Monthly Archives: October 2017

Walk Like an Egyptian

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Several women, during those retrograde years of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries when most of them were denied a university education, let alone a degree, managed to excel in the newly founded archaeological science of Egyptology.

Amelia Edwards was one of these pioneering females. She began her career as a novelist and wrote a successful ghost story called ‘the phantom coach.’ Amelia’s trip up the Nile in 1873 changed her life. She became transfixed by ancient Egypt and its preservation and as a result co-founded the Egypt Exploration Society.

It was this society which funded Flinders Petrie who, among other finds, discovered the temple of Bastet, the cat goddess.

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Petrie, who was born in Maryon road, Charlton London SE, developed a more systematic approach to archaeological excavation with emphasis on stratification of objects found.

Among his students was Howard Carter, the discoverer of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Petrie expanded the collection started by Amelia Edwards with the help of his assistants (one of which was Fletcher who bequeathed his collection of keyboards to Fenton house, mentioned in my recent post.)

Other early women Egyptologists include Hilda, Petrie’s wife, Margaret Murray, Agatha Christie, Bertha Porter, Alessandra Bobbi, Anna Anderson Morton, Dorothy Eady, Winifred Brunton, Mary Brodrick and Janet Gourlay. It seems that Egyptology truly helped the cause of women’s equality and their right to undertake research.

The Petrie museum in London’s Bloomsbury area cannot compete with the British museum in terms of mummies but it does offer a much more intimate insight into ancient Egyptian life, including the earliest piece of clothing found anywhere in the world.

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Among the eighty thousand plus pieces in its collection are still-untranslated papyri, late Roman era mummy portraits, votive statues, pottery, and beaded jewellery.

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I especially liked the beaded dress of a dancer from over four thousand years ago and felt it would still look very good on someone today.

While there we treated by an excellent story-telling Dr. Johnston to perhaps the oldest Egyptian story to have come down to us. It’s about a sailor wrecked on a mysterious island where he meets a serpent who…..(but I won’t spoil this tale for you. You can find it, anyway, on the web).

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The Petrie museum is an excellent antidote to the vast and often crowded halls of the British museum and well worth a visit.

 

 

For further details consult the museum’s web site at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/culture/petrie-museum

 

Why Visit Dollis Hill?

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A friend from school days remarked that the picture of roses from Dollis Hill I had uploaded on Facebook yesterday were probably the only things worth looking at in that area. Certainly one doesn’t make a beeline to this part of London when landing in the metropolis.

However, for at least two persons, prime minister Gladstone and writer Mark Twain, Dollis Hill was a beautiful stretch of the city where they could find peace and relaxation in Lord Tweedmouth’s farmhouse situated in what, since 1899, is now Gladstone park. Indeed, Mark Twain wrote that he had ‘never seen seen any place that was so satisfactorily situated with its noble trees and stretch of country and everything that went to make life delightful and all within a circuit’s throw of the metropolis of the world.’

Sadly the farmhouse was left abandoned in 1989 and that is fatal for so many properties in London. Vandalism and fire (the third in 2011) took its toll and, despite strong campaigning, the property which had given solace to so many distinguished people (including Winston Churchill, who held his war cabinets there) was finally demolished, thanks to Boris Johnson’s withdrawal of funds, in 2012. What a shame! Now there is just an outline of non-original bricks to show the extent of this historical venue.

Gladstone Park, however, remains as lovely as ever. With its avenue of oaks, its wildlife woods, its duck pond, its memorial to victims of concentration camps, its pleasure garden, its children’s play area and its extensive views a visit to this otherwise unremarkable area of London is certainly worthwhile.

(Incidentally, Dollis Hill helped save the country from the tramp of jackboots, for nearby, at the Post Office research station, was built the computer used at Bletchley park to break the Nazis enigma code and help hasten the end of WWII.)

London’s Parks

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London would be inconceivable, indeed unliveable, without its parks. There must be over a thousand public parks, open spaces, wildlife centres and recreation grounds in the capital. About 47% of the city is termed as green space, excluding private gardens.

Of course, visitors to London concentrate on the eight royal parks: Hyde park, Kensington gardens, Richmond park, Bushy park, St James park, the Green park, Regent’s park and Greenwich park but there so many other parks worth visiting and each one has its own special feature.

The borough of Brent, for example, contains eighty nine parks and open spaces of which three: Fryent, Roundwood and Gladstone are historically listed and have received national awards.

The park we took our Sunday afternoon walk yesterday was not listed and is not remarkable for any special feature. That, however, did not exclude the pleasant walk we had in it, even with a freshening wind.

The park’s history is of interest. The idea of holding a great exhibition in Wembley park had already been mooted in 1902 but this involved the loss of the pleasure gardens created by railway entrepreneur Sir Edward Watkin in the 1890’s. In compensation land was bought by the council for a replacement park, opened in 1914 and called King Edward VII park in memory of the king who had died in 1910.

The park is bigger than it looks and has a good variety of trees including a ginkgo biloba or maidenhair tree, the oldest living species of tree (there are others at Bagni di Lucca’s Villa Ada and at Lucca’s botannical gardens, for instance.) There are play and keep fit areas, a disused bowling hut (which almost became London’s only Welsh school (now relocated at Feltham), fine views across to Harrow-on-the-Hill, an elegant entrance stairway and the usual scurry of grey squirrels.

It’s a pity there isn’t a memorial in the park to a king who was Elgar’s good friend. Elgar, however, did dedicate his second symphony to the king’s memory and, coincidentally, composed one of the very few works he wrote after his wife’s death, the ‘Empire March’, specially for Wembley’s Empire exhibition, finally held in 1924.

 

There are also, among others, Edward VII memorial parks in Lisbon, to commemorate the king’s visit there in 1902 and even one in Brisbane.

Riverside Haven at Ham

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There’s an aquatic motorway stretching right through London and expanding from a couple of lanes to over ten. After years of neglect it’s being put back to increasing use for once it was the main means of getting across London. I am, of course, talking about the river Thames and there was a time when people vied with each other to obtain property by this great waterway. With rough roads infested by highwaymen what better way of moving around the city than by water? There are the most magnificent mansions and palaces by the river’s side, especially to the west. Hampton court palace, Marble Hill house, Syon house, Kew palace, Osterley Park and Ham house are all by or close to the side of the Thames.

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With the coming of the railways London began to spread in a more north south direction than in an east-west one.

Furthermore, until Bazalgette’s great nineteenth century sewerage building network, living near the Thames had become a stinking and health-threatening hell.
Now attitudes have reverted to former times. The closing of the docks, the cleaning up of the river, the fact that there can be a wonderful open area in front of one’s residence which no one can build on has made a property by one of the world’s great waterways highly desirable. London’s riverbus service makes use of new and restored piers and is increasingly popular as an alternative means of travel to congested roads.

Another day of mild autumnal weather brought us to one of the metropolis’ most beautiful riverside palaces: Ham house near Richmond. Built in 1610 for King James I’s eldest and most promising son, Henry Frederick, the little palace is a noble brick building set in leafy surroundings. It reminded me a little of Charlton house near us in London, which I later realised had been built for Sir Adam Newton who was Prince Henry’s tutor.
Sadly the Prince died aged 18 of typhoid fever and the successor of James became Charles I. How differently might the course of English history have run had the more gifted Henry lived!

Ham’s most significant moment, however, came with the restoration of Charles II when Elizabeth, daughter of owner Lionel and Elizabeth Tollemache, married John Maitland, first duke of Lauderdale. She became part of a secret inner circle advising the king on policy and, by all accounts, became, unusually for the times, the first woman to wield major political influence. Even before her marriage Elizabeth had been part of the sealed knot, a resistance movement which fought against Cromwell. She even risked her own life by smuggling dispatches to the royalists.

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The following centuries witnessed the house’s ups and downs but eventually it was saved for the nation, virtually unchanged for over three hundred years, in 1950.

Like several other stately houses in the UK Ham house has featured in period dramas and films including ‘the young Victoria’ and ‘never let me go’ with Keira Knightley. So the chances are you’ve seen it before although you might have never visited it!

The interior has both public and intimate rooms. There are fine tapestries, furniture, miniatures and paintings.

The series of portraits is impressive including one of the Duchess of Lauderdale painted by Peter Lely which shows that she had beauty as well as brains.

An unusual feature is the way the first floor above the entrance hall is cut through into an elongated octagon creating a charming interior balcony.

The main staircase is especially impressive.

There is so much to linger over in Ham House and the mainly volunteer staff are keen to point out details and help you to recreate the amazing past of this beautiful London riverside palace.

The walks around Ham house are equally delightful, especially at this time of year.

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For more details do check out the National Trust website at
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ham-house-and-garden

London’s Wetlands in Sunshine

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What does one do with four London reservoirs surplus to requirements? Fill them in and build houses? Use them as a marina? Peter Scott, a great naturalist and nature painter (and son of the ill fated polar explorer Robert Scott) had the idea of turning the area into a wildfowl and wetlands nature reserve, the first urban project in Britain. And his idea won!

London’s wildfowl and wetlands centre in Barnes, patron Prince Philip, opened in 2000 and has been voted the most popular nature reserve in the UK.

What does one do if one is free on an exceptionally fine autumn day in London? Forget the museums and take to one of the amazing open spaces which this city is famous for!

We were at the centre in time for the otters’ feeding time. These intelligent and vivacious creatures, so long hunted down, are now thankfully established in every English county. It was such fun to see them playing with and chasing each other. One of the wardens gave us a great insight into these animals too.

The reserve has two main routes. The western route takes in more non-native species and some wetlands simulate such areas as the Iraqi marshes, the Ganges delta and the Congo basin. There was even a section on the Australian reserve of Kakadu. We received some excellent information on cranes (the winged variety) by a girl warden from Sri Lanka.

Hides enabled us to secretly observe bird species which can’t be found easily anywhere else in the London area: gadwall, sand martins, great crested grebes, northern shovellers and black-necked swans, for example.

The eastern circuit takes in more native species and culminates in a three storied hide which gives a fabulous view over the whole area. It truly feels like one is miles away from one of the world’s great urban centres.

We spent an idyllic afternoon here. Even if you can’t distinguish between a pigeon and a widgeon you will find so much to inspire you in the interplay of water and earth, the infinite variety and stunning patterns of the wildfowl and the astonishing quality of the light in this very special part of London.

As a lover of wildfowl and with two muscovy ducks of my own, Flip and Flop, I thought this was one of the best times I’ve spent in the ‘great wen’.

Here are a few visual memories from yesterday:

 

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London’s Other Natural History Museum

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The Grant museum of zoology and comparative anatomy, founded in 1828 by Robert Edmond Grant, the Scottish teacher of Charles Darwin and professor at London’s university college from 1827 until 1874, is an intimate alternative to the capital’s more famous natural history museum. There are no giant dinosaurs here or great blue whales. Instead, the ambience is quaintly reminiscent of old fashioned museums, such as the one we explored in Dublin on zoology.

The research, however, is state of the art. There are videos of how sniffer dogs can detect cancer in humans and an exhibition on ordinary animals and how cats and dogs can modify human behaviour and vice versa.

The collection is superb, sometimes frightening as in the skeleton of a giant anaconda and sometimes sad as with the Australian thylacine stuffed, Damien Hurst like, in formaldehyde. It’s shocking to know that this dog-like marsupial was still around as late as the 1930’s before it became extinct. How must it have felt to be the last of the species? And in our case? But I anticipate….

Ps. What a great place to hold a Halloween party. And there will be one there soon!

Harpsichord Heaven in Hampstead

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For many years we enjoyed going to concerts at Finchcocks, an eighteenth century mansion designed by Thomas Archer and set in lovely Wealden countryside. Richard and Katrina Burnett had bought and restored the mansion to house their growing collection of early keyboard instruments. The concerts there were always full of delights and the catering, too, was second to none.

Finchcocks was not only a centre for the restoration and building of such instruments as harpsichord and fortepianos; it also issued fine recordings of music played on period instruments on the amon ra label. There was, furthermore, an interesting exhibition showing London’s former pleasure gardens, such as Vauxhall which once resounded to the music of the likes of Handel.

Alas, Finchcocks as we knew it is no more. The last concert was given in 2016 and the majority of the unique collection of old intruments auctioned off. We have to reach life changing decisions at some point. We don’t get any younger!

It is such a pity. Could not have some foundation taken over Finchcocks? Let us at least delight in the fact that we were able to enjoy this very special place and conserve the happiest memories.

In warm sunshine yesterday we visited an elegant seventeenth century house in London which still keeps its collection of old keyboard instruments intact. It’s Fenton House, a National Trust property in Hampstead London which houses many beautiful things including porcelain, paintings, textiles, furniture and, above all, old keyboard instruments collected by Major George Benton Fletcher (1866-1944), a remarkable gentleman who was also a social worker in the London slums, served in two wars, was an archaeologist, a radio and tv personality in the late 1930’s and a gifted artist.

The collection includes spinets and a fabulous 1805 Broadwood fortepiano, Beethoven’s favourite instrument because it has a full and strong sound which the increasingly deaf composer was still able to hear.

This and several other keyboards added later, including a stunning 1612 Ruckers harpsichord lent by the Queen, were demonstrated to us by John Henry who gave us considerable insight into their unique sound quality. The fine sense of John Henry’s communicative skills, I should add, extends to his work of encouraging Braille music because of his own visual impairment.

What finer afternoon could we have spent in London. Blue skies abounded. Fenton House is another of the capital’s little treasures. Surrounded by fine music, an exquisite collection of fine arts, a garden still beautiful in the year’s declining days we felt we’d touched intimately what is so special about London.

For more information consult the site at https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/fenton-house-and-garden.

Here are some pictures of that memorable afternoon at Fenton House.

 

 

 

 

The Grand Duke’s Stratospheric Road

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La Foce a Giovo at 5942 feet is the highest mountain pass in Tuscany. Crossed by a largely unmetalled road it is simply breath-taking.

The pass is surrounded by some of the rockiest Apennines mountains including adjacent Monte Rondinaio (Mount Giovo, Femminamorta, Alpe Tre Potenze) all of which I have climbed at one time or another.

The road, which culminates at the Foce al Giovo, is known as the “Strada dei Duchi” or “Via Ducale”. (Ducal way). In 1818 Maria Luisa of Bourbon, Duchess of Lucca and Francis IV, Duke of Modena wanted to have a good way of crossing the Apennines, in order to have a direct connection between Modena and Lucca without having to pass the custom posts of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

The work lasted from 1819 until 1829, when it was inaugurated by the Duke and duchess, who met for the first time at Foce al Giovo.  Because the road was supposed to be used by stage coaches the gradients are not that steep. It’s just the surface that is a bit iffy.

Actually the road didn’t prove that useful as it’s snowed up from November until April so if you want to do it you should do it now – provided, of course that you’ve got a decent 4 X 4 vehicle with high wheel-base and that you don’t suffer from back problems.

The road starts from the roundabout when you turn right towards Fornaci di Barga after Fornoli. The sign says Val Fegana and Tereglio.

I did the road a couple of days ago before the great rainfall and, although the surface was pretty firm, it had deteriorated quite a bit from the last time we were there in our trusty old Cinquina, now alas a write-off a as a result of our road accident last May. I almost thought of giving up on my scooter but managed it to the top and it was really worth it! The views are transcendental on both the Tuscan and Emilian side and the colours are virtually psychedelic. As a picture is worth a thousand words let them speak instead:

 

This road will always remain a high spot in my life in more ways than one. I’m glad to have experienced it so many times and it ever is close to my heart. Who needs go anywhere else in the world if one has this majestic spectacle just round the corner?

 

CLUSTER’S Contemporary Music Festival

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CLUSTER MUSIC FESTIVAL

From 7th to 19th November CLUSTER, Lucca’s Contemporary Music Association, starts its ninth year of activity with a novelty: the CLUSTER Music Festival. These are twelve days dedicated to new CDs, book presentations and the Cluster Music Festival. The Festival includes meetings with composers, concerts, as well as scientific discoveries on brainwaves and their beneficial effects on humans reacting to sound waves: all organized in the name of contemporary music with free entrance, thanks to the contribution of the Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lucca.

PRESENTATION OF NEW CD BY ANTONELLO CRESTI

On Tuesday, November 7, at 6 pm, at Luccalibri literary café, at Cluster Music Festival’s review there’s a presentation of Solchi sperimentali, the movie, a double DVD by Antonello Cresti, introduced by Renzo Cresti

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC COLLECTION BY EMA VINCI RECORDS

On Wednesday, November 8th, at 6 pm at Luccalibri Literary Café, the EMA Vinci Records’ contemporary music collection will be presented by Anita Azzi and Renzo Cresti.

KUKU TRIO’S THE NEW RECORDING PROJECT

On Thursday, November 9th, at 6 pm, at the Fondazione Banca del Monte Auditorium in Lucca, the KUKU Trio from Florence will present their new “kuku” project (‘pulse’ in Hawaiian) combining the artistic researches of Martino Rappelli (guitar), Sara Montagni (voice, flute and sensors) and Tommaso Rosati (live electronics). Experimentation and hybridization of different musical languages ​​characterize the trio’s production: a series of jazz-inspired compositions in which exploration of timbre and the search for a personal language interplays with ‘mathematical’ rhythms and frozen static sound. Synthetic, acoustic and concrete sounds stand out. The Trio is the winner of the “Julia … jazz and not only” competition 2013, “Giovanni Finizii” award for the best unpublished 2013 songwriter, finalist at the “Jazz Live Prize” Fara music festival 2013.

ILARIA BALDACCINI PERFORMS AT THE SCUOLA FUORICENTRO

On Friday, November 10th, at 7.30 pm at the Scuola Fuoricentro, Ilaria Baldaccini presents her new CD containing piano music by Tuscan composers and performing some pieces on the CD. The concert is organized in collaboration with the Scuola Fuoricentro.

MEETING WITH ALESSANDRO SOLBIATI

On Saturday November 11th, at 3 pm, in the Oratorio di S. Giuseppe (Duomo di Lucca) there’s the first Cluster Music Festival event with the well-known Italian composer Alessandro Solbiati. The afternoon’s programme is as follows:

At 3 pm there’s a meeting with the composer who will talk about his music, advise young composers on the path of a new composition from its conception to its public performance etc.

At 5 pm Renzo Cresti will interview Alessandro Solbiati;

At 5.30 pm Alfonso Alberti will perform Sedici Interludi  for piano by Alessandro Solbiati.

Alessandro Solbiati is a professor of composition at Milan’s G. Verdi Conservatory. He has also held courses in Paris (Conservatoire National Superiore de Musique), Avignon (Centre Acanthes), San Marino and Milan (Civic School).

He has won numerous awards in national and international competitions and received commissions from institutions such as Teatro alla Scala in Milan, RAI, Bologna Municipal Theatre, Radio France, Mozarteum in Salzburg, Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, South Bank Centre London and others.

Alfonso Alberti is a much sought-after pianist in Europe and the United States. He has studied with P. Rattalino and R. Risaliti and has been taught by M. Damerini, R. Tureck, F. Scala, and O. Marshev. Noteworthy is Alfonso Alberti’s commitment to the popularity and promotion of last century’s music, with a repertoire ranging from historical avant-garde to younger composers. Alfonso Alberti is also a musicologist.

THE ENSEMBLE MOTO CONTRARIO IN THE ORIGIN OF S. GIUSEPPE

Sunday, November 12, at 5 pm, at the Oratorio di S. Giuseppe (Duomo di Lucca) there’s a concert by the Moto Contrario Ensemble consisting of Emanuele Dalmaso, sax; Riccardo Terrin, trumpet; Andrea Mattevi, viola; Marco Longo, piano; Cosimo Colazzo, piano and direction.

The afternoon music program includes pieces from Cluster members Alessandro Polito and Antonio Agostini, as well as pieces by K. Penderecki, C. Colazzo, F. Quintero, G. Scelsi and M. Longo.

RENZO CRESTI PRESENTS THE SECOND EDITION OF THE BOOK “REASONS AND FEARS”

On Wednesday, November 15th at 6 pm, at Luccalibri literary coffee, Renzo Cresti presents the second edition of his book “Ragioni e sentimenti”.

LUIGI ESPOSITO PRESENTS THE HER NEW CD “DIECI PLACES MALSANI”.

On Thursday, November 16, at 5 pm, at the Auditorium BML Foundation, Luigi Esposito presents his new CD titled  “Dieci Luoghi Malsani , visione d’ascolto ideata per l’VIII cerchio dell’Inferno di Dante detto Malebolgee.” It’s a piece for piano four-hands, recorded and electronic sounds. Renzo Cresti introduces.

TRIO FOR FLUTE, VIOLIN AND GUITAR

On Thursday, November 16, at 7 pm, at the Auditorium of the BML Foundation there’s a concert by a trio consisting of Stefano Agostini (flute) Miriam Sadun (violin), Silvano Mazzoni (guitar). The programme includes pieces by Cluster members Andrea Gerratana and Saverio Rapezzi, as well as compositions by Willy Burkhard, Massimo Buffetti, Laurent Boutros and René Espere

THE ETYMOS ENSEMBLE IN THE BML FOUNDATION AUDITORIUM

On Friday, November 17th, at 5 pm, there’s a concert by the Etymos Ensemble, in residence of at Cluster and formed by Francesco Gatti (flute, Toni Capula (clarinet), Diego Desole (percussion), Alberto Gatti (electronics).

“BIRTH – MUSIC – PSYCHOSOMATICS” WITH NITAMO MONTECUCCO

On Saturday, November 18th, at 9 pm, Dr. Nitamo Montecucco will hold a meeting on the theme of “Brain – Music – Psychosomatics” at the BML Foundation Auditorium.

During the evening, slides and a short video on the brain will be shown about the latest neuroscience research by Nobel Edelman on consciousness as a synchronous frequency network. The harmonic images of EEG brain waves will also be shown and how the rupture of this harmony is related to discomfort and psychosomatic illness. It will explain the research of famous US neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp on emotions and how music can awaken and “cure the heart” or instead cause depression and “close the heart” by altering hormonal balance and generating stress disorder and stress psychosomatic illnesses. Finally, Montecucco’s research on important music actions on neurotransmitters and on emotions that will improve health and well-being will be explained.

At the end, a brief demonstration of how some music frequencies can facilitate inner awareness, reduce stress and “open the heart” will be offered.

Dr. Federico Nitamo Montecucco is a physician specializing in psychosomatics and a neuroscience researcher with a lectureship at the Natural Medicine University of Milan, at the WHO Collaborating Centre. He is a professor of psychosomatics at the Complementary Medicine department of Pavia and Novara University. He is a lecturer at Siena’s Counselling and Relational University. Dr Montecucco has published numerous books and scientific research papers.

THE “BALUARDO” VOCAL GROUP CLOSES THE FESTIVAL

On Sunday November 19th, at 9 pm, the Cluster Music Festival concludes in the Church of S. Maria Corteorlandini with the performance of the “Il Baluardo” Lucca vocal group directed by Elio Antichi with Manuel Del Ghingaro on the keyboard.

The evening’s programme will alternate popular songs from the choir’s repertoire with new compositions by Cluster members Francesco Cipriano and Silvia Marchetti.

The concert is organized in collaboration with the “Il Baluardo” vocal group.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Fabulous Circular Trip from Bagni di Lucca to Pescia and Back

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Today much needed rain has returned. The cities of northern Italy have been affected by atmospheric inversion causing dangerous levels of smog and people have been advised to close all windows and stay indoors as far as possible. We are lucky here in Longoio where, at a height of 1745 feet, the air is so pure.  However, we also have suffered some effects such as fewer mushrooms in the woods and, when found, showing signs of lack of water through their cracked surfaces. There is doom talk of Italy’s impending ‘desertification’ but climate analysis has to be on a long-term basis and there have certainly been some wet summers during my time here too!

While the sun was shining this week I visited the ‘Svizzera Pesciatina’. This is the valley which opens to the north of Pescia, the next big town east of Lucca, famous for its flower fair and its paper-making tradition. The valley is ‘Swiss’ only in so far as it reflects the landscape of Switzerland’s Jura Mountains. There are no alpine peaks though there are some splendid views and magnificent high, rolling hills.

Instead of going through Marlia to reach this enchanting valley, famous for its ten ‘Castelli’ (former castles now transformed into villages), I took my favourite route via Lucchio and across the Croce a Veglia pass, (3172 feet high). Much of this route is often rough unmetalled road and should only be attempted by 4 X 4 high wheel-base vehicles or trail bikes. I attempted it on my scooter which has large wheels. I certainly would not have tried it if it had just rained!

I passed by Lucchio and its castle.

The route then took me to Zato, a ‘frazione’ or hamlet belonging to Lucchio. There was no one around here but, instead, evidence of farm produce sale. The place seemed quite Marie- Celestian.

The road now became rough but I reached the top where one must put a stone on the tomb of an unknown ‘uomo morto’ (dead man) for good luck:

There is a cross and a sweet little chapel. The views on both sides of the ridge are quite splendid.

The road eventually became metalled and I stopped at Pontito, famous for being the birthplace of an Italian who became an officer of the East India Company Bengal garrison besides being probably the best translator of Milton into Italian. (If you want to know more about this remarkable character see my post at

https://longoio.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/lazzaro-papi-colonel-of-the-bengal-lancers/ ).

Papi is well-remembered by its inhabitants. The village fans down from the church at the tip in triangular fashion and is full of quaint corners.

All ten castles are worth visiting but they can’t all be given justice in a day for each one is filled with so many interesting sights.

From Pontito you can either go down the right side of the valley or take the left. It’s a difficult choice to make for both areas are equally beautiful. I took the right fork because I wanted to take in Castelvecchio’s astonishing Romanesque pieve (parish church) which is adorned with strange primeval carvings more reminiscent of pre –Christian cults.

I still haven’t managed to get into this church but at least I know who to phone up to make an appointment.

Pescia is full of good things and I’ve described a few of them at https://longoio2.wordpress.com/2016/12/12/tuscanys-own-switzerland/ 

And at:

https://longoio2.wordpress.com/2015/05/05/strawberries-at-montecarlo-and-mediaeval-times-in-pescia/

 

 

The town is also host to a very good Lidl store so I loaded up with some goodies before heading towards Lucca.

Here again I didn’t choose the standard route via Marlia but picked instead a second valley starting from Collodi and taking in the villages of Colognora and Benabbio. One traverses the passo Del Trebbio (2411 feet) which divides the comune of Villa Basilica from that of Bagni di Lucca, our own home territory. (I’ve described this part of the world in another circular trip, this time do-able in any saloon car at:

https://longoio2.wordpress.com/2015/01/22/visiting-in-the-rain/  )

Finally I returned to Bagni di Lucca:

Yes, the journey took a little bit longer than if I had gone straight to Pescia down the Viale Europa but it was far more interesting and completed a circular tour of extraordinary richness both in nature, art and architecture.