LuccaHoliday - Instructions for Use Garbage Rules

I 've just started a Section in this blog named LuccaHoliday – Instructions for Use. 
Today I want to talk about trash explaining how the Garbage Collection works within the City Walls. I know you may find this post very boring but it’s really important to me that these instructions are followed correctly. It’s a civil duty that everyone - both citizens and visitors - have to respectourselves but also others and the city itself. Well, are you ready? let's begin! 

There are four separate collections for each type of garbage.

Organico: Kitchen Waste

Multimateriale: Plastic, Glass, Cans, Tetrapack 

Carta: Paper, Cardboard

Non Riciclabile: Not recyclable

You have to place all garbage in separate plastic bags: wet garbage from cooking/eating in one bag, all paper products in another bag, glass and plastic bottles, cans and tetra pack can be put in another bag and everything else, not recyclable, in another bag.

You can use ordinary plastic bags from the grocery store and if possible it would also be required to add a tag or write with a big black pen O for Organic (kitchen Waste) , M for Multilateral (glass and plastic) , C for Paper and NR for Not Recyclable.

Tie all tops tight and place the bags in the street outside the front door, or even better at the beginning or end of the street.

The collection time is in the morning, from 6 am to 9,00 am - not earlier nor later - 

Collection days are as follows:

Kitchen Waste bags are collected on Monday – Wednesday – Friday - Saturday

Paper and Cardboard  bags are collected on 

Monday, Wednesday, Friday – Area A

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday – Area B

Glass, Plastic, Cans, TetraPack (all together into the same bag) are collected on

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

Non Recyclable bags are collected on Tuesday and Friday morning

That's not difficult. It means that you cannot leave a garbage bag in the street on Sunday night, but only early in the morning on Monday. If you don’t follow these rules you - or the local families living in your building - could be fined by the local police. So I warmly ask you to take extreme care in following our rules. Besides if everybody follows the rules, it becomes easier for the local authority to keep the city cleaner. 

If, for any reason, you are not able to leave your garbage bags outside the door at the right time in the right day you can take them at the “eco islands” There are four areas within the city walls at the city’s four cardinal points, which are the entrances of the city walls (porta san donato, Porta Santa Maria, Porta Elisa e Porta San Pietro), where you will find all the separate trash-cans. Or straight outside the main doors there are big garbage containers where you can throw your garbage away at all hours, any day. 

It is very important for me to pass on this.

Indeed my guests have been always very kind, polite and well behaved so  I have to admit I’ve never had a lot of problems. I leave detailed instructions in all apartments and they are usually followed. Even though sometimes it happens… the cleaner goes into the flat and finds several garbage bags.. (even open!!!) … oh well, that is not kind at all… so she has to call the owner who then calls me up, very upset, as it is my fault.. … when I actually I have done so much to write detailed instructions… 

So please make sure to take all your trash bags away upon departure. And do not put garbage down the sink drain and no sanitary items down the toilet.  

Someone told me I am too strict!! yes I am ! I think it is an owed action from all of us.

I believe that the local authorities are doing their best to offer this service, so we only have to respect and follow these rules correctly. Their only mistake is the lack of an English translation of a very good website!  

And now, to make your stay as easy as possible I will tell you about our

CORRECT SORTING OF URBAN WASTE SOLIDS: 

PAPER-CARBOARD

Newspapers, magazines, books, work books, photocopies and various paper sheets, folded cardboards,  cardboard packaging, food boxes, paper bags-catalogues, clean paper towels.

WET WASTE-ORGANIC WASTE

Kitchen waste (leftovers and rotten food, meat and fish bones and shellfish, egg shells, coffee and tea filters, fruit and vegetable waste, used kitchen paper, cold fireplace ashes, flowers and garden waste, cut grass, small branches and wood shavings.

MULTIMATERIAL

Water and beverage bottles, glass vases, bottles for washing clothes and dishes products, bottles for house cleaning products, liquid soap bottles, containers for hygiene products, food plastic trays, plastic shopping bags, packaging plastic film; holders for yogurt, creams, desserts; fruit and veg crates, blister (shaped packaging-e.g. eggs), packaging film (cellophane etc.), boxes and clothes bags (shirts, tights, ties), Tetrapak  (milk and juice cartons etc.), aluminum cans, tins, metal containers and all containers marked with the AL symbol.

NON RECYCLABLE

Everything that is not part of the above listed categories, for example: Video and audio cassettes – compact discs; Sponge and cloths-diapers, sanitary pads ; Pens-plastic and Bakelite objects ; Dust from vacuum cleaner-films; Tapestries ; Chemical paper; Nylon tights – cosmetic and toothpaste tubes – carbon paper – chemical paper, greaseproof and plasticized paper; Polystyrene- rubber tubes; Cake, biscuit and general food packaging

CLUTTER

Mattresses, stove-tops, ovens, fridges, freezers, etc.

To be dropped off at the Ecological Centers 

... Many thanks. I trust you! 

I love Lucca

Today I would like to talk about my town, Lucca. I love it!

Well, probably this is nothing new… it is the same for most people who love their birth place… but I really love it and I am sure I wouldn’t like living anywhere else…. 

I love it because it’s gorgeous in its simplicity. 

It’s not like Florence or Rome or Venice, where you are surrounded by such important monuments, huge works of art, that may also make you feel out of place and uncomfortable.

Here nothing is fancy.. nothing is extraordinarily important like the David of Michelangelo or The Colosseum or the Sistine Chapel… here everything is simple and beautiful at the eye, harmonious,  elegant and refined and it gives you a feel of serenity

That’s what I feel every morning when I go shopping or walk to the bank or buy the newspaper at the stand on the corner. I love my town. I have been so lucky to be born here! 

Have you ever walked on the city Walls? The promenade is our garden: mine and and of every Lucchese. I go walking or running there every day, morning or evening even if it rains!… I don’t mind it … I don’t want to miss out on it! Once, I even broke my ipod as it was raining so much that it got so wet it was ruined! But I couldn’t stop. You may think I’m  crazy, but I’m not that bad. The City Walls are a magic place.. for me, for all the lucchesi. I’ve notice that it is the same also for all my guests here on holiday: once they’ve discovered the walls they go every day...

I like travelling in Italy to discover all our small towns. Several of them are surrounded by walls... Lucca is not the only one... but none are like ours. None have such a large and long promenade and are so well kept... none are completely intact. You can walk the complete ring all the way round the town, including the bastions, the large greening areas. There is a corner - between the Giardino Botanico and the San Colombano - where you can see the ancient stone cannon balls!! That's amazing. 

You might be impressed of the fact that it is still free. It’s cool, isn't it?? A gorgeous monument from the Renaissance Age completely available for everyone any time any day!! I will keep my fingers crossed so that it stays like this forever… For now we are lucky and we can take a walk or a run or a ride on top of the walls when we like. 

Of course the Wall is only one of the numerous beauty of Lucca… but I don t want to bother you with a list of monuments to visit… what I want to transfer to you is that Lucca is beautiful not only to sightsee but also to live in.

I love Lucca as it is easy to live in.

It is small enough to be all within a walking distance.. or cycling at the most….  consider that walking from Porta Sant Anna (far west side) to Porta Elisa (far east side) take less than 30 minutes. You can forget your car! Ah ahah, I indeed often forget my car… Sometimes I don’t remember where I parked it.. and I go crazy trying to find it! Nowadays having the possibility to forget your car is a luxury! Lucca allows that! 

Not only. It’s location is so superb that you can easily enjoy the seaside, mountains or lakes.. or the art!! everything you wish is  available. 

There are beaches 20 minutes away; a breathtaking countryside 10 minutes away; the Garfagnana region 40 minutes away … I can drive to Siena and it’s countryside in less than two hours, have a good lunch somewhere set in a wonderful landscape and be back home for dinner… and more and more... I could write a book! 

I love Lucca as it is still original...

.. even though it’s  changing and you hear all the local people complaining about the increasing modernity of new stores of low quality… despite all of that, there are still plenty of small local stores and shops… it still maintains an “antique” flavor… and when I buy groceries in my small store it seems really to be “out of our time”.

Lucca allows you to forget the supermarket!!!  I go out and in just a couple of minutes I reach Via San Paolino where I find my grocery store, my vegetable store, my butcher…  and the fantastic handmade chocolate store .. ah! there is also a bakery! They are all run by local families who you can talk to about the weather and about your neighbor’s new car!! When I go to the supermarket, first of all I have to take the car and I don’t like it; then I feel the supermarket alienating … who can I talk to? Nobody … except for the girl at the checkout… also, why do they have to play such loud  music  that drives you crazy? The reason why in some places you are obliged to listen to music – which probably isn’t even your type - is a mystery.

I love Lucca, as it is still safe.

Well, everything can always happen every-day everywhere, but Lucca allows you to live feeling safe and it makes your life easier… you can sleep forgetting to lock your door.. yes I know maybe that’s too much… but it happens and most of the time nothing happens… you go to the Theatre or to the cinema at night or just to take a stroll, or to cycle with your boyfriend and you don’t have to worry about your purses and wallets.

Especially in the summer time when in the historical center there are plenty of people all around just walking or having an ice cream .. it ‘s beautiful… I feel we are very lucky for that!

I love Lucca and its quietness. 

That’s the main reason most young locals hate it!! Maybe nowadays it is really very quiet for the young people… when we were younger Lucca was much livelier. It offered a wide selection of places where you could meet people and stay all together talking, listening to music, having something to drink... oh what great memories! it was so much fun! Nowadays everything has changed. There aren’t a lot of places for young people to meet… but this means no loud music from bars until late, no clubs, no late night life… 

In Lucca you go out for dinner and usually go back home before midnight! You can have a walk on the walls (the promenade is all lit up) or you can eat an ice cream or buy a book (there is a book store open until 11pm – I love it! If you want to dance … or listen to music you have to go outside the city’s Walls.. and probably take the car to get to the Versilia area.

Do you think it is boring? Maybe, but in my personal opinion it is not! I like it! Try to be out at night time walking along the deserted streets…  it is magical. I have no words to describe it!

Maybe something is missing. But what? Museums? Theatres? Cinemas? 

I know this is not NewYork and we don’t have theMoMa nor the Guggehnaim but we have the Lu.C.Ca which is doing a great job in terms of contemporary art!

We don’t have the Uffizzi nor the Accademia with the Michelangelo but you can take the train and easily get to Florence and enjoy all the Botticelli paintings within the Uffizi any time you wish!

People say In lucca there is only one Theatre. It is true. But last year the program was sooo good!! And if you wish to go to another one  you can go to Pisa, just 20 minutes away, there are several in Florence, little over an hour away, three in the Versilia area less than 30 minutes away. 

Can I miss the Concerts in San Giovanni Church? Can I forget the Summer Festival? from this year we also have the Winter Festival!! Nothing is missing here in Lucca... 

I don’t know why people say it’s boring…

I love Lucca. 

It’s beautiful that so many people is coming eager to discover it… I hope they will not take away most of its beauty. Please take care of it while being here!