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!

Music, markets and marathon among the Lucca streets

Yesterday May 1st started with a nice sunny day here in Lucca, I hope that you enjoyed it with a stroll on the walls, a meal outside or an ice cream in a lively square of the city.

A new weekend is getting close, even if, since Easter it has been quite confusing to remember what day is it. 

Have you been told that Lucca is the city of Music? Here we go:

On Saturday at 21.15 in the St. Martin's Cathedral, there will be a free concert: the choir coming from the Anglican Church of St Georg in Paris. Its repertoire goes from Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, Dvorak, Stravinsky, Lennox-Berkeley a Palestrina, Victoria, Byrd, Tallis, Lassus. The choir's director is Peter Hicks, Simon Lawford will play the organ and the solo parts will be of Lucie Louvrier. 

This is the second event of a very important festival for the city called Sagra Musicale Lucchese, this is the 51st edition and it involves the most beautiful churches in and outside Lucca.

More free music on Saturday night at 21.15 will be in Santa Maria's Corteorlandini church, the unique baroque church in town. The Santa Felicita group will perform the traditional holy music concert with a tribute to Giacomo Puccini. 

Another genre of music, jazz will be the protagonist the next following days. On the walls, at the San Regolo's bulwark on Saturday will open the photo exhibition "Do your remember Chet? Chet Baker in Lucca" 

Did you know that this great trumpet player was imprisoned here? Exactly in that jail that you can see walking on the walls. 

The exhibition opening times: from May 4th to 9th in the afternoon 16-20. Free entrance. 

Ladies: 3 markets for you!! 

The weekly local market on Saturday morning (9-13) in Via dei Bacchettoni, then:

still on May 3rd for the entire day, the area of Piazza San Martino - Piazza San Giovanni - Piazza Del Giglio - Piazza XX Settembre will be full of clothes, shoes, kitchenware, sweets, plants and flowers and a little bit of everything.
It is the market, the fair for The May Cross. It is as you can imagine, a religious occasion celebrated almost everywhere in Italy to remember the finding of Jesus's cross. Elena, Costantino's wife, found it on the Calvary mountain. (Mass will be at 9, 10.30 and 19 in the Cathedral) 

It is a very ancient tradition, do not confuse it with the Holy Face (Volto Santo) feast, which is in September and it is just a Lucchese event. 



You can continue your shopping in San Paolino district (Via di Poggio, Piazza dei Cocomeri, Piazza Cittadella) at the Arts & Talent market, (Sat&Sun 9-20). It is a small market but they have sometimes some interesting objects with a medieval taste. 

Sunday morning, instead will be the first time for the Lucca Half Marathon! Go and support the runners! The itinerary will be mainly inside the city: the start will be at Porta Elisa, then Piazza Santa Maria, Fillungo, outside the walls and then back to arrive at Porta San Gervasio. There are about 1.200 runners!! 

Again you can attend a Golf Competition this weekend outside the walls. There will be two croquet lawns close to the San Donato's Bulwark where international players will compete. 

I think that if the sun will shine a day trip to Viareggio can be fun, it is only 30 mins by train from Lucca. From the railway station you can easily walk to the Passeggiata, the long promenade along the seaside full of shops, liberty buildings and beach clubs. 

This time of the year the beach is getting ready with umbrellas and sun beds, the view on the Apuan Alps will be beautiful. 

You can stop at the pier where all the luxurious yachts and sail boats are parked to enjoy some Italian fish&chips at La Barchina.

You will probably have to queue a little bit because it is delicious and very well known! 

Then if you will reach almost the end of the Passeggiata at the Principe di Piemonte hotel conference room you can enjoy a craft beer at the festival: Il senso della Birra  

Finally, if you have already planned your weekend away from Lucca and you will head towards Florence, do not miss the Gelato Festival at the Palazzo dei Congressi gardens, just opposite Santa Maria Novella train station. Admire the ice cream masters and their delightful creations! Yummy!! :)

File that under something you can't get enough of it: Carnival in Viareggio, part 2

I haven't gone there for ages and then in 2014 twice in a row, what's the matter? 

This time, a very tempting invitation by a friend, Serena Giovannoni of WishVersilia. She is a true and authentic Viareggina and she has organized the photo challenge "Snap the Carnival" and events for bloggers and igers, photographers to make the Carnival more "social".

Luckily, it was again a lovely sunny Sunday, we started with a good burst of energy for lunch at the beach club and resort La perla del Tirreno

Then, three shots of cannon to announce the beginning of the floats parade, so quickly a coffee and we reached the middle of everything, the centre of the universe: Piazza Mazzini. It is where the floats reach the highest point of beauty and fun. Here is the jury box, the judges have to vote to award the best float. So everything has to be more than perfect, every step, movement and dance.

We had a great point to take pictures, we were on a stage together with journalists, tv and radio broadcaster. I had just my Iphone5 with me but these are some of my shots... Let me know your comments and at the end I will tell you the Winner! ;)

Up up up get on board! 

Before and after... A revolution of LOVE!

Faces:

Such a well known face...

and more...

Carnival Faces 

Hysteria or Italy?

Head down...

Head up! 

How many monuments can you recognize?

...and finally here it slowly comes between the palaces... The Winner! 

A huge metallic spider titled "The Net/Web" by Alessandro Avanzini with a mouse head, it represents the Internet voracity and dangers, these are the main themes of the float. 

And that's it for this edition. Bye bye Carnival... See you again next year! Hope you will join the party with us! 

After many years, a return: Carnival in Viareggio

I don’t remember when it was the last time I went to the Carnival in Viareggio. Let’s say that it was a thing that I did not miss so much. 

When I was a child, my mum and my grandfather used to take me there every year and I have a lot of great memories and pictures, apart those where I was dressed as a Sardinian man (the folk, typical costume from the region of Sardinia, where my mum comes from), not even the female version, but the male one!

So you can imagine how it was disappointing! Nobody had a clue of what my dress meant and even if I was asked about it, nobody still could not really understand. All these kids dressed as superheroes, animals, fairies and princesses… and me? A proud Sardinian!

That's me! :)

Anyway, I had a great time especially when I grew up and that dress did not fit me anymore! ;) So I became a space woman, a clown and I enjoyed it so much!

Last Sunday, after many years, thanks to a lovely sunny day I decided to go back to the Carnival and what a surprise!

I did not have a costume this time, even if the atmosphere is so funny and happy, that you feel very tempted to put on a silly fluo wig on your head and start to dance following the parade.

The Carnival in Viareggio has a very long tradition for more information, I suggest you to read here Carnival Viareggio website

You have probably heard about the Venice Carnival, ok, that’s beautiful as well and worth to see, but if you are looking for something more fun and local, Viareggio is the right place! A must!

The most special thing about it is the floats parade. The float is made mainly in papier mache (water, glue, chalk and paper). There is a competition so there are 3 categories, they are incredibly huge works of art. They can reach up to 20 meters and they parade along the seaside for about 3kms, there are people on them dancing and singing!

Guess who is the main character of this float?

They are designed, projected and realized by what we call the Mastro Carraio (the float master). Each float needs almost a year to be prepared. Usually they are inspired by the present time: politicians, celebrities, actual issues as the war, the racism, the environment etc… represented in a satirical and irreverent way. That’s maybe one of the reason why foreigners, tourists do not enjoy it so much, because sometimes you do not get the message, as you do not know that Italian politician or artist.

However, I am sure you will be amazed by these pictures and you will want to know more about it…and you can be satisfied coming to Carnival next time, going to the museum and citadel to see and touch where these floats are made. 

Revolution  by Cinquini brothers.

The dreams catcher by Franco Malfatti

Children of a Lesser God "Somebody to Love" by Roberto Vannucci

A tank full of... Happiness by Breschi Massimo

The dreams stealer by Politi S. and Borri P.

I am pretty sure, you can recognize him very well...

Does he look like as a well known Italian premier, doesn't he?

Anyway, he is just a detail of my favourite one: The drowned peninsula by Bonetti brothers. 

So which one is your favourite?

You can find more pictures: 

Follow the Carnival on Facebook

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And search on Instagram #carnevaleviareggio14 #carrocarnevale #maschera #viareggio 

Ps: If you come to Lucca in August, you might have a chance to see the floats parade as they organize a Summer Carnival, please ask for more information to Debora or Paola.