In 2012 Bagni Di Lucca held a poetry competition on the subject, (appropriately for a spa town) of healing waters. The organiser was Carla Guidi and the president of the judging panel was Valeria Catelli. I sent in two entries and found that each poem had been given a prize. Valeria’s reasons for the awards was very sensitively analysed. As is often the case, the critic reveals unsuspected details in a creator’s work.

For over ten years I have contributed, as part of the teaching staff, to the Bagni Di Lucca branch of the University of the Third Age. When Fabio Lucchesi retired as the branch’s director Valeria Catelli succeeded to the post.

Quite unexpectedly Valeria sadly died last year. In her memory a newly restored gravestone in Bagni Di Lucca’s historic protestant cemetery was dedicated to Valeria last Sunday.

The ‘cimitero inglese ‘ was looking at its best in the late summer sunshine.

The ceremony was followed by a quartet and vocal recital in the town’s library, the former Anglican church.

This was the programme:

The quartet played with passionate elan. I was particularly taken by the Boccherini piece which was intensely dark-hued.

The afternoon was, I felt, a fitting tribute to an exceptionally fine teacher, a great contributor to our town’s cultural milieu and a lady I have been very privileged to work with.