champion gelateria, Gelateria Dondoli. Cold, creamy delights whipped up using organic, fresh produce into an array of unique Tuscan flavours beckons visitors far and wide. A lady I'd met in Lucca happened to ask me "tell me what you think of the world's best gelato when you're in San Gimignano" and without asking any questions we set about finding out what she was talking about. A quick google search directed us to the town's main piazza and it was immediately evident that we were in the right place. A queue of some 100 people filled the length of the piazza but seemed to be moving swiftly. Undeterred we joined the line up and during our wait we were fortunate to meet the founder himself, Sergio, a cheery Tuscan. He greeted us and recommended a few unique flavours like raspberry with rosemary, Vernaccia (wine) sorbet, cream with saffron and nuts, blackberry and lavender and spicy chocolate with cherries. He then told us he even visited Australia recently to work with a Guy Grossi so he was quite happy to be meeting some fellow Aussies, asking us to send our regards to Guy (since we're neighbours of course).  

As far as food and wine go, Vernaccia is the most famous wine made from grapes grown in surrounding sandy soils and has DOCg status (the highest quality following strict Italian standards). The wine is light, fresh and slightly dry. Very easy to drink sitting on the terrace near the town's wine museum where you can learn how the wine is produced and enjoy tastings. Local reds, nearby Chianti and Vin Santo dessert wine are also celebrated. Saffron and locally produced honey are also specialties of the village and cheeses (pecorino), salami, prosciutto and cinghale (wild boar) are also savoured. People queued up for in excess of 40 minutes to enjoy sliced cinghale served in a crunchy bread roll from a food truck in one of the town's squares.

The winding streets, tall towers, historical wall and surrounding parklands can keep you occupied for at least a few days and I'd recommend a stay in one of the surrounding villa style hotels nearby. These provide a wonderful stay in  the Tuscan countryside immersed in the movie-set scenery within easy walking distance to the village. We stayed at "la Collegiata", a restored convent from the 1500s. Our room, set in a castle-like tower (added in the 1900s) looked across the fruitful valley up to the tower filled village. Less than an hour's drive from Florence, Siena and perhaps 1.5 hours from Lucca, San Gimignano is a must for the traveller's itinerary. 

 

Easter in Italy, Buona Pasqua!

Italy, the home of the Pope, has one of the largest Catholic populations in the world so what better place to celebrate Easter! We felt committed to immersing ourselves in the local traditions so we asked some local Lucca residents and a few other people I had met in Florence to find out what events were taking place over the Easter period.  It's certainly not all about chocolate Easter bunnies and hot cross buns here! 

For Easter, Lucca's celebrations commence on the Thursday, Maundy Thursday, the day before Easter Friday. This is the day of the celebration of the last supper Jesus shared with his Apostles. The day is a celebration of the help and sense of hope Jesus brought to those in need. It is celebrated by a formal mass, bringing together people in the community and honouring those who help the needy and those who embrace help and overcome life's obstacles. The washing of the feet ceremony is a major part of this mass. We attended the mass at Saint Martino cathedral in Lucca at 6.30pm. Families, couples, school groups, scout groups, red cross volunteers, hospital volunteers, and a group of visitors from Sudan all attended. Locals and visitors alike sat side by side. In addition to the formal mass we heard stories from those who received help from wonderful local volunteer organisations like Red Cross (crocia rosa) and achieved success and those who were searching for hope. Twelve people were chosen to represent the 12 apostles for the washing of the feet ceremony to signify both an element of hospitality and the belief that to wash another person's feet symbolises equality. Friday and Saturday are also honoured with masses in the local cathedrals, with Friday's services bring a more somber experience with many communities re-enacting the stations of the cross, the journey of Jesus during his last day and his crucifixion. Sunday is a day of celebration, when Jesus rose again. We decided to witness the Scoppio Del Carro in Florence. This ceremony started over 350 years ago and involves a large tower like cart 3-4 levels high being pulled through the streets of Florence by 2 decorated white bulls as far as the magnificent duomo. Today, the bulls are presented in the piazza, beautifully decorated by Palm leaves and flowers, with their horns painted gold but they no longer pull the cart due to safety and other reasons. The cart is already positioned in front of the duomo, fully loaded with the explosives. At precisely 11am, a massive display of fireworks errupts from the Carro to simulate an explosion of the Carro. The bigger the explosion, the more luck brought to those who witness it and to the residents of Florence. We arrived the day before in Florence to ensure an early start and to secure a good vantage point for the spectacle. To our luck, as we exited our hotel that morning the parade of the city's crossbow and medieval flag throwing team and people dressed in traditional medieval costumes, drummers, trumpeters and wood wind musicians were filing along the end of our street. We joined along side them on their procession towards the duomo. Once there we jostled amongst the thousands for the best vantage point where we then waited almost an hour listening to the church bells, musicians and readings from the priests. The crowd was metres deep and very single person was armed with iPhones and cameras, all held above their heads in an effort to capture the best possible footage of this unforgettable event. I couldn't believe I was standing there, in Florence on Easter Sunday and witnessing an event that seemed almost fictional and never tangible to me. There I was, amongst the thousands, in front of the most beautiful building I have ever seen (the first time I visited Florence I literally hyperventilated at the beauty of this building). I was here, seeing, hearing and feeling an ancient ceremony that had immense historical significance. To hear, see and smell this display of fireworks brought tears to my eyes. I literarly cried in appreciation for being there. It was truly overwhelming

Not so amazing was the blockade of people in the aftermath. It literally took 30 minutes of 1mm shuffles to exit the crowd and be on our way. I thought the crowd would never move but eventually all dispersed. We later enjoyed a lovely lunch and caught our train home to Lucca.

Easter Monday continues with festivities and the day is referred to as "Pasquetta" or little Easter. The day is celebrated by enjoying a picnic consisting usually of left over foods from the Easter Sunday lunch feast. If the weather permits, friends head out in the sun for an enjoyayable picnic or barbecues and picnics are celebrated undercover. We were invited along to a barbecue at a local winery in a town called Montecarlo (not the Montecarlo we all know in France but a tiny village in Tuscany 30 minutes from Lucca). The winery, Fattoria del Teso, is a small wine and olive oil producer, making about 80000 bottles annually. We were shown through the production of Vin Santo, a dessert wine with DOC accreditation (indicating a high quality and controlled production practices) that involves a 10 year production process. They also produce an extremely light sparkling wine, a Vermentino white wine and a fruitful white. We tried 2 reds, the first light and fresh and the second with a fuller body. Their standard whites and reds are also recognised by the slow wine guide of Italy as they use local grapes with no chemicals or unnatural products and follow traditional non-mechanical processes. Our lunch, consisting of breads from the nearby "citta del pane", cheeses from Sardinia, meats from Garfagnana and Tuscan pasta was paired perfectly with the wines. The dessert consisted of cantuccini which are biscotti like biscuits with almonds that are dipped into the powerful Vin Santo. It packed a punch but was also sweet and delicious.

Unlike the highly commercialised chocolate Easter egg feast we endure in Australia, Italians may give one, quite large, chocolate egg to their loved ones and inside every egg is a gift. My egg had a lovely gold bracelet with black beads and Ruby's had a lovely pair of earrings. A local bread like cake similar to pannetone (enjoyed at Christmas) is eaten and cross or dove shaped columbine (similar to a chocolate chip or almond muffin) sold by local bakeries, are also enjoyed.  Lunch is usually a home cooked family feast but otherwise restaurants offer special fixed Easter menus of traditional foods (often goat, pork or rabbit is on the menu ).

By Monday night, we certainly felt blessed to have experienced a unique (to us) and traditional Italian Easter. Buona Pasqua! 

Lucca Treats

The people of Lucca take their food seriously and are dedicated to continuing many ancient cooking traditions. Thankfully for me, Lucca has plenty of delights to keep my sweet tooth happy and I have had the pleasure of exploring them. Mysteriously, many such treats have required daily checking, just in case they change in any way (haha). Some of the unique and most traditional sweets of Lucca include buccellato, torta co'becchi and brigidini.

Buccellato Toscano is a traditional sweet of Lucca and now has many versions throughout Tuscany, Liguria and even Sicily. Initially made in the form of a ring (ciambella), now it's mostly sold as a elongated roll shape. Soft and fragrant when just baked, it is similar to fruit bread with the added curious addition of aniseed. Ingredients include flour, water, milk, sugar, aniseed, butter and sultanas. 

The torta co'becchi fascinated me when I first heard of it as it is a sweet tart predominately consisting of vegetables! A traditional dessert of Lucca and the neighbouring Garafagnana, it is a light cake with a combination of sweet and unsweetened ingredients. A soft cake-like base is filled with a mixture of parsley, bread softened with milk, cinnamon, pepper, pine nuts, finely grated mild pecorino cheese, currants, egg and sugar. Who would think such a mixture would work but it tastes so good we have found ourselves going back for more and more. Bakeries also sell it in tarts half filled with a chocolate and half with co'becchi.

Brigidini is sold by street side vendors scattered throughout Lucca and is often eaten as a snack or with coffee. In simple terms, it is the result of a mistake made when a more traditional dessert was being prepared. Instead of discarding with the resulting error and to avoid wastage, the 'mistake' was eaten and thoroughly enjoyed. Now sold in large packets, the irregular shaped waffle textured biscuits have a sweet liquorice flavour. They contain flour, sugar, egg, and aniseed essence and are baked to a light brown colour. They are popularly eaten at celebratory times such as during Easter but can also be eaten throughout the year and are extremely more-ish. How fortunate!! ....Now for more walking!

Walking the Aqueduct: L'Acquedotto dell Lucca

On our first day in Lucca we met a local Lucchese girl named Maria who very happily showed us around the beautiful town, explaining its history and giving us an insite to traditional foods and the best places for buying food, having coffee, dinner and so on. Along the way she mentioned that Lucca's water supply used to be drawn through a large aqueduct that still stands today. This was something I'd never seen before so I researched this further and discovered it makes a fantastic walk from Lucca. 

In 1823 the City of Lucca commissioned the construction of the 4km aqueduct to filter natural spring water from the surrounding mountains to the city centre. In the past, underground channels initially filtered the water which then travelled along the top of the tall archways stretching from the base of the hills to just outside Lucca"s wall. Although the acqueduct is no longer functional today, many taps positioned on the arches are accessed by Lucchese people on a daily basis who bring crates of empty plastic bottles to fill up with the fresh spring water. When I visited the acqueduct I passed several taps before I was able to enjoy a quick sip as every time I approached a tap a car would pull up and out would come the crates. 

Passing through Piazza Napoleone in Lucca, you exit the gate San Pietro and cross the road outside the gates. Walk over the bridge across the railway tracks and take the first left along via Nottolini. Passing the train station, the road curves right slightly and you continue on via Tempietto. Alongside the 12m high archways is a dirt path that follows the full length of the aqueduct and leads to the Temple of Guamo which was the original domed tank. Walking along the path I'm initially a little disappointed. The high walls of the acqueduct are certainly amazing and beautiful but the surrounds are somewhat suburban at first. I cross over the busy highway on a metallic bridge and cross two other minor roads along the way. However, I must say that the further you walk  the more beautiful the surroundings become. Soon, I have a smile stretched across my face that I simply can't wipe off. Houses are replaced by farmland which is again replaced by gorgeous country side then lush mountainous forest. The horizon is an amphitheater of Appinine and Alpuan mountains and the fields are overflowing with wild flowers of Spring.The path continues up the mountains to an open monumental parkland called "Alle Parole d'Oro". The parkland has a stream with some man made waterfalls. It's a very pretty and peaceful place where I know I'll visit again with my daughter for a picnic. Continuing up the now more steep CIA path with its red and white markers indicating the route to follow, the 128 path heads further up the mountain through forest dotted with wild holly, pines and a variety of dense trees. A few streams with gently flowing water need to be crossed and the rocky pathway is easily navigated. The path is also popular with mountain bikers so you are best to keep to the side of the path as they can hurtle down the path at a very fast pace. Reaching the top of the mountain you exit at an asphalt road but if you walk along about 50m to your right there is a lookout point that proves a wonderful view back across to Lucca and also provides a Birdseye view of the aqueduct.  The return walk is mostly downhill then on the flats so it's an easy finish. The entire walk takes around 3.5 hours (about 15km) and makes you appreciate the gorgeous surroundings beyond the walls of Lucca.

La Mura di Lucca - The Lucca Wall

One of the most unique aspects of Lucca, Italy is its wide, fully intact 4.5km historical wall. Constructed centuries ago for protection from invaders, it has been reconstructed several times for preservation of Lucca's origins and today is enjoyed by most Lucchese people who use it as a place for leisure, social gatherings and, above all, exercise. Early morning the runners come out in force while later mornings are dominated by leisurely joggers and walkers. Late afternoons sees the famous Italian 'passeggiata', where couples, singles or small groups stroll leisurely to 'see and be seen'. Throughout the afternoon cyclist on rented mountain bikes or town bikes weave through the walkers while crazy teenagers navigate 4 person/4wheel contraptions.  Wonderful views over Lucca and across its many towers can be enjoyed from all directions around the wall. As a family we have enjoyed daily jogs and bike rides around this famous wall (mura). Ruby and I run 3 times a week & bike ride every other day, 2 laps (luckily our apartment came with 2 bikes!). There's a real sense of fun, enjoyment and safety as well as a feeling of community and health. In fact, I have hardly spotted any overweight Lucchese (the nick name given to residents of Lucca). The historical centre inside the city walls is also almost fully car free so you basically walk everywhere. To me, cities like this are the true definition of 'slow travel'.