Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
GRAPEVINEGRAPEVINETUSCANY’S
December/January 2018/19
€ 2.50
MAGAZINE
with the sponsorship
of
The magazine for those who live in Tuscany – or wish they did
Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 20192
POOL CONSTRUCTIO
N
POOL MAIN
TENANCE
POOL SHOP
POOL CONSTRUCTIO
N
POOL MAIN
TENANCE
POOL SHOP
LUNATA - LUCCA tel. 0583.429333 - fax 0583.429158
[email protected] www.systems-pool.com
Menu di Natale 2018 Menu di San Silvestro 2018
Euro 45,00 a persona - Tutto CompresoPer informazioni Tel 0583 329970
Euro 54,00 a persona - Tutto CompresoPer informazioni Tel 0583 329970
31 dicembre 2018Aperitivo di benvenuto
Prosecco Valdo extra dry o cocktail analcolico
Conchiglia di cappesante gratinateBarchetta di mousse di salmone affumicato
Avocado e gamberone rosso di Mazzara del ValloFiore di Prosciutto di Parma con spuma di parmigiano
Vol-au Vent con salsa tartufataDado di quiche pancetta, formaggio e pomodori secchi
Paccheri all’astice delle festeRavioli di tartufo con fonduta di formaggio
Involtino di branzino ripieno di julienne di verdureavvolto nel al lardo di colonnata, salsa agli agrumi
Filetto di vitello di latte ai porciniSformato di patate, zucca e zucchine verdi
Torta della foresta nera con salsa alla vanigliaCestini di uva portafortuna
Chardonnay Santa MargheritaMorellino di Scansano DOC La Capitana
Spumante dolce o secco - Caffè e digestiviCotechino con lenticchie dopo mezzanotte!!
La Cantina Di CarignanoVia per Sant’Alessio n. 3684 – 55100 Lucca
www.lacantinadicarignano.com
25 dicembre 2018
Aperitivo di benvenuto
Gran Insalata di mare esotica con bacche di melograno
Salumi tipici garfagnini e crostini ai fegatini toscani
Tortellini di prosciutto in brodo di cappone
con e coriandoli di verdure
Lasagnetta al ragù di mare e pesto genovese
Trancio di Ricciola su salsa di ciliegini
Cappone bollito su purè di zucca
Maialino di latte al forno a legna agli aromi toscani
Coniglio arrosto con ripieno delle feste
Patate arrosto
Semifreddo al croccantino con salsa al cioccolato
Panettone e Pandoro con coppa di spumante
Vini bianchi e rossi DOC
Selezione della casa
Caffè e digestivi
La Cantina Di CarignanoVia per Sant’Alessio n. 3684 – 55100 Lucca
www.lacantinadicarignano.com
3Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 2019
Editorial2018
2019December JanuaryDirettore ResponsabileGiuseppe Brandani
EditorNorma Jean Bishop
AdministrationSilvano Simi
ContributorsHelen AskhamNorma Jean BishopChiara CalabreseDavis & Co.Mikel DeAngelisJudith EdwardsBeth ElonThomas S. EnglandJacqueline FalcomerSimone LippiJenny SchutzJoel K. SwailMaria TsaousidouIrene Viviani
Marketing/DistributionClaudia CasoliDiana GattiNicola GirolamiSilvano Simi
Cover: Photo by Thomas S. England, Sharing the view from his kitchen window.
Art/Music/Photography
Traditions & History
Food & Drink
Practical
Gardens
What’s On In & Around
Bilingual CrosswordProperties for SaleProfessionals
Photolux 2018 4A Nordic Opera, La Rondine 6Jim Carnevale, Photographer 7Associazione Musicale Lucchese 8Book Review: Love Me Not 8Artworks Returned to Florence 10
Eritrea and Lucca 5Lullabies & Raising the GhostsLa Befana at Barga 23
Chestnuts & Bits of Tuscan Wisdom 20Pandoro or Panettone 21New Year’s Eve, Lentils & Cotechino 22
Book Review: Buying & Selling in Tuscany (2) 10
The Holly and the Ivy 25
11
8,
9
Markets
19
24, 26
27
Tuscany’s Grapevine Magazine by Grapevine EditionsRegistered office: Via Guinigi, 22 - Lucca 55100. Visit us at Via dell’Angelo Custode 3A. Mobile +39 333 8617962 - [email protected] - www.luccagrapevine.com P. IVA 02416230460 - C.F. BSHNMJ48C65Z404D. Iscrizione CCIAA - LU 223932. Registrazione Tribunale di Lucca n° 4, 23 Feb. 2016. Printed by Luminarprint srl - Calcinaia (PI).
Articles/photos for consideration may be submitted to the Editor. Advertising in editorial form may also be submitted for inclusion. Pages enclosed with a frame contain paid submissions.
© Tuscany’s Grapevine Magazine © What’s On In & Around
The listings published in Grapevine are taken from reliable sources and reproduced in good faith. However, to avoid disappointment, readers are advised to check information before setting off. Signed articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or of the Direttore Responsabile.
Dear Readers,As we reach this year's end, I remind
our readers that Tuscany's Grapevine Magazine, this year as every year, will not publish a separate issue in January. It's time now for a well-deserved pause, which this year means accompanying our harpist to Grosseto for rehearsals in preparation for New Year's concerts, then relaxing at Saturnia or Bagno Vignoni hot springs.
On Thanksgiving Day, almost 50 of us shared a special day at La Cantina di Carignano. Thanks to Chef Paolo and all those who celebrated with us, here and elsewhere! The year 2019 our magazine will celebrate 25 years of existence, and so what better time to meet old friends and new?
When I was younger, January represented the “deadest” month of the year, but now I relish the cold quiet days, the warmth of the fireplace, and the pleasures of old films (my favorite is It's a Wonderful Life, what's yours?). When he was little and newly arrived in Italy, my son was delighted to learn that Tuscany brought not only a wonderful Christmas season, but also the Befana – a bright way to enter the new year! We hope that you enjoy our articles about Tuscan holiday traditions, written by Joel, Beth, and Irene. The richness of the seasons and closeness to nature are also expressed in articles by Simone, Judith, and Jacqueline.
Since no one is an island, in the articles about Eritrea and the Photolux Photojournalism, we return to the global context. If you then feel motivated, please join us on 6 December for an abundant apericena (see page 18) organized by Comunità Sant’Egidio to help finance their Christmas dinner for the poor. Call me!
For sheer visual delight, see the page about Italian/ American friend and transplant Jim Carnevale. And for Puccini lovers, don't miss the art installation at the Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lucca, a collaborative effort by Russian artists. Then, we offer a peek at the 2019 concert season of the Associazione Musicale Lucchese.
A final reminder: don't miss Charlotte Hagen's presentation of her very inspirational book, on December 3rd (see last month's Grapevine for details).
Best wishes for the holidays, here and everywhere! – Norma
Have a guided photo tour of Lucca with photojournalist Thomas S. England. Learn how to improve your photos using any camera or smartphone.
Four hour lessons, in English, customized to your skill level. We begin on a rooftop terrace featuring amazing views of Lucca, then walk the streets to create memorable photos.
very two years, Lucca, in coordination with otherEuropean cities and with primary sponsorship byE the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca, hosts
the Photolux Festival (returning in 2019). For alternate years, the winners of the World Press Photography Competition (now in its 61st year) are on display, along with the Leica Oskar Barnack Awards.
This year the World Press Photography exhibition is being held at Palazzo Ducale and the Leica Awards at Dei Servi Church in Piazza Dei Servi . All-day workshops are being held at Via San Micheletto, 3 in Lucca, on 1, 3, 8, and 9 December, with afternoon “Leica Talks” at the Cassa di Risparmio Auditorium at Via San Micheletto, 8 on 8 and 9 December.
Open daily17 November to 9 December,
10am to 7.30pmTickets €12, reduced to €10 for under 18 &
visitors to Il DescoTo visit only Palazzo Ducale, €10To visit only Dei Servi Church, €5
For more information, tel. 0583 53003www.photoluxfestival.it
Photolux 2018 and World Press Photography
The Leica Awards photographs, by two winners and ten runners-up, are on display in the beautiful but cold Dei Servi Church, so come prepared (keep your coat on!). Overall, these are less dramatic images than the ones at the Palazzo Ducale, but they are just as engaging. Of the two winners, I preferred Mary Gelman's series dedicated to people with disabilities (above), who live in a rural Russian community called Svetlana. The scenes warm us with their compassion. In quite a different way, I enjoyed the quirky and ironic series dedicated to Sicilians at the beach during their annual holiday, Ferragosto.
The larger exhibition of prize-winning photographs at Palazzo Ducale should not to be missed. Some, such as the image of an orphaned baby elephant being returned to the wild in Kenya (by Ami Vital for National Geographic), are uplifting. There is a wonderful roomful of photos by Karim El Maktafi, showing a festival of traditional Moroccan horsemen (upper right). Other projects, such as the one dedicated to the Gibe III dam project at the Omo River in Ethiopia by Italian photographer Fausto Podavini, may evoke mixed emotions. How to react when viewing the image of women in tribal dress, their bodies decoratively scarified, wearing lacy pink bras that have been given to them by outsiders, who came to the region along with the dam builders?
Contact with the “outside” world is, of course, inevitable. The impact goes both ways. The photo by Egyptian Heba Kamis (middle right) shows an 11-year-old Cameroonian girl. Her mother has been binding her breasts for years so that they won't develop, so that the child will be less appealing as a bride or sex slave. Lower right, in a photo by Magnus Wennman, is the image of two refugee children in Sweden who suffer from a condition termed uppgivenhetssyndrom (Resignation Syndrome). They have lain in bed, unresponsive, coma-like, for a long time, as a result of depression, apathy, or cultural dislocation. This syndrome has only been seen among refugee children in Sweden. The girl on the right, Djenata, has been unresponsive for two and a half years, while her sister on the left, Ibadetta, for over six months. Call it by whatever name you will, such shocking photographs show us realities outside our own realities.
Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 20194
s I write this article, listening to Lorenzo Jovanotti singing Chiaro di luna, I recall the song's video that I saw only a few days ago. He recorded this in Eritrea's capital, Asmara. Architecturally the region Aseems to have stopped in the 1930s, when the Italians (including
Lorenzo's grandfather) lived there. Jovanotti's video shows Fascist-style buildings with prominent place-names such as “Roma” and “Cinema Impero”, and a beautiful moonlit beach, which could be anywhere in Italy. Last month, a group of students from Lucca's Istituto Tecnico-Agrario and two students from the Istituto Geometra took an inspiring educational trip to this far-away country, visiting the capital city Asmara, the southern town of Massaua, and the countryside in between. Upon their return, they viewed a video retrospective of their travels, shown at the Palazzo delle Esposizione of the Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lucca.
Where is Eritrea? you might be asking. Eritrea occupies an extremely strategic location at the “horn of Africa”, along the Red Sea where it opens into the Indian Ocean. There is a coastline almost 1000 miles long with several hundred small islands (only two of which are inhabited), for which reason the southern coastal region has been referred to as Africa's Venice. To the west, Eritrea is bordered by Ethiopia, to the north by Sudan, to the south by Djibouti. Across the Red Sea lie Saudi Arabia and Yemen. To arrive here, the students flew from Rome to Addis Ababa, then from Addis Ababa to Asmara. Next year, direct flights to Asmara will begin. Embargos against Eritrea were lifted only this year, so the region is becoming a bit more accessible.
It's a long story, too long to tell here, but we should note that one of the early visitors to this region, under the auspices of the Italian Geographical Society, was Carlo Piaggia of Lucca (more precisely, Badia di Cantignano, just south of town). Piaggia explored widely in Africa, visiting Eritrea in 1871. Later, under Mussolini, Libya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia all became Italian colonies. Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1991. Reflecting its multi-ethnic character, several languages are spoken here: primarily Tigrinya and Arabic, but also Tigre, Italian, and English, English especially for commercial purposes.
Marcello Marchi, a Lucca resident, was born in Eritrea in 1950. He was the dynamo for the recent contacts between Eritrea and Lucca, with his Association Lucca-Massaua. He escorted the students, together with their Professor Franco Grossi, Provincial Scholastic Director Donatella Buonriposi (image 1, meeting mothers and children), Alessandro Ghionzoli (president of Partecipazione e Sviluppo), Oriano Landucci (president of the Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lucca), and Alberto Del Carlo (president of the Fondazione Lucca Sviluppo). They visited the Italian school (image 2) in Asmara, then travelled south through the countryside, where grain is still hand-threshed by donkeys (image 3). Stopping at local outdoor markets, they could enjoy freshly baked yams (image 4) and drink coffee served by friendly Eritreans (image 5). Everywhere, theymet smiles and hospitality. Arriving at the seaside, they travelled by boat to the islands and swam in the crystalline sea (image 6).
The region is hot and dry and most of the islands have no fresh water. Last year, supported by the Fondazione Lucca Sviluppo, scientists developed light-weight water distillation systems so that the Eritreans would not have to abandon the region during the hot summer season. Then, in collaboration with the Eritrean schools a training program was initiated, so that the women especially could manage these portable systems in autonomous fashion.
In Lucca, at the Istituto Agricolo, the students will try to cultivate some of the plants that they brought back to study. One of these, the Moringa oleifeira (horseradish or drum stick tree), is considered by the Eritreans to be magical. In fact it has many really good qualities – take a look on Wikipedia!
The potential for growth and sharing is excellent in this part of the world, and we see what can be done when some vital elements are present: these being peace, water, and medical care. Regarding that final point, Dr. Mario Locatelli, president of the non-profit Un cuore un mondo (One heart one world), talked to the students about the association’s work to help African children. The pediatric heart specialist team from Massa packs up its surgical equipment and goes to Africa to work for a few weeks each year. With little preventive medicine in this part of the world, if children catch viruses while affected by tonsillitis, for example, these can lead to heart problems.
Our little town of Lucca, sometimes called “provincial”, has wings that reach out far beyond the walls, and in this way we also learn what the rest of the world has to share. Ambiguities abound, but isn't that part of maturing?
Eritrea and Lucca
Educational Assessor Buonriposi with Eritrean families
Italian language school in Asmara
Donkeys threshing grain
Baked yams eaten fresh at the market
Eritrean coffee
Swimming in the horn of Africa
5Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 2019
phot
os e
xtra
cted
fro
m
vide
o by
Fra
nco
Gro
ssi
works that have justly become part of musical, literary, and Tuesdays to Sundays, 3.30 pm to 7.30 pm, with free cultural history: Giacomo Puccini's La Rondine (The Swallow) admission) at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni, the and Anton Chekhov's The Seagull. Both, as conceived by the F Fondazione Banca del Monte of Lucca, will present a authors and despite their geo-cultural distance, begin with a
project entitled La Rondine, with works by the visual/sculptural similar investigation of the role of women in society, and a refined artist Alexey Morosov, writer Nicolai Lilin , and reflection on the importance and freedom of the creative act.musician/composer Federico De Robertis. The project is curated The exhibition is part of Puccini Days and officially by Alessandro Romanini with the collaboration of GianGuido concludes the program of activities held in 2018 for the Year of Grassi. Russian Culture in Italy. It has been developed by the Banca del
For this special occasion, Morosov, Lilin, and De Robertis Monte di Lucca Foundation and Lucca Sviluppo Foundation, have conceived of an artistic event aimed at re-animating the with the collaboration of the Giacomo Puccini of Lucca
of Giacomo Puccini's La Rondine. Foundation, Lucca Academy of Arts and Sciences, Cava This intense project has involved researching the various levels of Calacata Borghini, Restauroitalia srl, START-Open your eyes, textual interpretation and contemporary re-interpretation, the and with the sponsorship of the City of Lucca, Chamber of scenography, and musical story, to explore the potentialities for Commerce, Teatro del Giglio, Luigi Boccherini Music Institute, narrative development. This approach is both philological and Tuscan Region, Tuscan Regional Council, Italian Cultural celebratory towards La Rondine. Original and autobiographical Institute of Moscow, “Mondo Russo” Studies Center, Russkiy documents also make up part of the exhibition. Mir Foundation, Russian Honorary Counsel in Pisa, and
This initiative meets the criteria of a “total installation”, in Eurasiart. The synergies and full participation of these institutions bringing together in a synergistic way diverse expressive underscore the strategic and international promotion of Tuscan mediums, transforming the space into an expressive-narrative and Lucchese culture concerning Puccini, whose greatness can be context, developing a meta-linguistic analysis of “theatre within measured in his capacity of forever being relevant.the theatre”. A female figure is the dynamo for the narrative On 9 and 16 December, from 5 pm to 7 pm, guided visits with process. Lilin, basing is writing on the original libretto that the artists and curators will be offered. These are free and open to all.Giuseppe Adami wrote for Puccini, transfers the action from Paris and Nice at the time of the Second Empire to ninth and tenth ______________________________________________century Norway. This choice has symbolic value, because it is from this region that the Normans left on their conquest of Alexey Morosov, since the beginning of his artistic training, Europe, uniting their warrior blood with that of all the major has dedicated much of his attention to the Italian figurative tradition dynasties and forging a decisive contribution to our culture and and to Greco-Roman sculptural tradition. This has led him to show identity. The three acts of the new libretto – Pietà (Piety), Forza his works at prestigious public and private spaces on an (Strength) and Coraggio (Courage) – tell of the metamorphosis of international level, including Naples' National Archaeological the character Voldamar (Magda) from human to heroine, and then Museum and the Moscow Museum of Modern Art.from heroine to demigoddess, thereby suggesting a more general Nicolai Lilin, Italian sculptor of Russian origin, is the author study about the destiny of women. of novels such as Siberian Education (Educazione Siberiana,
The fjords of Norway become the principal reference point brought to the cinema by Gabriele Savaltores), Stories on Skin for Morosov's scenography, which in its reconstruction of the (Storie sulla Pelle, 2012, which narrates his assiduously-indifferent natural world of Norway is inspired by Carrara's cultivated passion for tattoos, of which he is both philologist and marble caves. The images recall the gulag (Soviet concentration refined executor), and the recent Prohibited Fairytales (Favole camps, through which almost a tenth of the Soviet population Fuorilegge, 2017) and Rebel Brand (Marchio Ribelle, 2018), passed), the place where new identities were formed. Millions of published by Einaudi.women experienced their own painful voyage as rondini Federico de Robertis, Lucca musician and composer, was (swallows) from piety to courage. introduced to the cinema in 1992. He has more than once been
The exhibition is conceived, therefore, as a truly site-specific nominated for the David of Donatello. Among his musical installation, a homogeneous expository pathway with more than soundtracks are Nirvana, Invisible Boy, and South, for which he twenty paintings, sculptures, drawings, videos, literature, and won the Golden Globe Award.music, creating a contemporary scenography for Puccini's La Rondine, analyzed scenographically and conjugated in the OPENING Saturday 1 December 6.30 pmimperfect, optative time – that of auguries, omens, and Palazzo delle Esposizionireflections. Fondazione Banca del Monte Lucca
The project is a work in progress of vast dimensions, a story Piazza San Martino n. 7in a series, of which this first one, the prologue, will be held in For more information: Lucca and dedicated to Puccini. It will continue in other settings, tel. 0583 464062in Italy and internationally, uniting contemporaneously two http://www.fondazionebmluccaeventi.it
rom 1 December 2018 to 6 January 2019 (open
overall original production
La Rondine / Prologue The Nordic Opera
Alexey Morosov, Nicolai Lilin, Federico De RobertisA "TOTAL INSTALLATION" INSPIRED BY PUCCINI
Lucca 2018
Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 20196
im Carnevale has just returned from his medical adventures in Bologna with a stronger back and stronger spirit. This is one more step in his pathway to life in Italy, which started many years ago. Italian by birth, Jim J happily rattles off conversations in flawless Italian. He can even hold his
own in an argument with Italians!Born in Upstate New York, Jim studied at SUNY-Brockport, then moved to
Washington, D.C., where he earned his advanced degree in Architectural Design after studying at the University of Virginia and Catholic University. He worked for the Corps of Engineers, the Smithsonian, and the U. S. Justice Department (designing prisons). After taking an early retirement, he and partner Rod Daniel moved to Placitas, New Mexico, then to Lucca, Italy.
For over 45 years Jim has been passionate about photography. He has attended many workshops and received professional training at the New York Institute of Photography. His photographs are in collections from coast to coast, and he has won local, state, and national awards. Among his preferred subjects are the urban landscape, abandoned architecture, old rusty cars, Italian countryside and Italian villages, though he says he photographs whatever happens to be in front of my lens when I press the shutter.
Many of Jim's photographs have inspired quilts by his partner Rod (see article in last month's Grapevine), and Jim is also an avid art quilter. Some of us
were able to see Rod and Jim’s quilts at the collective exhibit held in Lucca several months ago.
With his creative personality, it's no surprise that Jim has chosen to live in Lucca, one of the most architecturally splendid cities in the world.
www.carnevalefoto.it
Via Del Fosso
Red Eyes
Old Dodge
Hummingbird
Jim Carnevale
A Fraction of a Second
7Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 2019
Toucan
To Jim photography is about capturing life with the click of the shutter, so that a moment in time can live on forever.
Book Review
archetypal elements: the Furies, Shakespeare's hese are the first lines of Love Me Capulets and Montagues, the Cinderella story, Not: While picnicking in a clearing and many more.surrounded by ancient Tuscan T c h e s t n u t t re e s m y m o t h e r Above all, Falcomer's writing is quick and lively. She prefers dialogue and action to metamorphosed into a butterfly.psychology and introspection, keeping the Hortensia was three when her mother reader on the edge of her chair. The story is filled became a butterfly and flew away. With this with insider knowledge about rural Italy. In fact, premise, Jacqueline Falcomer's magically the book opens with a Tuscan proverb, similar realistic second novel takes wing, wafting on
to ones my Italian mother used to tell me, which foreshadows breezes and storms scented by woodland, olive groves, the sea, much of the action that follows: Look before you leap / For snakes wines, foods, and passions.among sweet flowers do creep.The novel is set in Tuscany, which Falcomer knows well,
This book would make a great present for anyone who loves having lived here for much of her life. The book takes inspiration Italy!from the realities of Italian life. It is grounded in the practicalities
– by Norma Jean Bishopof day-to-day existence, while it soars with the inspiration of psychic energies, enchantments, mysticism, and magic.
Love Me Not is the second book in a trilogy, of which Book An orphan girl grows up learning the secret lore of women, One was Forget Me Not & Book Three (due for publication her mentors and muses. She evolves in her own knowledge of
June 2019) is Tell Me Not. The audio version of Love Me Not, herbs, cooking, men, children, and even business management.read by the author, will be available in early 2019. For release Readers may delight in recognizing features reminiscent of
updates see www.jacquelinefalcomer.comGabriel García Márquez and Isabel Allende, as well as the film This is the link to land directly on the Amazon sales page for Chocolat, which though set in a French village expresses similar
Love Me Not & Forget Me Not ebook & paper book formats:dynamics. Hortensia's adventures are both universal and https://www.amazon.com/Forget-Tuscany-Lovers-Trilogy-specific. The author, through Hortensia the cook, gives us
Book-ebook/dp/B00US7J5OMwonderful recipes and also evokes or suggests mythical and
Enjoy Fast Satellite Broadband, Anywhere In Europe,Risk Free, At The Lowest Price Guaranteed
Begin enjoying satellite broadband for less than £1.66 per day!*
Did you Know?
You don’t need to suffer with slow and unreliable Internet here in Tuscany and you can get Superfast Internet anywhere, without a phone line?
You can have really fast broadband 22Mbps download and 6 Mbps upload - wherever you live?
Pay as You Go and monthly contract is available - pay only for the months you are here?
Europasat is a UK and Italian based company with offices in 8 European countries, including Italy, and with over 80,000 clients?
Did you know that Europasat Italia HQ is based in BARGA - Toscana!
Local company - Great service!
In the first instancePlease contact us at
email: [email protected]
Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 20198
TMacAndrew 55 years ago, is still going strong. The new year will bring more offerings than ever; 130 events are planned. President Marco Cattani, Artistic Director Simone Soldati, and Musica Ragazzi Coordinator Carla Nolledi presented the program in November. One innovation will be AML's collaboration with Viareggio's Carnival Foundation (see 10 Feb. below), and this year 's Chamber Music Season will begin in January and end in the fall, with summer concerts at the beautiful Pieve a Elici near the coast. Here are some highlights:
20 January, Stradivarius Sextet from Santa Cecilia Academy (Rome).27 January, cellist Erica Piccotti performing with pianist Matteo Fossi.3 February, Adorno Quartet performing Beethoven's string quartets, with a second performance on 17 November, including Alessandro Carbonare (clarinet) & Gabriele Ragghianti (bass).On 10 February, pianist Marizio Baglini and poet Nicola Muschitiello will bring to Lucca Carnival, a musical-poem, with Schumann's music & compositions by Creole poet Armand Godoy.17 February, annual Boccherini birthday celebration. Lucca Classica Festival Chamber Orchestra, conductor Beatrice Venezi. Miriam Prandi on the violin.24 February, Bach's Goldberg Variations performed by 3 La Scala soloists: Elena Faccani (viola), Laura Marzadori (piano), Massimo Polidori (cello).March to April, during Boccherini Music Institute's Open Piano program, Fabrizio Giovannelli will bring us Tastierissima, a cycle of 4 concert/lessons in collaboration with Lucca & La Spezia’s music conservatories. May brings Lucca Classica Music Festival, while in summer AML is present in Pieve a Elici (Versilia) with the Chamber Music Series.September's big musical event is the Concert for San Michele, featuring Egisto Matteucci's Polifonica Lucchese.20 October, Mozart's 1781, La conquista della dura libertà. Sandro Cappelletto (narrator), Marco Rizzi (violin) & Simone Soldati (piano).27 October, Chopin recital by pianist Gloria Campaner.10 November, Giampaolo Bandini (guitar) & Cesare Chiacchiaretta (bandoneon). Music by Piazzolla, Saverio Rapezzi, Pujol, & Leo Brouwer.17 November, see 3 February above.
Complete calendars & updates can be found atwww.associazionemusicalelucchese.it / www.luccaclassica.it
he AML, founded by Maestro Herbert Handt and Carol
'
'
'
'
'
'
'
'
'
'
'
'
'
ASSOCIAZIONE MUSICALE LUCCHESE 2019 IN A NUTSHELL
Altri tempi ... anni fa...Isabella’s Lullabies and Raising the Ghosts
sabella (pictured here) was born in Turin, but has a local Tuscan connection as she fell in love spoken in simple words. la felicità è una cosa, I when she was here, and now dà la voglia di vivere! That led on to the
spends a lot of time with her partner. second 'trangression'. And what was that? (They recently spent a few weeks tour- While she sometimes was allowed some of the ing Italy and France on a motorbike.) jam her mother made, quite tart and not at all She is a psychoanalytic translator and indulgent, Nonna brought little treats for interpreter by profession, and quite nat- Isabella: little cartons of Nutella which she urally, in a free associative way, fell would eat by the fingerful as she listened to deep into her thoughts about the past Mina and Rita sing to her about falling in and when I asked her to remember her out of love, and greeting life head on and held childhood. Her spontaneous thoughts up high. Bliss! As the poet Wordsworth said in went to her lullabies, the ninne-nanne another context about another revolution of of her early infancy. great historical significance, in France, Bliss
Her mother was a historian and the was it then to be alive, but to be young was little girl used to fall asleep to the tap very heaven!tap tap of her mother's Olivetti Isabella's favourite recipe from her typewriter (a red Valentine). And she, childhood was for insalata di carciofi e like her own mother, fell asleep to the finocchi, a delicious dish which was very soothing rhythm of her nonna's Elna much linked in her memory to festival days. sewing machine. Most of us don't
remember, but we all fell asleep at the beginning of our lives held The venerable artichoke was mentioned as a garden plant in the 8th in the shelter of somebody's arms. The lullaby has magic in it: it century BC by Homer and Hesiod, and this blossom of the thistle reconnects us with that past moment and also some deep eternal was passed on by the Arabs from Naples to Florence in 1466, so it present...dormi, dormi, bel bambino. For some babies living in is said, carried by one Filippo Strozzi. There's history for you....this part of the world, the ancient bells that count out the hours are the background harmonies to which they fall asleep.... Lullabies exist in every culture and while they may be forgotten, they remain deep within, as did Isabella's until she re-connected to them as we talked.
Isabella's nonna Lidia was a woman who wasted nothing and turned everything to some other purpose, as did many of her generation who had been babies themselves during the First World War. She was a very important person in the little girl's life. What came into Isabella's mind was Nonna's tinello, what Isabella called the stanza di giorno, a sort of small dining room. It had a marble floor decorated with graniglia tiles, two armchairs, a big
So we end with two pictures here: of Isabella as an adult chest of drawers, and a radio. careening round dangerous corners on the back of her partner's This led Isabella on to describe her first 'transgression' as she motorbike, while inside her mind there is still that little girl called it ... not a sin exactly, but an act which went against the ravenously drinking in Mina's exhilarating words while family code, and in which Isabella took a fierce pleasure. In her surreptitiously enjoying her Nutella.... Thank you, Isabella, for household classical music was the norm, along with the odd retrieving some of these memories, which rise in the mind like protest song by people like Joan Baez and the Inti Illimani. But ghosts and then dissipate as the adult self returns. Che forza!…Nonna Lidia bought little 45 speed records of such pop idols as the
wonderful Rita Pavone and Mina with her Banda: Una tristezza – by Judith Edwardscosì non la sentivo da mai, ma poi la banda arrivò e allora tutto
passò! This enabled Isabella to luxuriate in feelings which, www.cansurviving.comalthough deeply experienced with classical music, were finally www.judithedwards.co.uk
RECIPE FOR
Three artichoke hearts and a fennel bulb very thinly sliced then covered with a sauce that looks like mayonnaise but isn't.... It's made of finely sieved hard-boiled egg, mixed with oil and vinegar, and of course salt and pepper to taste. (Personally I would add garlic, but that's not in Isabella's original recipe.) Add a few walnut halves, and eccoci! A festive dish....
INSALATA DI CARCIOFI & FINOCCHI
9Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 2019
Precious Artworks Returned to Florence
wo works of art originally in a private Florentine collection that were illegally exported to Chiasso, Switzerland by a London collector and Italian professional art traffickers in 2003, then sealed up in a private cellar, have been recovered by the Italian police authorities and entrusted to the Accademia Gallery in Florence. These gold-backed devotional tablets will be placed in T the Fondi Oro, one of the most important collections in the world. According to the Accademia’s director, Cecilie Hollberg, the pictorial quality and colors are exceptional.
The first painting (image left), datable to c. 1385, represents Saints Girolamo and Giuliano and has been attributed to the neo-Gothic Florentine painter Niccolò di Pietro Gerini. It was originally the right side of a triptych, whose left side represented Sant'Eligio alongside Saint John the Baptist, which once belonged to the famous Lanckoronski collection of Vienna. In 1965 the left side was sent to the Newhouse Galleries of New York and its location is now unknown. The central part of the triptych is still missing.
The second painting (image right), by the Maestro of the Bracciolini Chapel, an unknown Pistoian painter (1385-90 to 1420). It represents the Madonna of Celestial Humility seated on a cushion above the clouds, with a Martyr, Bishop, Saint Peter, and Saint John the Baptist seated in the foreground. This is a typical late-Tuscan Gothic work, dated c. 1400, which critics assign to the History of the Virgin fresco cycle in the Chapel of San Francesco Church at Pistoia.
These works can be seen by the public beginning on 14 January 2019 in the temporary exhibition entitled New acquisitions between 2016 and 2018.
Via Ricasoli, 58-60, 50122 Florence - Tel. 055 0987100www.galleriaaccademiafirenze.beniculturali.it
Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 201910
attributes that one must be aware of and have recently read the Book Buying understand when making such an important & Restoring in Tuscany A Practical decision and substantive investment.Guide... and what a guide it is!I David Collins (whom I have never met
For many from overseas, once the or spoken with) has done a wonderful job in buying process begins in Italy, one is faced bringing to light the many aspects, with many questions and procedures that questions, and concerns one must be aware are extremely foreign. Or worse, when the of when purchasing or renovating a home buying process is in full swing, the in Italy. He touches on the buying process, multitude of questions, problems, and from making an offer to the many people challenges slowly start to appear, or in you would have never thought of who will some instances appear out of nowhere like be involved in the process from start to a South Seas tsunami. Then, to make finish. The guide touches on a multitude of matters worse, you have no inclination or very important and potentially expensive understanding of what anyone is saying, the construction and safety concerns, such as: cost of renovation is now more than what Foundations, Roofing, Windows, Heating, you paid for the home, and closing time is Electrical, Mold, Fireplaces, Plumbing, as
very, very rarely goes smoothly and as 120 days or more instead of the 60 days you well as Tax Questions, Plot Lines, planned. Many roadblocks or speed-bumps are used to, or you cannot complete the Boundaries, Pools, Insect or Animal appear out of nowhere, sort of like these renovations you envisioned for your dream Infestation, etc. The subtitle says it all: "A videogames that my grandkids play. It's one home....That is when the little voice in your Practical Guide". This is well worth the obstacle after another, and this is especially brain starts to recite over and over, "What investment.prevalent in a foreign land where Normal is have I gotten myself into?"anything but Normal (as compared to the After 35 years of inspecting over 5000 – by Mikel DeAngelisnormal you are used to).homes for appraisal purposes, and working
For these reasons, if one is thinking of The book is available from Grapevine with inspectors, brokers, public officials, buying or building here in the Tuscany Editions, Lucca Libri (near the train and mortgage companies, as well as being a region, please, please invest a few Euros station), or Our Toscana for €14, or in a General Contractor for over 40 new and purchase this well-written, informative more economical online edition from dwellings, I am well qualified to state that guide with its detailed accounts of the many Amazon, without the illustrations .buying, building, or renovating a home
Book Review
GRAPEVINEDecember/January 2018-19
pull-out events calendar
11Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December/January 2018-19 WHAT’S ON IN & AROUND
scenes of life in Luccascorci di vita a Lucca
©N
orm
a Je
an
©N
orm
a Je
an
©Norma Jean
General markets Books and prints Arts and craftsLucca, Piazza San Giusto last Sat/SundayLucca, Corte del Biancone DailyLucca, S. Francesco. fruits/vegetables Wed 4-7pmLucca, Corso Garibaldi 2nd weekend of the monthLucca, near the fairground Wed & Sat a.m.
Antiques Marina di Pietrasanta Wednesday afternoonsB. Giannotti, Foro Boario Sat a.m. Lucca 3rd Sat/Sunday Castelnuovo Garfagnana 1st weekend of the monthS. Maria a Colle Thurs a.m. Altopascio 2nd Sunday Pieve Fosciana last SundayPonte a Moriano Tues a.m. Montecarlo 2nd Sunday
Plants and flowersForte dei Marmi 1st Sat/Sunday S. Maria del Giudice Mon a.m. Lucca, Corso Garibaldi Friday morningsPietrasanta 1st SundayPietrasanta Thurs a.m. Pietrasanta 3rd SundayBarga 2nd Sunday
Marina di Pietrasanta Sat a.m.Viareggio 4th Sat/Sunday Markets in Florence (the biggest)
Tonfano Sat a.m. Bientina 4th Sat/Sunday Piazza San Lorenzo 7-2 daily, 7-5 Sat, closed SundaysCastelnuovo Garfagnana Thurs a.m. Pescia 4th Sunday Parco delle Cascine Tuesdays 7am to 2pmPescia Sat a.m. Querceta Saturday mornings Piazza dei Ciompi Flea Market 9am to 7.30pm daily
Ma
rke
ts
Don’t miss Lucca’s holiday markets throughout the season in Piazzas Napoleone & San Michele
Ref. 578, Pescaglia€ 150,000
Ref. 756, Barga€ 350,000
Ref. 626, Cardoso (Gallicano)€ 210,000
Ref. 716, Monti di Villa (Bagni di Lucca)
€ 190,000 roy houses tuscany.@ in com
Agenzia Immobiliare Dimore Toscane srl Via Marconi 14, Barga - Lucca - Italy
Roy Santi
All these properties have a "G" energy classification.
Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December/January 2018-19 12 WHAT’S ON IN & AROUND
164pm, Lucca, Teatro del Giglio. Prose season. Questi Fantasmi! by Eduardo De Filippo.
5.30pm, Viareggio, Museo della Marineria. Il Mare in Bottiglia (Sea in a Bottle) Christmas Concert. Info: 0584 966342.
5.30pm, Borgo a Mozzano, Salone delle Feste. Musical Encounters. Concert by I Flauti di Lucca & by 10,100,1000 Corde Ensemble. Scuola Civica di Musica di Marco Salotti. Tel. 349 8496612, www.scuolacivicasalotti.it
17
189pm, Lucca, Teatro San Girolamo. Puccini Days. Il mio, Giacomo Puccini. Written, directed, & interpreted by Guendalina Tambelllini. With Claudio Sassetti, Stefano Teani, Antonio Lipari.
19
2411.55pm, Ponte a Moriano, Montegral Academy, Convento dell’Angelo. Christmas Eve concert with music by Bach, Mozart, Puccini, Rossini, Franck, Bizet, Handel, Liszt, Vivaldi, Mascagni, Adams. Info: 0583 406300, www.montegral.com
319pm, preceded by a champagne buffet dinner at 8.45pm. Lucca, Teatro del Giglio. New Year’s Eve Concert. Gran Gala Lirico del Puccini e la sua Lucca Festival, Maestro Andrea Colombini. Diego Fiorini (piano), Osmann Gold Swing Orchestra, Filarmonica di Lucca (waltzes), Soloists Francesca Maionchi, Nicola Simone Mugnaini, Giovanni Cervelli, & many others. Meme Lucarelli, guitar. Cost €85 to €130 all-inclusive (€50 at midnight), with various discounts. Reserve: 340 8106042 or 0583 465320 (Giglio box office). www.puccinielasualucca.com
124.30pm, Viareggio, Town Library, Sala Tobino. Christmas concert for babies & children, free to move about & sing together. Info: 0584 963221, 0584 945467.
25.30pm, Lucca, Suffragio Auditorium. Concert in commemoration of Renzo Gori on the anniversary of his birth. Soprano Serena Suffredini & mezzo soprano Zuhorong Ren, with pianist Chiara Mariani. www.boccherini.it
5.30pm, Forte dei Marmi, Piazza Garibaldi. Joyful Gospel Ensemble.
109pm, Lucca, San Francesco Church. Puccini Days. Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra - Orchestra Toscana dei Conservatori. Director Filippo Ciabatti. Music by Gustav Mahler, Alfredo Catalani. Tel. 0583 464104, [email protected]
3 4 5
1193.30pm, Pisa, Teatro Verdi opera season. Sellitti’s La Vedova Ingegnosa & Il Maestro di Musica, by Pergolesi & others. See ad on back cover.5pm, Torre del Lago Puccini, Caruso Auditorium. From Kabul to Camerino, passing by Viareggio, concert to rebuild the music school of Camerino, destroyed by earthquake. Puccini Festival Orchestra. Tel. 0584 359322, puccinifestival.it5.30pm, Borgo a Mozzano, Convento di San Francesco. Musical Encounters. Choral music from Gospel to Jazz. Jubilum Jazz Chorus directed by Piero Gaddi. Scuola Civica di Musica Marco Salotti. Tel. 349 8496612, www.scuolacivicasalotti.it5.30pm, Forte dei Marmi, Villa Bertelli. The Best Spanish Music for Violin & Piano. Joquin Palomares & Andrea Rucli. Fondazione Villa Bertelli & Associazione Rospigliosi. 5pm, Forte dei Marmi, Sant’Ermete Church. Christmas concert with the Corale Polifonica directed by Chiara Maggi. Organist Gabriele Alberini.
23
Wed Mon Tues Sunday
25
Music & TheatreDecember/January 2018-19
30
Renzo Gori directing young singers
Piero Gaddi
The listings published by Grapevine are taken from reliable sources and reproduced in good faith.
However, to avoid disappointment, readers are advised to check information
before setting off.
Puccinielasualucca for its winter season (1 November to 31 March)offers concerts on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays
at the Oratorio di San Giuseppe at 7pm. Tickets are sold at the door, or call 340 8106042.
or call 340 8106042
17Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December /January 2018-19 WHAT’S ON IN & AROUND
27
28
29
139pm, Lucca, Teatro San Girolamo. Puccini Days. Giacomo Puccini in Duo. Francesco Datteri & Nadia Lencioni piano duo.
6
145.30pm, Lucca, Guinigi Chapel. Puccini Days. Conference: Tre atti unici verso la morte - lectio magistralis su «Trittico», by Michele Girardi, musicologist.9pm, Lucca, Teatro del Giglio. Prose season. Questi Fantasmi! by Eduardo De Filippo.9pm, Lucca, Sant’Angelo in Campo. Christmas concert. Info: 349 2824472.9pm, Torre del Lago, Caruso Auditorium. Gianni Schicchi in semi-scenic presentation. Puccini Festival Orchestra directed by Andrea Solinas. Info: 0584 359322, puccinifestival.it
79pm, Lucca, Teatro del Giglio. Puccini Days. Giacomo Puccini, symphonic pages. Orchestra della Toscana directed by Beatrice Venezi. See article in November Grapevine.
84pm , 5pm, Lucca, Real Collegio. Commemorative concert for Riccardo Benvenuti. Gran Gala Lirico Pucciniano. Organized by Andrea Colombini, Puccini e la sua Lucca. 5pm, Capannori, Gragnano Church. Commemorative concert for Don Emilio Maggini. Santa Cecilia Chorus directed by Luca Bacci. Organ Giulia Biagetti. Tel. 0583 48421, www.cappellasantacecilia.it5.30pm, Forte dei Marmi, Pza Garibaldi, Fortino. Christmas concert.5.30pm, Lucca, San Micheletto, Sala dell’Affresco. Concerto degli Auguri from the Circolo Amici della Musica Alfredo Catalani. Music by Catalani & Puccini, dancers Lucia Massetani & Cinzia Cinquini, soprano Eleonora Contucci, pianist Laura Pasqualetti. Info: 347 9951581.9pm, Lucca, Piazza della Misericordia, San Salvatore Church. Associazione Domenico Di Lorenzo. Final concert of Lucca’s Organ Festival. Tommaso Guidi, oboe, Matteo Venturini, organ. Info: 338 3221217, www.assvol.comune.lucca.it/dilorenzo9pm, Viareggio, SS. Annunziata Church. Concert of Sacred Songs. Soloists of the Puccini Academy. Info: 0584 359322, www.puccinifestival.it
& 9pm Camaiore, Teatro dell’Olivo. Gran Inaugural Concert.
205.30pm, Forte dei Marmi, Villa Bertelli. Christmas concert with the Accademia Musicale della Versilia.
Friday Thu
219pm, Lucca, San Francesco Church. Christmas Concert by the Associazione Musicale Lucchese organized by the Automobile Club Lucca (ACI). Vivaldi Ensemble from Padova performing the Four Seasons by Vivaldi, Concerto per la Notte di Natale by Corelli & Homage to Giacomo Puccini. To reserve: visit any ACI office or call 0583 50541.
225pm, Lucca, Teatro del Giglio, Ridotto. Puccini Days. Piccolo come le stelle, Giacomo Puccini’s biography as interpreted by Elisabetta Salvatori. See article in November Grapevine.
153.30pm, Vittorio Apuane, Forte dei Marmi, San Francesco Church. 35th Versilia Choral Concert with the Forte dei Marmi Polifonica presented by Silvana Arata.6pm, Lucca, Suffragio Auditorium. Beethoven’s concerto for violin & orchestra in Re maggiore, Op. 61 & Mozart’s concerto for flute & orchestra in Re maggiore, Op. K314. Boccherini Orchestra with Da Won Ghang violin & Agnese Manfredini flute. For the association Andare oltre si può. Tel. 0583 464104.9pm, Lucca, Teatro del Giglio. Prose season. Questi Fantasmi! by Eduardo De Filippo.9pm, Torre del Lago, Caruso Auditorium. J. S. Bach: Sans Souci with Massimo Mercelli flute & Ramin Bahrami piano. Info: 0584 359322, puccinifestival.it
Saturday
Coming UpLucca Puccini Days: 30 November to 22 December. See article in November Grapevine.Teatro del Giglio opera season: 18 & 20 January, Verdi’s Otello. 22 & 24 February, Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. 16 & 17 March, La bohème. The box office is open Wednesdays to Saturdays 10.30am to 1pm & 3 to 6pm.Teatro del Giglio prose season: 25,26,27 January, A Testa in Giù by Florian Zeller. 1,2,3 February, The Deep Blue Sea by Trence Rattigan. 15,16,17 February Nel Tempo degli Dèi, Il calzolaio di Ulisse by Marco Paolini & Francesco Niccolini.Teatro del Giglio dance season: Golden Days, choreographer Johan Inger. 26 February, Mediterranea, choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti.Lucca, San Giovanni Church. 27 January (World Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day). 5.30pm. Il Baluardo with Songs of the Diaspora.Lucca, Associazione Musicale Lucchese. 20,27 Jan./3,10,17,24 Feb. continuing throughout the year. See article on page 8.Pisa, Teatro Verdi opera season. 18 & 20 Jan. Lucia di Lammermoor,16/17 Feb. La Bohème, 1 & 3 March Edipo Re & La voix humaine. See article in October Grapevine.
Viv
ald
i Ense
mble
Emilio Maggini
Bocc
herini O
rchest
ra
Epiphany
Befana
in Tuscany
Grapev
ine E
ditions
edito
r@lu
ccagra
pevin
e.com
www.lucc
agrapev
ine.c
om
week
Lucc
a Cl
assica
Mus
ic F
estiva
l
week
Pisa’s Palio
& Luminara
week
Carn
ival
(Viare
ggio)
week
Camellia
Fes
tiva
l
(Cap
anno
ri/C
ompite
se)
Pisa’s M
edieval
Birthday
week
Easter
Montecarlo
Long
Table
week
(What’s On for you? These are approximative dates – read Grapevine each month for details)
GRAPEVINE 2019 Calendar
Lucca
Summer Festival
Torre Del Lago
Opera Festival
Volto Sa
nto
week
Hallowe
en
(Borgo a M
ozzano)
week
week
Desco
Flavours & Ta
stes
(Lucca)
week
week
San Paolino Days,
Lucca
week
Montecarlo
Wine Festival
GRAPEVINE 2019 Calendar
Lucca
Summer Festival
Gran Gala Lirico,
Teatro del Giglio
Lucca
Pisa, Anima Mundi
Concerts
Montegral
Christmas Eve,
Ponte a MorianoCo
ncert
Lucca
Comics & Ga
mes
Grapevine
Thanksgiving
Exhibitions, Dec./Jan.
Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December/January 2018-19 14 WHAT’S ON IN & AROUND
31
16
18
25
19
11
4: Forte dei Marmi, LAST DAY
Museo Ugo Guidi. Logos Hotel, Via Mazzini 153. Ruggine & Vino by Alfio Bicchi. [email protected]
10
17
24
3
12
5
23LAST DAY: Vorno, Tenuta dello Scompiglio. Installations: Columbarium by Alejandro Gòmez, The Magic Lantern Man by Gli Impresari, Kajany by Christian Fogarolli. 15 Sept. to 23 December 2018. www.delloscompiglio.org
30
9LAST DAY:
LAST DAY:
Lucca,
Lucca,
Palazzo Ducale & Dei Servi Church. Photolux photography exhibits: World Press Photos & Leica Oscar Barnack Awards. €10+ €5 or €12 for both exhibits (reduction for visitors to Desco, €10). www.photoluxfestival.it See article on page 4.
Villa Bottini in Via Elisa. Gli strappi dell’anima. Photography exhibit to sensitize people regarding violence against women. Associazione Culturale IdeArte.
2OPENING:
OPENING:
OPENING
Viareggio,
Porcari,
GAMC Art Gallery, Piazza Mazzini. Hallelujah Toscana, exhibit by photographer Marco Paoli with poet Alba Donati. Until 6 January 2019. Closed Mondays & Tuesday. (Book published by Contrasto, with introduction by Michael Cunningham.) www.gamc.it
Fondazione Lazzareschi, Piazza Orsi. Fu straordinario, l’infanzia di Gesù attraverso i diorami, curated by Paola Del Carlo. Nativity scenes & statues. Until 20 January.
(yesterday): Lucca, Cloister of San Francesco, IMT. The Garbage Patch State by artist Maria Cristina Finucci. Until 20 January. With the support of UNESCO Lucca & Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca.
Wed TuesMon Sunday
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS:Lucca,
Viareggio,
Lucca,
Pisa,Viareggio,
Viareggio,
Villa Guinigi Museum, Via della Quarquonia. Treasures from Lucca history. Last January the Cristo Eucaristico, a polychrome terracotta by Matteo Civitali (1436-1501), was returned to Lucca by the Italian police & placed in the museum 70+ years after being stolen by the Germans from Santa Maria della Rosa Church in 1944. Museum hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays 8.30am to 7.30pm. Tel. 0583 496033.
Villa Paolina. Le Stanze della Principessa, in abito da sera a Villa Paolina. 13 precious sartorial creations owned by a noblewoman from Turin. Curator Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lucca, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Piazza San Renata Frediani. Until 31 January, Wednesdays to Saturdays. Info: 0584 966338.Martino 7. La Rondine, A «Total Installation» inspired by Puccini. From 1 Dec. to 6
Jan. Tuesdays to Sundays 3.30pm to 7.30pm. See article on page 6.
Palazzo Blu, Lungarno Gambacorti 9. From Tambuca Versilia offers an international competition entitled Pescatori di Magritte to Duchamp, 1929: Il Grande porte. To paint the warehouse doors near the docks. Deadline 15 Feb. 2019. See Surrealismo dal Centro Pompidou. Monday to www.tambucaversilia.it for information. (see poster below)Friday 10am to 7pm, Sat/Sun 10am to 8pm. €12/10/5. Until 17 February 2019. Tel. 050 Villa Paolina, Via Machiavelli 2. Magnifiche Presenze: D’Annunzio, 2204650, www.palazzoblu.itPuccini, Pascoli. Painter Sandra Rigali & photographer Sandra Caterina Westbrooke. 6 July 2018 to 31 January 2019. Hours: Wed to Sat. 3.30pm to 7.30pm, Sun. 9.30am to
1.30pm, 3.30pm to 7.30pm. www.comune.viareggio.lu.it
26
CO
NT
INU
ING
Giu
lian
o A
ng
eli
Alfi
o B
icch
i
Lucca, San Micheletto, Ragghianti Foundation. La Stamperia Angeli: 4 decades of lithography. 60 lithographs on display. Angeli’s print shop opened in Via della Zecca in 1948 & closed in 2011.Exhibit curated by Mauro Lovi. Until 6 January 2019. www.fondazioneragghianti.it
Don’t miss the “last days” of exhibits, shown in red on the calendar below.
To locate the venues, see the map & list on page 16.
2018-19
15Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December/January 2018-19 WHAT’S ON IN & AROUND
20
6
14
7
21
28
13
8OPENING: Lucca, Guinigi Art, Via Sant’Andrea, Torre Guinigi. Paintings by Michaela Kasparova, curated by BessArte. Until 6 January 2019.
15Capannori,
Lucca,
LAST DAY:
LAST DAY:
Atena Museum. L’attività di Lucca Tuareg nel Territorio del Tuareg del Niger. Photographic exhibition.
Confargianato (Viale Castracani). Tutte Stelle, 20 works by Marco Palamidessi. Open Mondays to Fridays 8.30am to 1pm, 3pm to 6.30pm.
29Lucca, OPENING (5pm): Livin’ Art Gallery, Via della Cervia 19. John Vander.
Large-format paintings, Natività. www.livinart.it
Saturday Thu
22
Friday
Riv
a, L
uo
go
de
llo S
pirito
Riv
a, M
ad
on
na
de
ll’A
sco
lto
WORTH THE TRIP ...Firenze,
Rovigo (Veneto),
Firenze,Feltri (Bolzano),
Ferrara,
Firenze,
Faenza,
Firenze,
Gallerie degli Uffizi, Aula Magliabechiana. Leonardo Da Vinci’s Leicester Codice, l’acqua microscopio della natura. €20/10. 29 October. to 20
Palazzo Rovarella. Art & Magic, January 2019.the fascination of the esoteric in Europe. 28 Sept. to 27 Jan. 2019. www.palazzorovarella.com
Accademia Gallery, Via Ricasoli 58-Castello Vescovile. New Feltri & 60. New acquisitions between 2016 & 2018.
Belluno Diocesan Museum. A complete restoration Opening on 14 January. Tel. 055 987100. See of the Bishops Palace at the summit of the Via del Paradise, western quadrant of the so-called article on page10.“Vertical City” & its millenarian architecture. 27 rooms of art, including frescoes by Mantegna & www.galleriaaaccademiafirenze.beniculturali.it others.
Palazzo del Diamanti. Courbet & la Natura. 22 Sept. 2018 to 6 Jan. 2019. 9am to 7pm daily. €13. Reservations: 0532 Salone Donatello, Basilica of San Lorenzo & Opera Medicea 244949. www.palazzodiamanti.itLaurenziana. Natus, sculptures by Ugo Riva. Until 7 Jan. 2019. Tel. 055 214042,
www.operamedicealaurenziana.org MIC. Aztecs, Mayans, Incas & the
cultures of ancient America. 11 November 2018 Ferragamo Museum, Piazza Santa Trinità 5. Italy in Hollywood (1915-to 28 April 2019.1927, the years Ferragamo was in the USA). 10am to 7.30pm. €6. Until 10 March
2019. www.ferragamo.com/museo
Lucca, Viareggio, Firenze,Picciorana, GreenheArt. Il Segreto del Tempo Villa Argentina, Via Palazzo Strozzi. Marina (The Secret of Time). Works by photographer Sergio Vespucci 44. Calendario di Abramovic, The Cleaner. 10am to Fortuna, sculptor Paolo Staccioli & painter Maria Stuarda Mercurio Arte Contemporaneo. 8pm/Thursdays 10am to 11pm. Until Varetti. Curator Maurizio Vanni. Open 10am to 1pm, 3pm Until 13 January 2019. Hours: 20 January 2019. Tel. 055 264155, to 7pm. Closed Mondays. Until 7 January 2019. Hours 10am to 1pm, 3pm to 6.30pm palazzostrozzi.org10am to 1pm, 3pm to 6pm. Info: 392 2661159, Tuesdays to Sundays. Infoline: greenheartfavilla.it 0584 1647600.
Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December/January 2018-19 18 WHAT’S ON IN & AROUND
Holiday Buffet with Comunità Sant’Egidio
at Casa del Boia (€25 minimum donation),children under 10 free.
Thursday 6 December 2018 at 8pmto support the Christmas Day lunch
with the poor.For information & reservations: 347 2926775 or call Grapevine,
333 8617962, if you would like to join
a table in English.
HOLIDAYS, TRADITIONS, SPORTS, OUTDOORS CINEMA
CONFERENCES
VILLAGE FESTIVALS
COMING UP
MEET-UP GROUPS & GRAPEVINE ACTIVITIES
Caìtlin & Neil’s Festive Baking, Friday afternoons THROUGHOUT ITALY Florence, Odeon Cinema, films in original language. Piazza & Saturday noon- Strozzi, 2. Tel. 055 214068 www.odeonfirenze.comt ime: w i th the 8 December, Immaculate Conception (Immacolata). December: 1 to 12 Dec. Bohemian Rhapsody (UK), Freddy tastes of chocolate Mercury & Queen25 December, Christmas , followed by Santo Stefano 26 Dec.& orange, mulled 31 December, New Year’s Eve, followed by New Year’s Day. wine spiced fruits, The annual fund-raising concert at the Ciocco (near Barga) is Camaiore, Piazzetta Paolina Maggi. Cinema Borsalino film toasted walnut, on New Year’s Day, 1 January. course. Projections at 9.15pm in original language with Italian cheesey sage, & subtitles. Open to the public (€7.50, over 65 & under 8 €5.50).Epiphany, 6 January. Celebrated the evening before with the onion.Befana, an old woman who gives gifts to children, & Befanati, December:luccabreadkitchentraditional songs performed in the villages & towns of Tuscany 4 Lasky jedné plavovlasky (by Milos Forman, 1965)@gmail.comby people going house to house, often with donkey carts. See 11 Raging Bull (by Martin Scorsese, 1980)
article on page 23. 18 Hugo Cabret (by Martin Scorsese, 2011)Day of Memory (for the Shoah), 27 January. Commemorative Botteghe & Dimore, Loggiato di Palazzo Pretorio. Artisans’ events throughout Italy. Christmas decor on display in December.
http://bottegheedimore.wixsite.com/bottegheedimoreLUCCA & SURROUNDINGS Book Launch: My Dream Mile by Charlotte Hagen. 3
December at 6pm, with drinks & snacks until 8pm. Caffè del Lucca, Casa del Boia. Santa’ s Workshop with creative activi- Mercato (Il Peschino), Piazza San Michele, Lucca. See review ties for children & a restaurant with holiday specialties like hot Palio of Buti, 20 January 2019. Festival & horse race. See arti- in November Grapevine.chocolate & spun sugar. 30 Nov. to 9 Dec. cle in December 2017 Grapevine.
Lucca, Biblioteca Statale Saloni Monumentali, Piazza Santa Lucca, 8 Dec. 3pm to 6.30pm. Via Filzi 93, Christmas Bazaar Barga Chocolate Festival, 8/9 December. Maria Corteorlandini 12. Readings & discussion of Virgil’s for Associazione Arcadia. Lottery drawing at 5.30. Eneide (tr. into Italian by G. Paduano). Free entry. Mondays at
Presepe Vivente, or Living Nativity scenes, are presented in 5pm: 5,12,19,26 Nov./3 Dec./4,14,21,28 Jan./4,11,18,25 Feb. Lucca, 16 Dec. Piazza San Frediano. Natale a 4 Zampe. www.amicimachiavelli.itmany small towns & villages, such as Barga & Granaiola.Christmas for pets & kids. Santa 3pm to 7pm. www.anpana.net
Lucca, San Francesco Church. Conversations: The Italian Forte dei Marmi Christmas Market, 1st 3 weeks of 16 Dec. to 7 Jan. Under San Constitution 70 Years Later. In Italian. 6 Dec., Lavoro with December. At Forte Leopoldo in the center of town. Lucca also Frediano Wall, Fiat Pax! A little un- Enrico Giovannini. Free admission. See article in the October opens its Christmas market on 2 December, in Piazza derground Renaissance nativity Grapevine. Reserve in advance at Teatro del Giglio ticket office.Napoleone.scene. Lucca Historical Society, www.historialucense.altervista.org Castelnuovo Garfagnana, loc. Barchetta. 2 & 9, 15-16, 22-
23 December. During the chestnut festival, make a visit to Lucca, Villa Bottini, Via Elisa, 21 to Santa’s house. Enjoy all the holiday events, for young & old. Carnival in Viareggio, 9/17/23 February & 2/5 March. Satirical 23 Dec. Ri-Eco il Natale. Market floats, neighborhood parties, & more.of handmade & recycled objects. Montecarlo, Santa’s Village & Christmas market, December/ Ecoeventi Cultural Association. January. Pietrasanta, San Biagio Festival. First weekend of February.
Traditional blessing of the throat at the Duomo, with large street Lucca, 30 Dec. Real Collegio, market/ fair throughout town. Info: 0584 795234, 0584 283284.Loggiato Palazzo Pretorio. Flying
2019 opera season at Torre del Lago:Run, competitive 10km footrace. Lucca, Thursday evenings 8.15pm, Grapevine conversa-La Fanciulla del West 12 & 26 JulyASD Seventies Running Team tion group. Call for new location: 333 8617962.Turandot 13 & 19 July, 17 AugustBohème 20 July, 3 & 10 AugustDESCO Sapori & Saperi (Fla- Mondays at 4pm international conversation group at Mara
Madama Butterfly 27 July, 12 & 23 Augustvours & Tastes). Lucca, Real Meo bar, Piazza San Francesco, Lucca. Collegio. 30 Nov./1,2,7,8,9 Dec. Aida by Verdi 2 AugustFridays & Sundays 11am to 8pm, Manon Lescaut (concert form), 4 AugustDrink, Speak & Share, language exchange group at Saturdays 11am to 9pm. Displays Tosca 11,18,24 AugustLuccaLibri, Viale Regina Margherita, outside Porta San Pietro. & tastings of food & drink, confer- Le Villi 16 AugustWednesdays at 9pm.ences, entertainment. Free entry.
In its 3rd year, the 2019 Grapevine boat trip to Torre del Lago See article in Nov. Grapevine.Luccalele group, convivial group for ukelele fans. To participate Opera is planned for Aida (2 Aug.) & Turandot (17 Aug.). This contact Paolo at 380 4358318 or email [email protected] year we will reserve seats in the 3rd section, so the all-inclusive Lucca, Palazzo Ducale & Dei Servi Church, World Press
price is 115 euro per person: a/c coach to & from Lucca, boat Photography & Leica award-winners exhibit. See article on with local narrator crossing Lago di Massaciuccoli, buffet dinner page 4 Workshops at Via San Micheletto, 3 will held on 1,2,8 with wine on board, opera ticket, and escort with information December. Also Leica Talks at Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio about the opera. Reserve now to have the best seats possible!Auditorium , Via San Micheletto, 8. www.photoluxfestival.it
www.turismo.lucca.it & www.turismo.garfagnana.eu Barga and Lucca (Piazza Napoleone) have ice-skating rinks during the holiday. are other sources for events & tours.
. Camaiore cultural exchange: English/Italian speaking. Meetings, activities & aperitivi. Register on the website CamaioreCulturalExchange.com
Reserve now for Grapevine’s trips to the Torre del Lago Operas in August: See Coming Up.
December 7 & 14
Saturday 10am to 3pm includes wine & lunch
December 8 & 15
Friday 2pm to 7pm includes wine & aperitivo
Promotion: €65 per person
Cruciword
English clues have Italian answers and Italian clues have English answers
(except for abbreviations)
Compiled by Helen Askham
Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 2019 19
Happy Holidays
ACROSS 59 Da (2) 33 Sacca (3)2 Stiamo vivendo nel terzo (caduno di 1000 60 Voi arcaico (2) 34 It was (3)
anni) (10) 61 Title for a cleric; 39 WS; dove morì RLS (5)11 Bingo (7) titolo per un membro del clero (3) 40 Braci (6)13 Sipario (7) 62 Tesoro (7) 42 Acceso (2)16 Fare la corte (3) 65 Hear (7) 43 Member of the Valiant Association of 17 Nota bene (2) 67 The last saint of the year (3,9) Bombardiers (initials) (4)18 Automobile sportiva inglese (2) 44 Facile (4)20 Senegal (2) DOWN 45 South Africa; Sud Africa (2)21 Certificate of Secondary Education 1 Ripassare (2,4) 46 Spurious (6)
(initials) (3) 2 Bachelor of Medicine; 47 One of Milan's football teams (5)22 Sheep fold (5) laureato in medicina (2) 49 The even letters in mere; sono pari in 24 Pallido (4) 3 Ion (4) mere (2)26 Freccia (5) 4 Bachelor of Law; 51 Elizabeth Regina (2)28 Thesis (4) laureato in giurisprudenza (3) 53 Pioggia (4)29 Good wishes (6) 5 Precede la si; it comes before ti (2) 55 Piegato, curvo, inclinazione (4)31 Minuscolo (4) 6 In the middle of paunches; 58 Abbreviazione di risposta (3)32 Hormone replacement therapy nel mezzo di pancia (2) 60 Sì (3)
(initials) (3) 7 Latin law; legge latina (3) 64 Soldato americano (2)33 Salient (8) 8 Ballot box (4) 65 If (2)35 Daina (3) 9 Montana (2) 66 Automobile sportiva inglese (2)36 Of (2) 10 There are (2,4)37 Marina brittanica (2) 11 Due mila (3,8)38 Uso (3) 12 Umido (5)41 She's a shop assistant (8) 14 Acre (5)46 Paul McCartney, per esempio (3) 15 L'ultimo dell'anno (3,5,3)48 Uguale (4) 18 Wise men (4)50 Nave (6) 19 Colla (4)51 Electro-plated nickel silver (initials) (4) 23 There52 Ambra (5) 24 Bus (7)54 Nose (4) 25 Guevara's first name (7)55 Bruto (5) 27 Abbreviazione di destra (2)56 Noah (3) 29 Two aces; due assi (5)57 The heart of Baal; il cuore di Baal (2) 30 Informatica (2) November solution
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31
32 33 34 35
36 37
38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47
48 49 50 51
52 53 54 55
56 57 58 59 60 61
62 63 64 65 66
67
V I A A P P I A R O M AI D I N T R NC A V E S D E R I D E DO I A I U E RL O S A N N A C U R V EO O N C A
R I N G R O A DS O S I GA C T O R P O D I S M OL R D O O C MI T A L I A N T R E N IT D C G T S TA R E E P E D O N A L I
See
for total hair care
Shampoo and dry €17.00Cut €13.00/25.00Colour €30.00Manicure €14.00Hair drying self-service €5.00
Hours: Monday 13.30 to 18.00
Tuesday to Saturday 8.30 to 18.30Piazza San Frediano 3 - Lucca
Tel/fax 0583 467375 [email protected]
We now have a barber for men.
Quality TranslationsEditing & Book Preparation
Consulting
Tel. 333 8617962Fax 0583 164254
email: [email protected]
EditionsGRAPEVINE
closed Sunday eveningand Monday
Via della Cervia - LUCCATel. 0583 55881
Fax 0583 312199www.bucadisantantonio.it
n Thursday 22nd November, Americans and other expats in my part of Tuscany celebrated Thanksgiving with gusto. It did not go unnoticed that this year's O Thanksgiving fell on the same day and date as J. F.
Kennedy's assassination in 1963. And it was also recalled that the rifle used to shoot the President was the Italian-made 6.5 mm Carcano rifle. This snippet of information caused us all to pause and ponder.
Fast on the heels of Thanksgiving, Tuscan winter rain has arrived, which means each pinging, stinging drop is … icy cold. Comfy bed linen and airy-feather duvet has replaced summer's crisp cotton sheets, now stored with sachets of dried lavender seeds tucked between their folds. The central heating is in good working order and piled high alongside the stove are bags and bags of pellets. I've said goodbye to fresh tomatoes and look forward to seeing them again next year.… Meantime, I obsessively count the bottles of homemade tomato sauce I've laid Chestnut flour is now being produced, which in turn will be in store, and play mental culinary games for which dish each may incorporated into polenta, bread, cakes, pasta, biscuits and a be used. The pressure cooker has already put out several hearty Tuscan speciality called necci – a rolled-up crepe filled with soups and one of my all-time favourite meals, bollito misto con sweetened ricotta and drizzled with honey. My favourite is salsa verde – mixed boiled meats – served along with, as do all castagnaccio, eaten warm or cold. It is a flat cake, liberally Tuscan cooks worth their oats, a chilled bowl of oily green sauce doused in olive oil and baked in a shallow pan sprinkled with made of parsley, capers, anchovies, green pepper, garlic, olive oil pine nuts and rosemary leaves stripped from their stalks. and vinegar. I'm also possessively guarding my 5 liters of Amongst the many expatriates who live in my corner of Tuscany, precious olive oil. While my taste buds rejoice each time I the jury is out regarding its texture. And for good reason. It indulge, I experience a twinge of regret knowing that 5 liters is sometimes tends towards being rubbery and it does take an only likely to last me six months. Go figure … that's less than a awfully long time to chew before swallowing. It may sit in your litre per month for one person. But hear this – I will absolutely not belly like a dead weight. But then, if you were starving, better to buy 'olive oil' from the supermarket ever again! have something to fill the hole than nothing, right? At
There is a castagna, chestnut tree, considered by my hamlet www.visittuscany.com and elsewhere on the web, you will find neighbours to be a monster. It stands in the abandoned land recipes for castagnaccio.adjacent to my land, separated by a deep and steep canal. Several Despite the number of chestnut trees that abound in our years ago I instructed the gardeners to saw through the ivy's arm- Tuscan hills, producing homemade chestnut flour is laborious, thick vines at the base of the chestnut's trunk. The ivy had ramped and it is expensive to buy. Yet my neighbours say it was up the 30 meter trunk where its upper-most tendrils and leaves considered as basic as common flour when rural Italy was at its fought the chestnut's canopy for light. This fight, I believed, the poorest. After the chestnuts are dried (takes days in an oven) they chestnut was beginning to lose. are ground into flour by weighty millstones. November is the best
But, signora, the gardeners protested, it's not your tree. Nor month in which to buy freshly milled chestnut flour. your land. You'll be trespassing. In contrast to the bare and fruit-less chestnut trees, melograni
Trespassing? And anyway, you wouldn't want those who steal (pomegranates) hang suspended from their trees’ naked branches, the nuts each year to go without, should the tree die, now would you? glowing like giant, ruby-red cough drops. It's a fruit I adore – not
The gardeners looked sheepishly at one another knowing least for the look of its exotic jewel-seeds – and for each seed's precisely to whom I referred. burst of intense sweetness and crunch. Try sprinkling these seeds
over baby-spinach leaves, festooned with dollops of soft goat's Strangulation halted, the chestnut tree resumed life, and will, cheese, toasted hazelnuts, tossed with warmed olive oil and I hope, continue to live for another century or so.droplets of balsamic vinegar. Serve with oven-hot bread. The deep and steep canal gives the wild boar and deer –
For adult tastes, and if you can lay your hands on 98% proof what's left of them after the culling season – easy passage and alcohol, crush and steep the pomegranate seeds adding lemon access to the forest behind my tiny house. It is also where the juice to taste for balance. (If you must add sugar, only use fine chestnut tree's abundant dropped fruit lies. During the 'fruit white.) Strain, and then you can freeze and serve this as you would dropping' time, the wild boar, who adore chestnuts, snorted and limoncello. viciously fought each other while hoovering up the bounty.
With all the leafless trees, olive trees excluded, my view of It is also the place where boars engage in the rut. One late the Tyrrhenian Sea is further expanded. As I write this, heavy afternoon, while working in the garden, the sounds of a kerfuffle clouds are massing above a flat pewter sea, waiting to roll inland drew me to the edge of the canal. I was privileged to bear witness to
and blanket everything in cold, gray vapour. Truth the rut between two young males and three older is, though wet, gray, and a little on the too-cool females. Long after I got tired of watching, the side for my blood, everything in my magical fivesome noisily continued deep into the night.corner of Tuscany is, quite simply, perfect. Back to chestnuts. Did you know that the hard
outer shell of the chestnut fruit has a pointed end with a small tuft at its tip, called 'flame' in Italian? – by Jacqueline Falcomer
Septuagenarian and octogenarian neighbours Jacqueline is the author of Love Me Not tell me that when the chestnut tree drops the last of and writes a blog called Tuscan Snippets.its leaves, winter has truly arrived. www.jacquelinefalcomer.com
Chestnuts & Other Bits of Tuscan Wisdom
Pho
to c
ourt
esy
Pix
abay
Photo by Siamand Salimi
Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 201920
hristmas is a time for celebration in households bread, due to its pure yellow interior. Panettone, on the other hand, everywhere, when families get together to celebrate simply means large bread, and is filled with raisins and candied their wellbeing and a successful year. What better way citrus fruits. There is a rivalry between these two cakes as to C to celebrate than with tasty food? Traditionally, for which is the true king of Christmas, and because everyone has
religious reasons meat is not eaten in many Italian homes on their preference, there is often a lot of debate in the run-up to the Christmas Eve, instead many feast on fish and seafood dishes the big day as to which is best. The compromise is to offer both cakes. 24th of December. However, on Christmas day, there is usually If you're interested in trying something a little more traditional for plenty of meat on the table in Tuscany and lunch is kicked off with dessert, then the fruit and nut-based panforte of Siena is a good crostini or bruschetta with chicken liver pâté, and a variety of bet. Its name, meaning strong bread, refers to its slightly spicy cheeses and cold cuts as antipasti. This is often followed by kick and chewy texture.tortellini in brodo, ravioli-like pasta capsules in a meat or The typical British Christmas lunch of turkey and vegetables vegetable broth. After the pasta, an arrosto or mixed roasted meats followed by Christmas pudding is somewhat consistent flavoured with herbs are placed on the table. throughout the U.K., but in Italy, what consists of a proper
Whilst in the U.K. the Christmas pudding is undisputedly the Christmas lunch varies massively from region to region, town to must-have dessert for Christmas day, there are two main options town, and even from home to home. Polenta is not uncommon in for dessert in most homes in the Tuscan plains at Christmas, while in Livorno the traditional I t a l y : P a n d o r o a n d Cacciucco fish soup is often served at Christmas, with the best cuts Panettone. Anyone who of fish rather than the usual scraps that go into the soup. And in walks through an Italian Monte Amiata near Siena, snails are considered a festive delicacy.supermarket in the weeks There's room to be approaching Christmas will creative when thinking about notice the mountains of what to prepare for Christmas boxes of these bread-like in Tuscany. Every family has cakes lining the aisles. its own traditions, making the Pandoro is the sweetest of festive get-togethers unique.the two and is coated with icing sugar. It takes its name – by Joel K. Swailfrom pan d'oro, golden Liceo A. Vallisneri
Pandoro or Panettone?Christmas at a Tuscan Table
21Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 2019
Italy they make lentils. No old year can finish before Tuscans — and all other Italians — greet the next one with a meal of lentils.I
It's all about finding prosperity in the New Year; lentils are shaped like coins, and in that tradition they'll bring you good fortune. To go with the lentils, something rich and fatty will assure even more wealth. A thick pre-cooked gut-filled really fatty sausage called cotechino is usually served with the lentils here in Tuscany, or it can be the same sausage meat stuffed into a boned pork trotter, called zampone. Actually zampone comes from Modena, where it is so deliciously produced that the region boasts a DOC certificate to guarantee its place of origin in this Emilio-Romagna province; this productively rich area has also given us balsamic vinegar and bubbly Lambrusco rose' wine, along with Ferrari cars and Luciano Pavarotti (and, in Modena, an impressive Piazza del Duomo with its Cathedral) .
Cotechino sausage comes pre-cooked and boxed so there is no need to think about making your own. Along with lentils, cotechino can be deliciously served with mashed potatoes. The type of lentils is up to you; I like the fat traditional kind, which seem to well absorb the fatty cotechino. These bigger ones may well bring you more luck too, simply because they represent bigger coins for the pocket. The smaller, finer and more delicate Castelluccio lentils of Norcia probably didn't exist when the tradition began in ancient Rome.
My Tuscan recipe for lentils and cotechino comes from a friend, Carol Field, who died too soon in 2017. A lovely Californian who discovered food culture in Italy long before it became my passion, Carol wrote several books on food in Italy, among them Celebrating Italy, from which this recipe is adapted.
— by Beth Elon, whose latest book is (American edition) A Culinary Traveller in Tuscany
(Exploring and Eating Off the Beaten Track); or (British edition) Tasting Tuscany; or
(Italian edition) Toscana: Percorsi Inconsueti fra Sapori Antichi (Gusto e bellezza in 10 itinerari).
n America we make resolutions for the New Year; in
Ingredients1 cotechino sausage, about 1/2 kilo (1 lb.)500 grams lentils (1 lb. 2 oz.)3 cups rich vegetable broth1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (60 grams)1 small onion, finely chopped1 rib of celery, finely chopped1 carrot, finely chopped2 cloves of garlic, finely minced8 fresh sage leaves, chopped2 tablespoons tomato paste, diluted in 1/4 cup waterSalt and freshly ground pepper
Method 'Soak the cotechino in cold water for 2 hours. Clean the lentils well by soaking them briefly, for about 15 minutes, changing the water at least once. (During the cleansing, seek out any stray little stone, which can be a tooth breaker.) Put them into a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook gently until not quite totally biteable, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.'Wrap the cotechino in cheesecloth and pierce it with a fork in several places. In a large pan, cover with the broth, bring to a boil, lower the flame dramatically, and cook over low heat about 50 minutes, skimming off the fat from time to time. That should cook it through; remember it is pre-cooked and only needs to be well-heated throughout. When it is cooked, remove it from its broth, unwrap it, and let it cool briefly.'In a separate pan, warm the olive oil and gently sauté the chopped onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and sage leaves for a few minutes, until the onion is transparent and the vegetables limp. Be careful not to burn the garlic. 'Drain the lentils, reserving a bit of the water in which they cooked. Place them in a large bowl, add the sautéed vegetables, a good amount of salt, and freshly ground pepper, then gently mix in the diluted tomato paste. Add a bit of the lentils' cooking water, and place on a large serving dish. Slice the cotechino into one-centimeter slices, and place the slices either next to or on top of the lentils to serve.
Good Luck for the New Year
LENTICCHE CON COTECHINO Lentils with Cotechino Sausage
serves 6
Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 201922
VIA ACQUACALDA 192 (opposite the Cantoni factory), tel 0583/496920. Vast selection of second-hand furniture, clothes, toys, videos, etc. Visit our store on eBay and our page on Facebook.
Open 10.00-12.30 / 15.30-19.30 CLOSED MONDAY www.mercatinousatolucca.it On-line sales
House clearance - Removals.
Northern legend, the Befana is typically Italian. In Garfagnana I Christmas has always been a
religious festivity, while during Epiphany, 6 January, the Befana (an old woman dressed in rags) brings gifts such as toys or sweets to good children and coal to bad ones.
In the middle of the wood in Pegnana, near Barga, the Befana lives surrounded by her animals: goats, rabbits, and a donkey. Every Sunday, from the beginning of December until the end of January, throughout the Christmas holidays, the Befana welcomes children who come to see her, and if she has time answers all their questions. A few steps away from the hut there is a little kiosk where parents can drink hot wine and eat typical foods like befanini, tasty biscuits that are usually prepared at this period of the year.
On 5 January, the Befana comes out of her house in Pegnana to meet children and in the afternoon she goes from house to house along with her assistants called befanotti, to sing the traditional Befana songs and give presents to excited children. The old lady and the befanotti also enter bars and restaurants singing. As tradition commands, they are rewarded for their services by being offered hot drinks. The next day she waits for the children at her house to spend time all together.
The well-known poet Giovanni Pascoli (1855-1912), who lived in Barga for a long time, dedicated a poem entitled La Befana to the famous old lady.
– by Irene VivianiLiceo A. Vallisneri
f Santa Claus comes from a
La Befana
from: gea-draconia.net
from: www.asa-press.com
La Befanaby Giovanni Pascoli
Viene viene la Befanavien dai monti a notte fonda.Come è stanca! la circonda
neve, gelo e tramontana.Viene viene la Befana.
Ha le mani al petto in croce,e la neve è il suo mantelloed il gelo il suo pannelloed il vento la sua voce.
Ha le mani al petto in croce.E s’accosta piano pianoalla villa, al casolare,
a guardare, ad ascoltareor più presso or più lontano.Piano piano, piano piano.
Che c’è dentro questa villa?uno stropiccio leggiero.
Tutto è cheto, tutto è nero.Un lumino passa e brilla.
Che c’è dentro questa villa?Guarda e guarda...tre lettini
con tre bimbi a nanna, buoni.Guarda e guarda...ai capitoni
c’è tre calze lunghe e fini.Oh! tre calze e tre lettini.Il lumino brilla e scende,e ne scricchiolan le scale;
il lumino brilla e sale,e ne palpitan le tende.
Chi mai sale? chi mai scende?Co’ suoi doni mamma è scesa,
sale con il suo sorriso.Il lumino le arde in visocome lampada di chiesa.
Co’ suoi doni mamma è scesa.La Befana alla finestra
sente e vede, e s’allontana.Passa con la tramontana,passa per la via maestra,
trema ogni uscio, ogni finestra.E che c’è nel casolare?
Un sospiro lungo e fioco.Qualche lucciola di fuocobrilla ancor nel focolare.Ma che c’è nel casolare?
Guarda e guarda... tre strapunticon tre bimbi a nanna, buoni.
Tra la cenere e i carbonic’è tre zoccoli consunti.
Oh! tre scarpe e tre strapunti...E la mamma veglia e fila
sospirando e singhiozzando,e rimira a quando a quandooh! quei tre zoccoli in fila...
veglia e piange, piange e fila.La Befana vede e sente;
fugge al monte, ch’è l’aurora.Quella mamma piange ancora
su quei bimbi senza niente.La Befana vede e sente.La Befana sta sul monte.
Ciò che vede è ciò che vide:c’è chi piange e c’è chi ride;
essa ha nuvoli alla fronte,mentre sta sul bianco monte.
photo by Massimo Pia
23Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 2019
PROPERTIES FOR SALE BY OWNER
For more information: [email protected]
Lido di Camaiore
500m from the BEACH Large home (240 sqm) with garden on 3 sides. 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. Fully equipped kitchen. Wrap-around terrace at 1st floor. Garage. Spacious attic & downstairs rooms. 580,000 euros.(Ref. 1194)
Conveniently located near the train station,
2 bedroom ground floor apartment with large kitchen, sitting/dining room, large bathroom, cantina & utility room. 120sqm.
€ 120,000 negotiable
Contact Grapevine
(Ref. 1219)
SAN GINESE (CAPANNORI). Delightful country property that can be used as a farmhouse or renovated into an elegant estate. South-facing. Currently 3 bedrooms with study + large attic (2 more rooms), bath, country kitchen, living room. Adjacent laundry/workroom with upstairs storage room & additional cantinas. Total 400 sqm. On a hill overlooking Compitese villages & Bientina Lake. Approx. 3700 sqm of land (grapes/ olives/forest). Cl. G IPE 255,20. € 430,000 negotiable. (Ref. 1165)
Excellent opportunity to acquire a lovely home in a select gated community in Tuscany, 5 minutes away from the walls of Lucca in
beautiful, peaceful, semi-rural surroundings with wonderful views. 15 minutes to Pisa, 25 minutes to the seaside (Forte dei Marmi, Viareggio,
Pietrasanta), 25 minutes to Pisa airport, 35 minutes to Pistoia, 45 minutes to Florence. Summer swimming pool at local tennis club 5 minutes' walk.
The detached 3-storey house can be sold with or without furniture and is composed of: double gated entrance with intercom, security alarm, 3-4 bedrooms, large converted loft space, open lounge/kitchen/diner, covered patio, secluded garden, plenty of storage, garage & laundry room, 3 toilets, 2 bathrooms, 2 showers. Air-conditioning on 1st & 2nd floors, underfloor heating throughout, pellet stove. Space for 2-3 cars in front of the house and 2 car spaces in communal parking area. Satellite dish for international TV.
€350,000 negotiable. For further information please e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] (Ref. 1209)
Bagni di Lucca (Fornoli) near the train station
Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 201924
Our Lawns at Season's End
ear friends, the holidays are almost at the door and this means that winter is near. D Autumn's weather was rather
quirky, above all at Italy's two extremes. In the south lots of rain fell, resulting in flooding, while in the north windstorms destroyed vast forests of larches, pines, and irrigation systems, and above all eliminate plants will be stronger and will suffer less ancient fir trees, creating immense gaps the water from those parts most at risk, such during the summer, compared to those that will be difficult to fill, not only in terms as collectors, electric valves, and taps. We planted in spring, which often find of space, but also in the souls of those who must empty and cover water pumps, in themselves in difficulty and needing more live in the mountains. In our region, order to protect them from freezing. help to survive the hot Mediterranean fortunately, things went better and we got This is a good time to prune those summer, which often sorely tests our new by with only a few fallen trees. hedges and trees that have already shed plantings.
According to the regional weather their leaves. Remember that in general At this point all we have left is to do is service early winter should have tempera- correct pruning for trees calls for a adorn our homes with those plants that are tures and rainy days within seasonal reduction of about a third of their foliage, perfect for Christmas decorations, such as averages, while January temperatures except in particular situations that should holly and pyracantha (firethorn). The holly may be a bit above average. As always, we be evaluated by an expert before damaging branches are covered with beautiful red will wait and see. the plants and risking their health. For berries, so let's cut some branches and use
Now let's dedicate ourselves to the conifers (cedars, firs, yew trees, etc.) the them to create wreathes or fill vases for our final preparations, so that our beloved same rule applies. These plants often have home's doorway and for the Christmas table.gardens can have a rest. We have enjoyed many dry branches, especially if Happy gardening and happy holidays happy moments here during the warmer maintenance interventions have been far to all!days, shaded by our trees, delighting in apart in time, so these should be eliminated, their perfumes and beautiful colors. to avoid having dry branches suddenly fall – by Simone Lippi
Before putting the citrus plants back in and do damage to something, or even Il Cerchio Verdethe greenhouse, we should expose them to a worse, to someone. Tel. 0583 316713,bit of cold for a few days, so that any At the first freeze, the vegetation of 335 8354437parasites on the plants will be eliminated, in perennials will fall to the ground and should www.ilcerchioverde.itthis natural way freeing them from harmful be removed. Place the cuttings over the insects such as the mealy-bug and citrus roots in order to protect them from sudden leaf-miner. and severe freezes (alternatively, straw can
We eliminate any weeds that have be used).grown in the pots, and prepare a mixture of Let's not forget to use a treatment of organic fertilizer and fresh loam specifically Bordeaux mixture for roses and fruits, in recommended for citrus plants, sprinkling order to keep the scab under control. This this over the soil and mixing it in with a regularly shows up on the leaves during the garden spade. If we notice that the leaves are summer season. (This treatment should be getting yellow, we add iron chelate repeated in late January and early (sequestrene) to the mixture in order to February).make them turn green again. In this way our Even though the garden is dormant, we citrus plants will be ready to face their should provide it with slow-action organic winter lethargy, slowly beginning to nourish fertilizer, so that the plants have nourishment themselves without arriving hungry and during the winter.emaciated at springtime. December is a good time for bedding
We mustn't forget to cover or shelter new plants, so those who want to prepare a from the cold bougainvillea, lantana, garden or orchard can take advantage of the plumbago, and other varieties that we often autumn and winter. (For plants that suffer cultivate in our gardens, which may suffer from the cold, on the other hand, it's best to from the intense cold. We turn off our wait until the end of winter). In this way the
The Holly and the Ivy
25Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 2019
Luminarprint S.r.l. Via Gramsci, 11 Fornacette di Calcinaia - Pisa
cell 392 0399800 - 347 [email protected]
www.luminarprint.it
o f f se t & d ig i t a l p r i n t i ng
Near Devil's Bridge (Borgo a Mozzano). Country estate. Large kitchen/dining room, pantry, 2 sitting rooms, fireplace, study/office, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths downstairs. 3 bedrooms, 3 baths upstairs. Large swimming pool. English garden. 1.5 hectares for strolling through mead-ows & forest. Wheelchair access & large park-ing area. Photovoltaic & solar systems. € 695,000. By owner. Contact Grapevine for confidential transactions. (Ref. 1147)
Please use the form on our webpage or send us an email at: [email protected]
Classified Advertisements Also visible at www.luccagrapevine.com
In the Compitese hills near Lucca, semi-detached house from 1733. P1: dining, living, kitchen, large bath, P2: 3 bedrooms, attic. Courtyard with cantina & pizza-oven. Solar panels. Land (pool possible) nearby but not adjacent. Possibility of 2nd bathroom. €130,000. Tel. 349 7146953 (Ref. 1205)
Country house 8 km west of Lucca in a small hamlet overlooking the valley. Restored while respecting the original style. Large rooms on 3 levels: PT living room with fireplace, spacious kitchen, bedroom, bath. P1 2 bedrooms & bath. P2 spacious loft with beautiful views in all directions. Garden & pleasant terrace for outdoor dining. €320,000. Contact Grapevine. (Ref. 1201)
Albiano (near Barga). Independent apartment (approx. 150sqm) with panoramic garden & terrace (50sqm, On two floors: entrance hall, living room, dining room, kitchen/dining room on ground floor. 3 bedrooms on 1st floor. Bathroom with bathtub. Oil fired central heating (boiler installed in 2014). Double glazed windows with aluminum shutters. Energy Rating: G. Bus stop @ 40mt, train station @ 5 km, post office @ 4.5 km, news agent @ 4.5 km, café/restaurant @ 50mt. Price € 165,000. Please contact Grapevine. (Ref. 1188)
In the heart of Lucca, near Via Fillungo & Torre delle Ore. Beautiful, luminous 3rd floor apartment. 220 sqm. Large entrance hall, 4 bed-rooms, 2 baths, spacious kitchen from the 1500s, enormous living room, loft area with 2 rooms & laun-dry. Ceilings up to 4 meters high, floors in terracotta & tessieri, wood beam ceilings, wood panelled living room ceiling. € 800,000. (Ref 1184)
Townhouse for sale
Townhouse on 3 floors, 180sqm, 10 minutes walk from Bagni di Lucca train station, with all conveniences (post, bars, shops) close nearby. Restored & in good condition. 5 rooms, 2 baths, large kitchen. €160,000 negotiable. APE G. Tel. 333 8617962. (Ref. 1221)
House renovated into 3 separate apartments in traditional style for a total of 210sqm. With forest land, garden, above-ground pool. Ideal for bed & breakfast. Contact Grapevine. (Ref. 1200)
Fabbriche di Casabasciana
Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 201926
Lucca apartment for sale
San Marco area, 5 minutes from the wall (Porta S. Jacopo) on 3rd floor, consisting of 3 rooms, new kitchen, bathroom, 2 balconies, pellets oven , fully furnished, cellar/storeroom, garage. Price € 125,[email protected] (Ref 1216)
RIVERFRONT PROPERTY Ideal for fishermen & bathers, facing the Serchio River at the foot of the Brancoli hills. Early 1900s estate with traditional tile & parquet floors, fitted kitchen, marble stairs, wooden railings, etc. Can be a single home (5-6 bedrooms, 4 baths, 3 floors) or 2 apartments (total 408 sqm). The large garden with trees & olives is bounded by a mule track & old stone wall. Terrace near the kitchen, ideal for dining al fresco. The house is separated from the road by a secure gate. Parking for 4-5 cars inside the property & along the river. Energy certificate available. Contact Grapevine (Ref. 1179)
ENGLISH-SPEAKING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
LESSONS, TRANSLATIONS & COURSES
Accountants Vannucci & Associates. Viale San Concordio 710, 55100 Lucca. Tel. +39 0583 316636, fax: +39 0583 419451, email [email protected] - www.vannuccieassociati.it (Ref. 1103) Translations Italian to English and English to Italian by experienced mother-Accountant and Auditor Dott Paola Girolami (University of Pisa and tongue translators. Contact Grapevine (Ref. 817)Bristol U.K.). Via Delle Ville 354/A, Lucca. Tel +39 0583 471734, fax + 39 0583 471751 email: [email protected] website: www.studiocommercialistagirolami.it English/French/Italian. Martina, bilingual student saving up to attend university, seeks
employment, part-time or full, babysitter or other. 334 3105182 or [email protected] (Ref. 1216)
Aurora, bilingual graduate with Laurea in tourism, seeks employment, Dental Surgeon Dr. Barbato & Dr. Cumbo. Via Fillungo 91, 55100 Lucca. possibly in a restaurant or hotel. Long experience as babysitter & pre-Tel. 0583 492853. school teacher. [email protected] (Ref. 1217)
Dental Surgeon Dr. Carlo G.F. Martini. Studio Odontostomatologico Chef/housekeeper seeks live-in position. Speaks Italian, Spanish, Martini, Via Romana 231, 55100 Lucca. Tel 0583 467975, email: French. Contact 0033684670153/00447817495367/00383456180102. [email protected] Sarah Dawson Thomson. (Ref. 1213)
Lawyer Daria Mariani (English spoken). Real estate, contracts, inheritance, accident, family, commercial, auctions, etc. Tel. 0583 316110, cell. 340 8672443, [email protected] (Ref. 1191)
Lawyer Alberto Del Carlo. Admitted to the Italian High Courts, Piazzale Ricasoli, 241 – 55100 Lucca. Tel. 0583 494952, fax 0583 492352. email [email protected] In the real estate field, Mr. Del Carlo is in strict connection with surveyors (geometri) who speak English fluently.
Lawyer Ilaria Cipriani (Anglo/Italian). Via Nottolini 733, 55100 Lucca. Looking for English baby sitter to play with 5 and 8 year old Italian girls Tel. 0583 1892444, fax 0583 1770173. [email protected] in a home at Carignano, near Lucca. Phone Linda at 3200410249, or email Lawyer Enrico Lattanzi. Viale Giacomo Puccini n°75, Lucca. Tel. (+39) [email protected] (Ref. 1220)0583 584981, fax (+39) 0583 316172, cell. (+39) 347 4479061. Wanted, English speaker to play with & read to a 4-year-old Italian child [email protected], www.lawfirminitaly.com (Ref. 1204) in a home at Massa Macinaia (accessible by car or bike, 15 minutes outside Landscape design & Garden maintenance. Call Tommaso at cell. 349 284 of town). Tel. Elisa at 3282660846, or email [email protected] (Ref. 1219)5399 or email [email protected] www.luccalandscape.it (Ref. 572) UK TV in Italy, all UK channels from £11.99 a month. 14 day catch-up. Let Removals Local, National, European and International relocation service. us show you how! Contact Grapevine for referral. (Ref 1142)Servicing the UK with regular trips every 2-3 weeks. Full professional packing For Sale LHD, UK registered Audi Q7 2006 & export wrapping service. Friendly, experienced, professional Kiwi service. ONLY 14350 genuine miles. Black, auto, Contact Richard at [email protected] or 340 8748222. (Ref. 771) satnav, all extras including electronic a/c and
7 leather seats. Has been our holiday car based in Italy since new. Children now grown
Private Italian classes Italian woman, speaks fluent English, offers up so we need a smaller car. Based in Lucca individual/group lessons. Beginners, intermediate, advanced. Help with and serviced by Audi Lucca. €10,000. email: interpreting assistance with relocating. Can travel from Lucca. Anna Cell. [email protected] or mobile Italy 347 9194155 [email protected] (Ref. 267) +39 3293116157 ask for Steve. (Ref. 1218)
Spoken English private lessons. Contact Grapevine. (Ref. 1186)
Bilingual American, experienced tutor attending Univ. of Pisa, living in Lucca, available for English, math & science tutoring/homework assistance. Tel. 324.796.7323 or email [email protected]. (Ref. 1214)
Dental Surgeon Dr Rogier Staal, University of Amsterdam. Amsterdam Dental Studio, Via Farnesi 25a, Lucca. Tel 0583 953633. Dutch/English French/German/Italian. email: [email protected]
JOB SEARCH
VARIOUS
Moving Sale Lucca Whole house contents of quality for sale including antiques, wardrobes, furniture, mirrors, paintings, etc. Please email [email protected] for list. (Ref 1083)
U.S. TAX RETURNS FOR AMERICANS IN ITALY
Alexander v.Pinoci PAAL SERVICES USA, LLC (UStaxItaly)
email: [email protected] pec: [email protected] Website: http://www.ustaxitaly.com/
Skype: avpinoci
Michigan USA tel: +1-808-316-0719 Rome ITALY tel: +39-06.9294.7508
cell: +39-328.162.0531 fax: +39-06.233.241.949
Grapevine cannot evaluate all the advertisements and assumes no responsibility for their content.
Design and installation gardens terraces and watering systems
Garden maintenanceTypical Tuscan gardens
tel 0583 316713Simone 335 [email protected]
Il Cerchio Verde
195c
m x
124
cm x
53c
m
27Tuscany’s GRAPEVINE Magazine December 2018 - January 2019
www.teatrodipisa.pi.it
