THTooLongDon'tRead

I spent the day with old friends Denise and Patty and Patty’s former brother-in-law Brian, who has been visiting from Colorado considering the possibility of buying a home in Italy. Earlier in the month Patty and Brian had explored a number of areas in the far north of Italy given Brian’s love for hiking and trekking. 

I had arranged the night before to meet Denise in Calenzano where she would pick me up from the train station near her home. She had suggested a train from SMN but I found that there was one leaving about the same time with the same travel time from my local Campo di Marte station. A five minute walk and I was on the train to Calenzano!

From Calenzano Denise and I drove to Lucca to pick up Patty and Brian. Our passage was only slightly impacted by the first day of Lucca Comics, an anime and cosplay gathering that apparently is the largest in Europe. Seeing grown ups walking around in elaborate costumes was just like being at home in Seattle! 

Our first stop was to get a better look at a 12th century bridge known by multiple names with variations of the history and origin. Matilda’s Bridge, Maddalena’s Bridge, or Devil’s Bridge all refer to this gracefully arching stone bridge that has withstood the ravages of centuries. While there are myriad devil bridges around the world, some natural and many man made. This particular bridge apparently is in a style known as “donkey back”, a style frequently used in medieval Tuscany marked by the asymmetry of its aches. The legend involves an overly ambitious mason who realizes he is not going to meet his deadline and makes a pact with the devil. In exchange for completing the bridge overnight, the mason has agreed that the devil will take the soul of the first to cross the bridge. Wracked with guilt for striking such a deal, the mason confesses to some local priest and they conspire to have the first to cross be an unsuspecting local pig. Apparently this subterfuge worked, the devil was thwarted and left the man and bridge safe. Now, I am no medievalist, but this seems like a great legend to explain the phenomenon of “deviled ham”.

Next up was a stop the small town of Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, a charming little town situated where the Serchio River meets the Turrite Secca River. Secca is a strange word for a river as it means “dry” in Italian. Castelnuovo is situated right on a beautiful river that was running fast and clear when we visited. In the sunlight one could see the clarity of the water as it rushed below the bridges in the town. The town was active but calm. As we strolled around we took turns noticing and commenting on what seemed to be a fair number of rather high end retail operations ranging from clothing, to shoes, and jewelry. There were also a number of hiking and trekking gear stores that looked like they catered to the healthy regional pastime and industry. 

I am never an enthusiastic driver. Ever. Luckily, Denise was our capable designated driver for this outing along with Patty in the navigator’s seat. While I am not certain that the distance to our next destination was necessarily long, it was, at best, circuitous with more than one recalculation. The flat fundamental pronunciation of Italian words by the automated GPS voice, gave this rusty Italian speaker some solace. The beauty of a trip like this is that as a passenger I was able to simply sit back and enjoy the ever changing views and vistas as we wound our way further up into the Tuscan hillside. It was a perfectly clear sunny late October day with temperatures in the low seventies. The verdant green fields and hillsides were the perfect contrast to the blue sky and the golden earthy tones of the sometimes ancient architecture. 

Venturing into Castiglione di Garfagnana was both lovely and eerie. It is a medieval walled fortress with roots dating back to the Romans. The fortifications are quintessential overlooking a beautiful valley. As we walked into the village, we left the parking lot behind and crossed into what seemed to be an abandoned village. Everything was lovely and cared for, and there were signs of life and occupancy, but we did not see another person until rather late in our visit! The eerie quiet solitude of the place made the exploration of it almost otherworldly. It was just the four of us and no jostling or avoiding others or waiting to get the best view possible. There’s a small park and garden near one of the medieval battlements that was dedicated to those from the village who had died in both World Wars. It was neatly trimmed and cared for and overlooked a remarkable swath of Tuscan landscape dotted with other charming buildings and structures reaching into the distance. Given the seeming small size of the village, the number of names seemed rather daunting. 

While charming and calm, this idyllic little place offered no lunch options. We were  quickly back on the “stra-dah sta-tal-lay” according to our GPS voice with all the modern conveniences available at the next traffic circle. We stopped at the nearest caffe bar and made quick work of the ready made pizza, focaccia, and piadine available. No lingering over a precious lunch menu for us. According to our driver, we had time for one more stop! 

Bagni di Lucca is historically known for its natural hot springs. Reading its history, it of course has been passed around like a trading card throughout the ages, passing from being under the rule of the various players who made up Italy prior to the organization of the modern Italian state. During the 19th century it became a destination for many making their grand tour of the continent. Apparently at one point there was a thriving casino operating which undoubtedly appealed to even more grand tourists. If you weren’t going to take the “cure” at the natural hot springs, maybe you would make or lose your fortune at the casino. 

While I have never understood the appeal of a hot tub, regardless of the chlorine sanitization, seeing the beauty of the valley where Bagni di Lucca is situated, I can understand the appeal of experiencing the benefits of the natural hot springs (97°F-129°F), although I am not sure if “carbonic acid” comes with any odor! Apparently the Italian priest and anatomist, Gabrielle Falloppio, credited the springs at Bagni di Lucca with curing his deafness. He is best known…well, not for his own tubes but for those that still bear his name. 

To be honest, while I could see the beauty of the setting and admire many of the once grand buildings, Bagni di Lucca seems at best shabby and in need of a refresh. Part of this impression is based on the fact that by the time we arrived it was late in the afternoon and we were no longer in bright sunshine. Bagni di Lucca is in the Lima River valley and by our visit, the sunlight was limited to the upper reaches of the hillsides forming the valley. It was shady, chilly, and in comparison to our earlier stops, a bit down around the edges. 

Our excursion into the Province of Lucca in Tuscany wrapped up with Bagni di Lucca and we hit the road to drop Patty and Brian off back in the town of Lucca. Another hour or so and Denise dropped me off at her local station to catch one of the many commuter trains that connect Florence with its outlying suburbs. While waiting for the train I spend my time reading the “Departures” poster displayed on the platform. From this single platform there were two trains going in opposite directions, one toward Florence, the other going the opposite direction to Pistoia arriving and departing just minutes apart. Keep in mind, these trains stop but they do not linger. The platform was pretty crowded and I figured that about half the folks were going in each direction. So when the Pistoia bound train arrived, I tried to make room for people heading to it. One teenager asked a group of people that included me, if that was the train to Prato…while others shrugged and said they didn’t know, I at least that the wits about me to confidently state, “Quello va a Pistoia.” While this satisfied the teen and he proceeded to get the train, and a couple young women turned and said they didn’t know which direction Prato was, I wanted to say, “Ah, già, neach’io!” (oh yeah, me neither!) Thank goodness I had been studying up on those departure details!

In moments my train arrived and I was homeward bound to my comfortable neighborhood station, just a five minute walk to my door, thus concluding my day in Tuscany.