Monthly Archives: December 2018

Bagni di Lucca’s Traditional Christmas Concert

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The traditional Bagni di Lucca Christmas concert, held in the former Anglican Church, was an unqualified success.

Here is the announcement poster of the concert with the cast of presenters and singers:

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This was the programme:

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All the singers were good but I have to single out Nicola Simone Mugnaini for special praise. We know him from the time we were guests with Andrea Colombini and the Lucca Symphony orchestra on one of the most memorable musical occasions in our lives – the journey to Vienna to perform at the golden Musikverein, which I write about in my post at:

https://longoio2.wordpress.com/2014/12/22/lucca-conquers-vienna-with-music/

Anyway, for those unlucky enough to have been unable to attend the Bagni di Lucca concert here are some excerpts from that evening:

The first half contained the more serious stuff.

(Bianca Barsanti sings ‘Il sogno di Doretta’ from Puccini’s ‘La Rondine’)

(Nicola Simone Mugnaini sings ‘Vesti la Giubba’ from Leoncavallo’s ‘I Pagliacci’)

(Bianca Barsanti with the Queen of the Night’s aria from Mozart’s ‘Magic Flute’)

The second half contained some very lively operetta items.

Pacelli and Bocci sing Carlo Lombardo’s ‘Spesso a cuori e Picche’ from his operetta ‘Madama di Tebe’)

(Bianca Barsanti sings mechanical doll Olimpia’s aria from Offenbach’s ‘Tales of Hoffman)

(Mugnaini sings Leoncavallo’s celebrated ‘Mattinata’)

(Mugnaini with the romanza from Lehar’s ‘The land of smiles)

 

(Barsanti and Mugnaini sing ‘Tace il labbro’ from Lehar’s ‘Merry Widow)

(Pacelli and Bocci sing a duet from ‘Cin Ci La’)

‘Cin Ci La’ was composed by Carlo Lombardi with libretto by Virgilio Ranzato, first performed in Milan in December 1925 scoring a great success which it has retained  (with Italian audiences) ever since.

Carols followed:

 

The brilliant Menicagli piano added to the evening with its special sonorities.

Four hundred Euros were collected for the restoration of the historic protestant cemetery of Bagni di Lucca. (See one of my posts on this cemetery at

John Gibson and the Protestant Cemetery

The evening concluded with the characteristic Christmas Brindisi with a glass of prosecco and a piece of panettone.

The festive season has truly begun and as we returned home we found the lights of Bagni di Lucca Villa had finally been installed and switched on.

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As ever, we have to thank the indefatigable Marcello Cherubini, founder and president of the Fondazione De Montaigne for enabling Bagni di Lucca to enjoy another of its truly high quality evenings of great entertainment.

Pian di Gioviano’s Wonderful Mechanical Crib

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Italian ‘presepi’, or nativity cribs, may be of three main types.

First, are the various displays of nativity scenes laid out as an exhibition or as an itinerary. In our ‘Valle dei presepi’ there are two especially beautiful examples.

There are the highly creative and inventive ones at Pieve Fosciana, in the upper Serchio valley, which I’ve described at:

https://longoio3.com/2018/01/09/pieve-fosciana-the-land-of-presepi-christmas-cribs/

There’s also the Montefegatesi crib itinerary which I visited last week and which I described at:

https://longoio3.com/2018/12/10/christnas-cribs-here-there-and-everywhere/

Second, are the ‘presepi viventi’  (living cribs) where people re-enact the nativity scene with traditional arts and crafts surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ,  and the arrival of the Three Wise Men.

I’ve described this type of presepe’ in various posts, the latest of which is at:

https://longoio3.com/2018/12/03/a-living-christmas-in-the-appenines/

https://longoio3.com/2018/01/10/living-cribs-at-a-home/

We have taken part in one of the best at Equi Terme several times. To see us dressed up as Roman governors, Wise men etc. do read the posts at:

https://longoio2.wordpress.com/2015/09/25/of-cribs-and-choirs/

https://longoio.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/midsummer-nights-nighmare/

Third, are those nativity scenes which particularly intrigue me: large-scale mechanical cribs where the figurines move and there are waterfalls, mill wheels turning, saws cutting and olive picking.

I first saw this kind of nativity scene as a small child at the church of san Camillo in Milan. (San Camillo is, incidentally, a fine example of fin-de-siècle eclectic gothicky architecture. I’ve described it at https://longoio2.wordpress.com/2015/09/04/milans-san-camillo/  )

A very fine example of a mechanical Christmas crib is near us at the start of the road that leads to Gioviano at Pian di Gioviano in the comune of Borgo a Mozzano. It is among the most beautiful in the whole province of Lucca and has its origin twenty five years ago, the brain-wave of a couple engaged to be married. Sadly, Manuela Motroni lost her life in 1999 in a traffic accident and the creation of the crib is also a way of remembering her who died so sadly young.

 

Manuela’s brother Manuel with Angelo Cipriani and other volunteers have continued to re-create the crib every year. As you’ll see from my video below a lot of love and time has gone into making this delightful nativity scene. It’s also interesting to note that many of the movements are propelled by water power.

Trust you’ll enjoy my video of this enchanting nativity scene!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Joyful Angels Sing Among the Mountains

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I’m dedicating an additional post specially to the ‘Joyful Angels’ gospel choir concert at Montefegatesi. I mentioned them in my post on the delightful Christmas crib itinerary that, last Sunday, the Montefegatesians put on for the delectation of visitors to their very distinctive village. To read that post just click on https://longoio3.com/2018/12/10/christnas-cribs-here-there-and-everywhere/

The beautifully refurbished Montefegatesi village hall, restored to its original function as a theatre complete with proscenium arch, was inaugurated by the’ Joyful Angels’.

 

The choir’s director, Andrea Salvoni, a hugely talented and multi-faceted person and a great friend to have, apologised for the fact that the choir was at half strength. He need not have worried; in fact, the acoustics of the charming little theatre were absolutely suited to the reduced size of the choir present.

I took the opportunity to record a few extracts from their performance. I think you will agree they are a very special choir indeed and are lucky to have Andrea as their conductor.

The Joyful Angels choir facebook page is at

https://www.facebook.com/larcobaleno.assculturale

If you love Gospel music and singing why not join them?

 

 

Living One’s Christmas

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One December day has followed another with ever more gloriously blue skies. However, we are now due for a change with night temperatures down to minus 4 and the real possibility of snow during the day.  So let’s stock up our larder with all the Christmas goodies that are coming our way including panforte, panettone, and loads of chocolate. Let us also remember to buy something more to donate to those in need (both of the two-legged and four-legged variety.)

Fornoli square  has the right idea:

 

And Tuodi has too.

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There will, no doubt, be other collection points:

Also at Tuodi (which is on the way from Fornoli to Fornaci di Barga) there are ecologically minded discounts on food which are near their sell-by date. It’s crazy to think that in many instances over half the food on sale in supermarkets eventually finds its way to land-fill sites!

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Don’t forget these two unmissable events.

The first is the traditional Bagni di Lucca Christmas Concert at the library (former Anglican Church) which is this 13th December. There are still a few places left (booking is essential) and there will be an entrance donation of euros five which will go to the restoration of the Bagni di Lucca protestant cemetery.

 

 

The second is yet another living crib. This time it’s at Ghivizzano. I can vouch for the excellence of this Christmas nativity!

 

 

Hope you’ve got your Christmas together. Ours is getting there thanks to Carlotta…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Cribs Here, There and Everywhere

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Montefegatesi is a stunning village built around a massive rock which once had a castle on its summit but is now crowned by a monument to Italy’s, and one of the world’s, supreme poets, Dante; for it is said that Dante was inspired by the view towards the ‘orrido di Botri’ canyon to write his description of the gates leading to the ‘Inferno’ of his ‘Divine Comedy’.

Because of its relative remoteness to all the other villages in our comune of Bagni di Lucca (which, incidentally, is the largest mountain comune in Italy) Montefegatesi has retained a remarkable sense of local solidarity and community. Indeed, in the words of one of my Facebook readers ‘the people there have always been known for their grit and solidarity.’

One aspect of this cohesion is the great effort the village puts together to present a Christmas crib itinerary through their streets. Every household (the total population is under 200 inhabitants) creates a Christmas crib using their own resources and imagination and the results are charming and often surprising.

I took the Christmas crib journey through Montefegatesi yesterday and here is a small selection of the cribs made by the Montefegatesians together with some views of this very special place.

In the evening there was a concert given in the newly refurbished village theatre, the fabulous ‘Joyful Angels’ gospel choir under the inimitable direction of Maestro and friend Andrea Salvoni. This is what a really together village can achieve in our part of the world…..

Well done to the people of Montefegatesi. I just wish other villages in our comune could show something of the same sense of coming together and forming a true community.

 

How to Spend this Sunday in Val di Lima

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Advent started on December 2nd. Christmas decorations have gone up in Fornoli and Ponte di Serraglio but not yet in Bagni Villa (!).

Yesterday, the traditional Christmas market at Fornoli took place. It’s always on the 8th of December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. (The Immaculate Conception refers, incidentally, not to the virgin birth of Jesus but to the free-from-original-sin birth of the Virgin Mary).

The Fornoli market extended all the way from the Nottolini Ponte delle Catene to the main road to Barga and it was very well attended. Fortunately, the day was beautifully sunny.

Today, Sunday, 9th December there are three big local events not to be missed:

  • The living Christmas crib at Anchiano (definately not to be missed).

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  • The Christmas nativity scenes itinerary (with a hundred separate cribs) at Montefegatesi. It starts at 11 am and there’s the ‘Joyful angels’ gospel choir concert at 5.30 PM

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  • The concert at the convent of Saint Francis at Borgo a Mozzano at 5.30 PM given by the Jubilum Jazz choir conducted by Piero Gaddi who is also their piano accompanist and music arranger.

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It’s a pity that both concerts are at the same time. I wonder which one I’ll attend.

So much happening now…. If you haven’t received a Christmas card by terrestrial snail mail from me so sorry! But this year I’m only sending them, slightly scrooge-like, to those who have already sent me one. So if you want to receive a card from me do send me one first. Thank you!

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(This year’s Christmas tree in Rome’s Piazza Venezia – from which gorgeous city I have recently returned  – looking less ‘spelacchiato’ than last year’s effort.)

 

The Day of the Immaculate Conception (Italian National Holiday)

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Magníficat ánima mea Dóminum,

et exsultávit spíritus meus
in Deo salvatóre meo,
quia respéxit humilitátem ancíllæ suæ,
ecce enim ex hoc beátam me dicent
omnes generatiónes.

Quia fecit mihi magna, qui potens est:
et sanctum nomen eius,
et misericórdia eius a progénie in progénies
timéntibus eum.

Fecit poténtiam in bráchio suo,
dispérsit supérbos mente cordis sui;
depósuit poténtes de sede,
et exaltávit húmiles,
esuriéntes implévit bonis,
et dívites dimísit inánes.

Suscépit Ísrael púerum suum,
recordátus misericórdiæ suæ,
sicut locútus est ad patres nostros,
Àbraham et sémini eius in sǽcula.

Glória Patri et Fílio
et Spirítui Sancto.
Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc et semper,
et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.

***

L’anima mia magnifica il Signore
e il mio spirito esulta in Dio, mio salvatore,

perché ha guardato l’umiltà della sua serva.
D’ora in poi tutte le generazioni
mi chiameranno beata.

Grandi cose ha fatto in me l’Onnipotente
e santo é il suo nome:

di generazione in generazione la sua misericordia
si stende su quelli che lo temono.

Ha spiegato la potenza del suo braccio,
ha disperso i superbi nei pensieri del loro cuore;

ha rovesciato i potenti dai troni,
ha innalzato gli umili;

ha ricolmato di beni gli affamati,
ha rimandato i ricchi a mani vuote.

Ha soccorso Israele, suo servo,
ricordandosi della sua misericordia,

come aveva promesso ai nostri padri,
ad Abramo e alla sua discendenza, per sempre.

Gloria al Padre e al Figlio
e allo Spirito Santo.
Come era nel principio, e ora e sempre
nei secoli dei secoli. Amen.

***

My soul doth magnify the Lord.

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

For he hath regarded : the lowliness of his handmaiden: For behold, from henceforth : all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath magnified me: and holy is his Name.

And his mercy is on them that fear him: throughout all generations.

He hath shewed strength with his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He hath put down the mighty from their seat: and hath exalted the humble and meek.

He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel :

As he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. Amen.

 

How to Enjoy an Italian Train Journey in Britain

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Last month we took a train to London from a station on the network run by the c2c rail company.  c2c provides services from London to parts of Essex along the London, Tilbury and Southend railway and is the sole operator of the line.

We were returning from an event in the county of Essex which adjoins Greater London and which, in the UK referendum of June 23rd 2016, voted without exception to leave in every one of its electoral districts. Indeed, Thurrock and Castle Point had one of the country’s biggest percentage of ‘Leave’ voters with 72%.

(Essexians at the time of the 2016 referendum)

Essex also happens to contain one of the UK’s most deprived areas, Jaywick, which is receiving EU funds as part of a project to improve the quality of life of its inhabitants. (See http://ec.europa.eu/competition/consultations/2012_regional_stateaid/uk_tendring_district_council_annex2_en.pdf ).

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(A street in Jaywick, part of the Essex Riviera)

My wife was pleasantly surprised to note this writing on the train we were boarding. It was almost like being at Bagni di Lucca station (apart from the weather)!

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In fact, Trenitalia c2c Limited,  also manages 25 stations of the 28 stations it calls at.

The history of denationalization on this part of the UK railway network had been fraught since British rail’s privatisation in 1996. It was first purchased by Prism rail and ran under the name LTS. It was then rebranded as c2c (a name whose precise meaning no-one can agree on). In 2000 c2c was bought by National Express which also runs bus companies (!) National Express did not prove to be an ideal company to run the railway network and sold it to the Italian Trenitalia last year (2017).

In case you didn’t know, ‘Trenitalia’ is the primary train operator in Italy. It’s a subsidiary of ‘Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane’, which is owned by the Italian government and was established in 2000. So, in all senses of the word, the Southend lines in one of the most brexitian counties of the UK (should Essex not be rebranded Bressexit?) is run by a part of Italy’s still nationally-owned railways. Clearly those brexitians’ fares on these lines are helping to subsidise the Italian railway network! No wonder Italian train fares can be so cheap when compared to the UK’s!

I wonder if these Essexians are going to get their railways as well as their country back if brexit goes through?

Trenitalia is now bidding for the West Coast Partnership. Hopefully, that network, a disgrace to the UK, will improve under Trenitalia management.

Incidentally, the Italian railway system is one of the most important parts of the infrastructure of Italy, with a total length of 15,054 miles of track (compare that with Britain’s 9,824 miles of railway track). The Italian network has recently grown with the construction of  new high speed railways (‘Le Freccie’). Italy now has 974 miles of high speed track compared to Britain’s 71 miles of high speed track.

As for electrified track, compare Italy’s 7,407 miles with the UK’s 3,062 miles.

That’s quite apart from the fact that one can actually afford to use trains in Italy as distinct from so many journeys in the UK when (for example) it’s clear that taking a bus from Stansted airport to London is so much cheaper than going there by rail.

Incidentally these are the figures for comparison and using second-class tickets purchased at the station at the time of departure:

FROM – TO DISTANCE IN MILES TICKET COST IN STERLING COST PER MILE
Pisa airport to Bagni di Lucca 24 £7.47 30p
Stansted airport to Liverpool St, London 29 £17.00 60p

Meanwhile in Bressexit, I recall a conversation in which one person asked another ‘how did you vote in the referendum?’ The answer was, predictably, ‘leave’ but the man added ‘I did it for my children.’ Just wonder what the children will say one day?

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I won’t conclude with a Bressexit joke here but I’ll give a twist on a familiar one

““How many Brexiteers does it take to change a lightbulb? Whoa, whoa, whoa. I didn’t say there was a lightbulb.”

 

 

 

A Living Christmas in the Appenines

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The ‘presepe vivente’ or living nativity scene (or living crib) is a Christian tradition representing, with real people and animals, the birth of Jesus in a setting recalling the story of the nativity.

The first ever living nativity scene was set up by Saint Francis of Assisi, in the village of Greccio, near Rieti, in 1223.

Francis wanted to recall Christ’s birth during a trip to Palestine. When in the autumn of 1223 he went to Rome to see Pope Honorius III, he asked the Holy Father for permission to make a living crib which the Pope gave to him.  Francis returned to the village of Greccio near Rieti as it reminded him of Bethlehem and said to his friend, Giovanni Velita: “I want to celebrate Christmas Eve here. Let’s choose a cave, build a manger and there lead a cow and a donkey, and try make it as far as possible like the stable in Bethlehem. This is my wish, because I want to envisage, at least once in my lifetime, with my own eyes, the birth of the Divine Infant “.

Since then, the tradition has spread to the rest of Italy and other Christian countries. Today, living nativity scenes are organized almost throughout the Western Christian world, not only in Catholic countries, but also by members of other Churches. This year, for example and appropriately since it’s Europe’s City of Culture, Hull is re-enacting a living Christmas nativity the details of which may be found at https://www.visithull.org/whatson/events/live-nativity/

However, it’s in Italy that the tradition is strongest as it was born here. Moreover, the traditional stone villages of the Appennines lend themselves naturally to a characteristic nativity setting without having recourse to any ‘stagey’ settings.

In our part of the world the villages of Granaiola, Pieve di Monti di Villa and Monti di Villa have been organising, in turn, a truly wonderful living Christmas crib. This year it was Monti di Villa’s turn and, in my opinion, this arc-shaped village striding the ridge that separates the Val di Lima from the Val Fegana lends itself quite wonderfully.

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Organizing the living nativity scenes is the responsibility of the village and the characters are, for the most part, its actual inhabitants.  Although historically not set in AD 0 the occasion is a prime opportunity to show ancient crafts of the place which are sadly in the process of disappearing or have disappeared altogether.

It’s wonderful to see the old crafts which made these villages virtually self-sufficient: the carpenters, the iron-workers, the washerwomen, the knife-grinders, the bakers, the village school, the spinners, the sock-darners, the cobblers, the chestnut roasters… Truly, this way of life as re-enacted in the meticulously re-created scenes would be one of the few to survive in a major energy crisis on our planet. (Place mouse over pictures to learn more).

Wood-turning with a lathe
Embroidery
Persimmons
Detention
Rosary making
Sausage maker
Santa Claus (guess who?)
Catch the nut – children’s game
Roasting chestnuts
The loom
Knife grinder
Pizzaiolo
This takes the biscuit
How to catch eels
Strolling mistrels
Pecorino cheese maker
Looking out from the village
Wine pressing
Tigellario
A village shrine

All the implements have been taken out of old village sheds, the clothes hang as family heirlooms: one man wore his great-grandfather’s herring-bone coat and even his cap, for example.

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The itinerary, very well documented, through the charming village stops at various refreshment points where vin brulee, necci (chestnut pancakes), pizza, grilled meat, biscuits, doughnuts, hot chocolate and cotton candy are produced.

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I particularly enjoyed my tigella which is a flat, round-shaped bread peculiar to the  Apennines (especially the region around Modena)  and baked inside a specially formed lidded saucepan called a tigelliera which is held over a flame – I suppose the nearest one could get to the UK are crumpets.

Tigellario

If you want to have a go at making tigelle there’s an excellent recipe for making tigelle at

https://www.silviocicchi.com/pizzachef/le-tigelle-ricetta-e-preparazione/?lang=en

I had mine with biroldo (Tuscan blood sausage) but ricotta or the omnipresent Nutella is equally appropriate.

Throughout the afternoon the sky was overcast, it was cold and in the evening a drizzle set which, fortunately did not spoil the nativity itself.

The ‘presepe vivente’ truly brings one closer to the essential spirit of Christmas than any opulent displays in  West End stores. It’s miles away from the ghastly commercialisation of this important Christian festival and fully enters into its heart besides giving all those who visit it a great lesson into something of what life what was like in times which the older inhabitants of our valleys can still recollect.

Wine pressing

PS If you missed the presepe vivente at Monti di Villa there’s still a chance to visit many others in our part of the world.  For example at Montefegatesi

and at Anchiano

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How to Enjoy this Sunday at Bagni di Lucca

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Don’t miss out on these two great events this Sunday, 2nd December

There’s the ‘presepe vivente’ (living nativity) at Monti di Villa. It’s going to be a day full of events with free admission, refreshments and a food and wine itinerary. There will also be a free shuttle service starting at 12 am (start time of the party) at La Cova in Ponte a Serraglio. There’s parking across the footbridge at Villa Fiori. The actual Nativity is at 5 pm. In case of rain the event will be postponed until the following Sunday. This is unfortunately a real possibility as we have a yellow alert for thunderstorms from 5 pm this Sunday.

If it rains then all is not lost. You can practise your Italian comprehension at the start of Bagni di Lucca’s theatre season on Sunday evening at the town’s Teatro Accademico at 9 PM.   The play “Alle 5 da me” by Pierre Chesnot (born 1935  and made famous by the comédie des Champs Elysées) is directed by Stefano Artissunch, and actors are Gaia De Laurentis and Ugo Dighero.

If you didn’t know this play I can tell you it’s a hilarious comedy that tells of the disastrous sentimental encounters between a man and a woman. It’s going to be a real show-stopper full of witty and intelligent dialogue.

For info phone 0583/867715 – 335 5821084