Lucca's spot

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Which is your favourite season...in music?


I am not talking about the weather, neither about the typical pizza, but about music!



On Saturday starting at 18.30 an itinerant show on the walls will take place: dance, music, circus and theatre. The audience is invited to be part of the event together with the artists on this beautiful natural environment

Spring to begin at the Baluardo di San Colombano: the Frog Ballet company will represent the second part of the Spring Festival by Igor Stravinskij.

Summer the multicultural Magma Cirkus will follow and lead you to the second stop on the Baluardo di San Regolo...  

and it will become Autumn moving towards the Botanical Garden, a place for meditation. Alessandro Bertolucci and his actors group will introduce this season reading some sonnets and poems. 

At the entrance of the Botanical Garden you can listen to the Violin Concert from the Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi. 

Then the last one: Winter. Still inside the Garden there will be a sort of freezing... the show is based on the Jon Fosse's theatrical text.




Get a gelato or an icy granita and browse at the Antique Market (Cathedral Sqaure, San Giovanni square, San Giusto squarre, Via del Battistero and Via del Gallo, Bernardini square) on Saturday and Sunday (9-19), there are more then 200 vendors... I am sure you will enjoy it! 



The Lucca Summer Festival this year will offer something new: cinema in Piazza Napoleone. On Saturday night you can watch the movie Jimi is all by my side, the biography of Jimi Hendrix enacted by Andre3000. The film will be in English with subtitles. Ticket 8€ or reduced 5€ if you have purchased another ticket of the festival. 

Then I know that it is completely sold out but Sunday night, the amazing Stevie Wonder will perform. It is his only concert in Italy and the city of Lucca is very proud to have him. I bet that any corner of the surrounding streets will be full of people. 

Buon Weekend! 














Saturday, July 12, 2014

San Paolino celebrations: the patron Saint of Lucca

Each town tiny village in Italy has its own patron saint and when it comes to celebrate him or her a Holy Mass is not enough, so that's what will happen in Lucca for San Paolino days.




First of all, let me introduce you San Paolino. According to the tradition he was the first bishop of the city, we do not know much about his life. Perhaps he was sent to Lucca by Saint Peter to christianize the population during roman times. He died around the I century a.C.

Anyway, the devotion towards him started later on in the Middle Ages. In 1261 the San Giorgio church was destroyed to build the second ring of walls and some relics came to light.

On July 12, 1664 the miracle happened: lot of people were on the walls to celebrate the saint waiting for the cannon shot. Something went wrong, the cannon was supposed to be loaded with blanks, instead it actually fired a spray of gunfire in the direction of some people that was there to attend the event.
Luckily or miraculously San Paolino's intervention saved them, nobody was injured!

This episode is represented on a painting by Gian Domenico Lombardi that you can admire in San Paolino's church. It is also an interesting document of the walls and of the society of the 18th century.


So Saturday 12, all day long on the San Donato bastion on the walls (west side of the city) there will be artillery shots, historical costumes and games.

At 17.30 in front of the San Paolino church a prize will be given to the best Torta co' Becchi, which is a typical cake, go there maybe you will get a bite and be part of the jury!

At 18.30 the Archbishop will celebrate the Holy Mass and during the cerimony the Mayor will offer the big candle to protect the city of Lucca and its inhabitants.

Tonight at 21.30 do not miss the main event: The Crossbow Tournament in the Cathedral Square (San Martino) to win the Palio, a silk banner.
The competition still follows the 1443 rules, the city is divided in 3 teams according to the districts:
San Paolino
San Martino
San Salvatore

On Sunday be back on the walls on San Frediano platform to attend the artillery, historical parades, dances, flags and more...




Saturday, July 5, 2014

Breathe the past times: roman and medieval event in Lucca and around


I would be happier if I could tell you "Let's meet tonight in the square to see the football match!" 

Instead, Italy is out and to be honest with you we deserve it. Anyway, I still like to follow the World Cup now that is getting close to final game.



Here are the schedules and channels if you like it to watch in your comfortable LuccaHolidayHomes with a glass of Prosecco, otherwise there are plenty of bars in town which they have wide screen outside i.e Pult in Via Fillungo, Bar Zero in Via San Paolino, Rewine in Via Calderia, most of the bars in the Anfiteatro square.


Argentina - Belgium Saturday 05 at 18.00 on Sky Italia (this match is on pay tv, so you will have to see it at the bar) 


Netherlands - CostaRica Saturday 05 at 22.00 on RaiSport 1 (channel 57 of your house tv)

Then on Tuesday 8 July: Brazil -Germany at 22.00 on RaiSport1 (channel 57 of your house tv)



Ladies, do not panic the summer sales will start today, so you can shop till you drop in Via Fillungo or wherever you will go in Florence or Pisa... some good bargains are waiting for you!



Then again on Thursday (July 10) it will be shopping night in Lucca so the stores will be opened even after dinner till midnight!



An idea if you have a car this weekend (Saturday and Sunday) is to go to a great event in Versilia, so that you can spend the day in Viareggio at the beach or just walking on the promenade or on the pier and then later on you can move a little but further up on the hill, towards Massaciuccoli, for an amazing Roman festival.





In this village there is an interesting archaeological site where you can see the remains of a roman villa and of the thermal baths. For the event you will be in a real roman village with the military camp, barbarians, gladiators. You will eat roman food based on the Apicio recipes', you can have your roman make up done, you can dress as roman or learn to fight...then music, dances and markets and much more...




The festival starts at 17.00 till midnight. Ticket 7€

Have a look at the website to see last year edition. I am sure you will be impressed!


If you decide anyway to stay local or to give you our best welcome on Sunday even in Lucca there's something to make you breathe the medieval times: The National Crossbow Tournament.





At 16.30 the event will start with an historical parade: drummers, soldiers, dancers, archery, flag wavers, traditional costumes will leave from the east side of the city (via del Bastardo) and will cross Via Fillungo, Piazza Bernardini, Via della Trombe to end in Piazzale Arrigoni (behind the San Martino cathedral, on the walls side)



At 17.00 the tournament will begin. 15 players for each city team: San Marino, Massa Marittima and Lucca will compete for the Silver Cup. Then the three best players of each team will do another competition to gain the title of Crossbow King






Off course, I can not forget music and concerts:


  • on Saturday night at 21.00 in the basement of the walls at San Regolo bulwark, the students of Boccherini school will perform.
  • on Monday night, second appointment with the Lucca Summer Festival offers An Evening of Guitars in Piazza Napoleone 
  • on Thursday night you have two options: still in Piazza Napoleone you can dance with The Prodigy or you can relax with a Piano Recital at the enchanting Oratorio degli Angeli Custodi
  • then on Friday at the Botanical Garden, there is a special event, you pay only 3€ ticket and you can join the guided tour at 18.30 and then be back at 21.00 for the concert Arts under the tree - Italian and Southamerican Music. 


Finally, I would like to dedicate this funny video to all our American guests as yesterday they celebrated the 4th of July!