As Summer Winds Down

Stinco is a pork shank, tender and wonderful the meat falls off the bone

The calendar says that summer is almost over, though the weather has yet to provide any hints of fall. Temperatures are a little better than they were a couple of weeks ago, but still hot, humid, and sticky.  I’ve had a busy couple of weeks since my return to Lucca, including a move to a new apartment and carting more boxes than I can count to the recycle bins. Fortunately, those chores were balanced out by a couple of fun events.

First, a sagra with a group of old and new friends.  A sagra is a community event, usually held in summer or fall, a festival built around a local specialty dish.  The cooking is done by volunteers (community or church groups, lots of nonne and nonni).  Dining is outdoors at long tables, and the food usually is served cafeteria style – get your tray, go through the line, pick what you’d like.  Sometimes you buy a ticket at the start, which covers everything, and other times you pay at the end based on what dishes you’ve chosen.  Don’t forget to stop by the booth selling wine!

Over the years I’ve been to sagras that celebrate a special type of onion (the Treschietto from Bagnone), rigatoni, polenta, porcini, roasted meats, and soup.   Each one a local specialty and delicious.  Every sagra also served a variety of dishes beyond the featured one, plus wine and a dessert.  

Stinco

Last week’s sagra was in Massarosa, not far from Lucca.  The Sagra dello Stinco featured pork shank – a delicious big piece of pork so tender it nearly fell off the bone. 

There were also a couple of different pasta dishes, grilled chicken, steak, fried fish, quarti fritti (lovely, salty fried dough pieces to layer with prosciutto), bruschetta with tomatoes.  Water, beer, wine.   Desserts, a cream filled torta di nonna or a chocolate filled torta di nonno, rounded out the menu.   Taking place in a not-too-hot summer evening with music, laughter, and friends and it added up to a perfect Italian summer night.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The last weekend in August also saw the 13th edition of the Notte Bianca (White Night) in Lucca.   This is an end of summer celebration in which most of the city’s museums, along with famous towers and palazzi, are open late (with free entry). Shops stay open well past normal closing times as well. 

Early in the evening there was a creative activity for kids in Piazza San Michele.  As the night progressed, there were multiple sound stages with DJs in the large piazzas and smaller DJ stages or groups performing along many of the streets, a percussion group parading through the streets, and lots of interesting things to see and hear.

No small event - some 60,000 people participated. Perhaps not the thing for anyone who dislikes crowds and loud music, but definitely fun to experience for at least some of the evening.

One favorite was the giant keyboard, played by two people dancing across the keys, in Piazza Cittadella. 

 Another favorite – the groups of dancers in several of the squares.  Everything from tango to zumba, it was not possible to see them all. I chose to watch the salsa dancers in Piazza San Frediano.  Impossible not to move to that beat!

The final event, at midnight, was an acrobatic troupe.  Too late for me – I was home by then but still could hear the music drifting through my windows.

Notte Bianca was a great way to wind down the summer season and begin to think about fall.

Now if only fall weather would make an appearance.

A Festival of Ephemeral Art

Teams of volunteers, often groups of young people, arrived early in the morning to work on creating the “carpet” along Lucca’s walls.

The word ephemeral comes from Greek and describes an object that isn’t meant to last, something that sticks around for just a day. Ephemeral art must be enjoyed as it is created because tomorrow it will be gone.  The largest display of ephemeral art is one I wrote about earlier this summer – the Infiorata in Spello. In that case the creations, made entirely of botanicals, were for the feast of Corpus Domini and included primarily religious themes. Lasting even less than a day, the work was trampled by a procession to the church after just a few hours.

Lucca hosted a festival of Ephemeral Art, The Festival of Arte Effimere Guinness Edition 2026, this past weekend.  Lasting for just one day, it was an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the longest “carpet” of flowers.  The previous record was held by the city of Huamantla in Mexico and stretched for 3,939.5 meters. Lucca had the perfect spot for this challenge, as the historic walls around the old city stretch for just over 4200 meters.  They also had the perfect organizer, The Association of Sawdust Carpets (Associazione Tappeti di Segatura) from Camaiore.  Game on!

Starting at 6 am on Saturday, teams spread out all along the wall with two main objects. The first was to create a series of works of art using flowers as the main material but also incorporating leaves, sand, sawdust, wood shavings, even fruit and vegetables. 

The second objective was to link all the works with a continuous ribbon of tinted sand, creating the required length needed to achieve the Guinness World Record.   

The art works were specific to the Province of Lucca, reflecting local traditions, history, and events.  The artists used templates on the ground and then slowly, bit by bit, filled them in to become some of the regions most famous things : The Devil’s Bridge, Lucca’s Summer Music Festival, the Roman ruins of Massaciuccoli, the Camelia Festival, the Enolia Wine event, Bike Races, Lucca Comics and Games, the composer Puccini.  In all, 15 separate works of ephemeral art were created.

Throughout the day people walked along the walls to see the works as they took shape.  They were all quite careful not to step on the art or the ribbons of sand that connected them.  And most importantly, it was a day of sunshine and no wind.

The efforts continued until about 6 pm and then began the wait for results.  At 7pm, an official measurement was performed by a local notary and – drum roll – it measured 4,233 meters. A Guinness Record.  As for how long the record will stand, that is anyone’s guess because other cities were competing too. 

In any case, the hard work was appreciated by all who marveled at the creations.  It was a different kind of art in a city well-known for hosting unique art events.  But by the next day it began to disappear.

Even little tomatoes had a role in creating the ephemeral art (photo from internet)

An August Heat Wave

Shady spots are the place to be on a hot August day

One thing is certain – if it’s August in Italy, it’s hot! 

I usually avoid being in Italy during August for just that reason, not to mention the summer crowds.  But there are some things that can drag me back to Italy during August.  One year it was a much-delayed Permesso appointment (an unavoidable bureaucratic task to remain “legal”). This year it was the timing of a move to a new apartment, a not-so-flexible date.  And so I arrived back last week just in time for Italy’s latest heat wave. 

August in Lucca means heat and lots of visitors. Some years, August brings a festival of paper art, a nice diversion on a hot day (above, August 2021 with an art piece from the Cartasia festival in the archway). No such luck this year thought, we’ll have to wait for next year.

I’ll take my coffee cold during a heat wave

The weather is often a topic of conversation here, never more than when it is brutally hot. With temperatures hovering right around 100 degrees, the heat seems to be part of every conversation.  From a simple fa caldo or che caldo (it’s hot!) to sto morendo di caldo (I am dying of the heat), there are lots of ways to complain about the temperature.

One might exclaim that it is caldissimo (very hot, scorching) or una giornata caldissima (a really hot day)  – certainly true this week as we suffer through un’ondata di caldo (heat wave)

 Ho caldo (I am hot) is commonly heard.  But don’t make the mistake of saying sono caldo because changing the verb from avere (to have, ho caldo) to essere (to be, sono caldo) proclaims that you are a very different kind of hot, the kind not at all related to temperature!

Of course, in August it is also humid, which adds another layer of discomfort.  Humidity is l’umidità.  L’afa is the scorching, muggy combination of heat + humidity.   Today is a good example – che afa oggi!  

Sailing school in Rapallo would be a great hot weather activity, just don’t forget the sunscreen and a hat!

The are ways to work around the brutal heat.  It is best to do a few errands in the morning and then stay inside for the rest of the day.   Air conditioning is becoming much more common in Italy (despite the fear of getting sick due to a colpo d’aria, hit of cold air).  And while my old apartment had a very ineffective “pinguino” (a portable AC unit shaped a bit like a penguin), my new place has powerful AC – a definite bonus! 

Cold drinks are a lifesaver, iced tea and iced coffee seem like miracles on a hot day.  A cold cocktail in the evening is a joy too, especially in a shady piazza. And some foods, like this plate of cool cucumber and smoked salmon, make for a light and refreshing start to an August lunch. Of course, gelato is always in order.

Water – be it lake or ocean – is a wonderful antidote to a hot summer day.   The Ligurian coast will be crowded, but the water will definitely cool you off.

Levanto, just north of the Cinque Terre, and a little less crowded, is a favorite place on the Ligurian coast

A few Augusts ago, after that required permesso appointment, I escaped to Lake Como where it was at least 10 degrees cooler than Lucca.  Still hot, still humid, and still crowded but somehow the lake views and the boat rides worked to decrease the pain of l’afa.   Sipping a cosmopolitan by the lake didn’t hurt either!

My weather app tells me that we should cool off this week, and I hope that is true – even though my weather app has been known to be un bugiardo (a liar).  In the meantime, I think a little bit of melone e prosciutto will make a perfect August lunch.

Melone e proscuitto, Osteria Via San Georgio Lucca

Food as Art

A cold Aperol Spritz on an Italian Piazza is the perfect antidote to a too hot summer day. I will do this immediately when I return to Lucca this week.

It’s the second week of August and it’s hot, punishingly hot. 

Mother Nature seems to be very angry with us humans – sending not just heat but also drought and terrible fires our way in Europe, Canada, and the US.  Even an earthquake centered near Pisa last week! This has everyone seeming on edge, just a little grumpy, and ready for this summer to wind down, myself included. 

Much as I try to write, I keep getting distracted.  So this will be a very short blog post.

I am returning to Italy this week and bracing myself for not just heat, but humidity too. A double whammy of summer weather. It will be especially challenging because as soon as I get back to Lucca I will be moving to a new apartment. Moving in the August heat is a bit crazy.  Shouldn’t I be celebrating Ferragosto in the cooler mountains or on a beach somewhere?  Sounds like poor planning on my part!

Peppers from Puglia at the Bologna market.

My mind right now is half consumed with packing, double checking my flights, and closing up my New Mexico condo.  The other half is already in the new apartment, thinking about how I will decorate to make it a little cozier than its current “IKEA chic” style. No wonder I am too distracted to do much writing.

Instead, I’ve been searching through old photos, especially ones from markets, shops, farms, and restaurants.  In other words, photos of food.  I think prints of these photos will make good (and inexpensive) kitchen art in my new place.  Choosing the ones I will frame and use has been a good project this past week.

Pictured above: handmade pici at Agriturismo Cretaiole, bread from the big market in Avignon, eggs from a cooking class at Fattoria di Fubbiano.

Below: beets, asparagus & artichokes, all from spring-time markets in Lucca.

Colorful fruits, veggies, and local products are their own form of art, right? Better yet, each photo will remind me of an experience that I’ve had while living in Italy or traveling to other places in Europe.

Below: fruit from markets in Bologna, Lucca, and Rapallo

Included here are some of my favorites, soon to be found hanging as art in my new kitchen.  I hope they might provide a nice break from the summer heat for you too. 

I can almost smell the fragrance of this dish from Pietrasanta.

Traces of Ancient Rome

A little bit of Ancient Rome in Spello

Modern day Italy is built over and around the remains of ancient Rome. There are countless examples, many of which are buried well below ground. They become visible only when a construction project unearths them. Often digging, whether for a big construction project (like a new metro line in Roma) or a simple home renovation, exposes stunning mosaic floors, the outlines of ancient homes, or the base of a Roman column. Many a construction project has been delayed when ruins are discovered and the archeologists arrive.

Some of the buried traces of Roman life have been carefully excavated and are opened to visitors as museums. 

In a bit of urban drama, some Roman structures sit proudly right in the middle of a city, absorbed into every day Italian life.  Rome’s Forum and Colosseum are no doubt the most well-known examples, but there are many others.  And some remnants of the Roman era aren’t ruins at all, but intact buildings still in use today. 

This 1st century amphitheater sits right in the middle of Verona, just off Piazza Bra

In Lucca, the Roman bits are mostly hidden.  But look closely and they reveal themselves. Within the church of Santa Maria della Rosa is a segment of the Roman era city walls which form one wall of the church.  More Roman history lies under the Church of San Giovanni (including Roman baths) and under Via Cesare Battisti in the Domus Romana (Roman House).  Traces of Rome in Lucca persist in the shape of Piazza Anfiteatro and in Piazza Santa Maria Forisportam which marks the border of the old Roman city. Piazza San Michele, today the best people watching spot in town, was once the site of the ancient Roman Forum. 

The Church of Santa Maria della Rosa is the best place to see the remains of the Roman era wall that once enclosed the city

Not far from Lucca, the ruins of a Roman villa sits a short distance from the shores of Lake Massaciuccoli.  Amazingly, it is possible to wander through the completely open site!

In the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, in and around the city of Trieste, the ghosts of ancient Rome seem to be everywhere.  Most dramatic are the remnants of a Roman theater that sit right in the middle of Trieste.  A large section of the seating is intact making it easy to picture the events that took place there.

An ancient Roman theater in Trieste, right in the heart of the city

Not far from Trieste, the town of Aquileia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Once a Roman military post, the town has a large archeological area and a host of historical finds.  The Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta was built over layers of much earlier structures.  Its Medieval floor was removed to reveal Roman era mosaics underneath.  These can be seen up close from a clear walkway that sits just above the mosaic floor.  The detailed mosaics, rich in color and imagery, make up the largest Roman mosaic floor in this region.   

Verona

In Verona, a Roman arena sits just off Piazza Bra.  Not just a historic relic, today the arena hosts opera performances and other special events.  Climb the stone steps to where Romans once sat and feel the shadows of the past.

In Spello a Roman Gate to the city still stands.  The Porta Consolare, with its three arches, was the main entrance to Roman Spello. 

The three arches allowed carts and people to pass through. The attached tower was a Medieval addition. Like so many Italian cities, Spello clearly shows its evolution over various eras.

Porta Consolare, Spello

Next stop, Torino (Turin) where another Roman gate awaits.  This one, the Porta Palatina, has a segment with 3 arches at ground level topped with a tall two row high series of “windows” and flanked by two towers.  Statues of Julius and Augustus Caesar, reproductions of the original bronzes, stand just inside the gates. Ruts left by carts can still be seen approaching the gates.

Porta Palatina, Torino

One of the most fascinating examples of the late Roman / early Christian period in northern Italy is in the city of Ravenna. The Mausoleum of Galla Palicidia (another UNESCO World Heritage site) is deceptively plain on the exterior but breathtakingly beautiful inside. The building never fulfilled its original purpose - as the final resting place of Galla Palicidia, the powerful last Empress of the Roman Empire - but instead most likely functioned as a chapel. Small in size, but huge in impact, it is filled with ornate mosaics from floor to ceiling, in alcoves, around arches, on lunettes, and up to a blue and star filled ceiling. The interior is hushed and softly lit by light filtered through small alabaster windows. The mosaics reflect Christian religious themes through detailed and colorful mosaic figures, which include humans, animals, and plants. It is one of those places that require reverence.

One of the best Roman era aqueducts is the Post du Gard in France

These are just a sampling of Roman historical sites in Northern Italy.  Of course Roman artifacts can be found in modern day Rome, throughout Italy, and in nearby countries. Some outstanding examples are in England and France - which means I need to plan more travel!

I’ve skipped the most well-known relics of the ancient Romans in favor of some of the perhaps less famous in northern Italy. A whole lifetime would be needed to explore them all!