Category Archives: Chiffenti

The Saffron Flower

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The road from Bagni di Lucca known as the Brennero and proceeding south towards Lucca has been closed in the stretch between Chifenti and Borgo a Mozzano for some months now because of a landslide. Work is proceeding to repair this important route but it’s doubtful whether it will reopen before the end of April. The current way to Lucca is via the bridge at Calavorno which has been banned to hgvs (otherwise it would have been near to collapse!) These have now to detour even further north up the Serchio valley via the bridge at Pian di Coreglia.

I avoid both bridges and stick to my favourite route which takes me though the mountain village of Corsagna. I love this road with its expansive views over the surrounding snow-covered appenines.

Heading towards Bagni di Lucca from Corsagna yesterday I came across this delightful patch of crocuses near an old paper mill.

These flowers, harbingers of Spring, go back a long way. They are mentioned in the Bible’s Song of Songs and in ancient Greece they were scattered in wedding beds. In ancient Rome it was customary to decorate the tombs with this flower as a wish for a peaceful afterlife.

There are various legends surrounding the crocus. In one of these Croco was a young man in love with the shepherdess Smilliace who was transformed into a crocus by Venus. In another legend the crocus flower sprouted when Paris gave his judgment on the most beautiful of the goddesses.

The crocus is famous for producing the world’s most expensive spice, saffron. It must be an incredibly labour intensive work to produce just an ounce of the spice. A couple from a village near us, Guzzano, set out to grow crocuses for saffron but someone the project never materialized.

A warning. Don’t eat a freshly picked crocus since it is very poisonous! There are so many beautiful flowers and plants in nature that, like enticing dryads, bring one closer to that easeful end which all must face one day. In the meanwhile let us enjoy these wonderful spectacles the Earth presents to us…

Fish Friday at Chifenti

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It’s quite difficult to decide what place offers the best ice creams in and around Bagni di Lucca. Each one of us clearly has their favourite one.

We particular enjoyed the gelato at Rudy Bar on the Brennero road just before the turn-off for Benabbio. We would often combine this visit with a meal at the bar’s restaurant next door called L’Osteria Del Buongustaio and a check-up of our car with Boldi’s motor workshop nearby.

I have described the Osteria Del Buongustaio in my post at:

https://longoio.wordpress.com/2014/01/22/still-no-borghesi-but-all-is-not-lost/

It was therefore a bit of a disappointment when we found Rudy Bar and the Osteria Del Buongustaio closed down when we finally managed to return to Bagni di Lucca this year.

Some friends meanwhile praised the meal they’d had at a bar and trattoria next to Jo-Jo, Chifenti’s ex-disco and the youthful haunt of our family doctor Vito who used to be a bouncer there while his wife sold the entry tickets.

Much to our pleasant surprise we discovered that the Osteria Del Buongustaio has been reborn here and, indeed, has been running for almost two years. For some time the family had managed both places in parallel but this began to prove too much and so the original location in Via del Brennero was closed down.

Anyway our lunch was very much to our satisfaction. As it was Fish Friday I chose spaghetti alle vongole (cockles).

This was followed by a branzino (sea bass).

The contorno (veg) was simple enough, tomatoes, carrots and onions and chips which fortunately (unlike another place we dined at) were prepared in house and not from a frozen supermarket bag!

My wife chose ravioli

followed by a leg of chicken.

We could not resist the ice cream which remains as good as we ever remember it.

It was a nice, modest but very satisfying meal all for the price of ten euros each (plus the ices). We even had enough left over to fill in a doggy bag kindly packed for us by the owners:

No booking is necessary and one can choose to eat either in the interior area or in a covered conservatory- like extension which was beautifully decorated with a variety of flowers including orchids.

Incidentally there are traditional differences between ‘ristorante’,’ trattoria’ and ‘osteria’. Although by no means clear-cut ‘ristorante’ is at the top of the list for formality, variety of menu and price-range. A trattoria is more casual than a restaurant. One doesn’t really have dress up for one and often the trattoria offers more local dishes and specialities than a ristorante. The osteria, which translates into English as ‘tavern,’ is supposed to be the humblest of the three in terms of price and décor though this is by no means a strict rule. Our ‘osteria del Buongustaio,’ for example, provided meals as good as any that can be found in Bagni di Lucca’s ristoranti and trattorie.

Bridging a much-needed gap

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In Italy bridges have assumed a tragic import since the collapse of part of Genoa’s Morandi Bridge in which over forty persons lost their lives. Italy, however, is the genesis of modern bridge building. The country abounds with some of the most ancient structures in the world. Roman bridges still stand after two thousand years and our mountains have timeless ancient packhorse bridges.

As for technological innovation I’ve already mentioned the amazing suspension bridge near Mammiano in my recent post at https://longoio3.com/2018/09/12/suspense-in-val-di-lima/ . An older suspension bridge is the stupendously elegant Ponte delle Catene bridging the Lima and two comuni, Bagni di Lucca at Fornoli and Borgo a Mozzano at Chiffenti.

Designed by Lorenzo Nottolini and inspired by his journey to England where he studied the structure of London’s Hammersmith Bridge (by William Tierney Clark, reconstructed by Joseph Bazalgette)

600px-Hammersmith_Bridge_1,_London,_UK_-_April_2012

and Bristol’s Clifton suspension bridge (Isambard Kingdom Brunel)

330px-Clifton.bridge.arp.750pix

the Ponte delle Catene was built in the 1840’s. Each side of the bridge is prefaced by imposing Roman-like triumphal arches and also has a terrace which serves as a centre for social gatherings.

On Saturday 15th of September two important events took place at this bridge.

First was the inauguration of a defibrillator on the Chiffenti side of the bridge. (It’s now becoming  increasingly difficult to perish of a cardiac arrest in our area. You may remember my post on the defibrillator inaugurated at San Cassiano thanks to the efforts of Paul Anthony Davies at https://longoio2.wordpress.com/2016/10/16/living-more-safely-at-san-cassiano/)

Second was the inauguration of explanatory signage describing the history and importance of the bridge. These are located on each side of the bridge: at Chiffenti:

And at Fornoli:

After the inauguration and the speeches of the mayors and all those concerned with the two new features of the bridge there was the customary spread.

It was a beautiful day weather-wise, for Nottolini’s masterpiece and for our health welfare. Well done all those concerned. Where there’s a will there certainly is a way and one across a bridge that will stand for at least another few hundred years!