Two Parts Italy

If you come to Italy during the month of February, be prepared for some excitement. February is the month of Carnevale - the big post-Christmas season event that brings fun and celebration in anticipation of the more restrained period of the 40 days of Lent which precede Easter.

Picture processions, costumes, fantastic masks, balls, parties, sweets and lots and lots of confetti.

The character of the celebrations may vary, from the elegance of Venice, to the satire of Viareggio, and the many celebrations in large and small towns throughout Italy. Fun and a chance to cut loose prior to Lent are the common denominators.

Lucca, where I live, is just about 30 minutes from the seaside town of Viareggio. Viareggio plays host to Italy’s 2nd largest Carnevale event (just behind Venice’s) on successive weekends throughout most of February.

Paper-mâché floats are the centerpieces of the Corso Mascherato (masked route) procession which takes place along Viareggio’s seaside promenade. Some of the floats are huge, requiring a whole team to propel them forward and move their various extremities - nothing is mechanized, it’s all human powered.

Others are smaller, but all are works of art created by a carrista, a master craftsman / artisan / maker of floats. Their creations make comments, allegorical and satirical, on society, politics, culture, and a host of modern-day issues. Over the course of the month half a million plus visitors will come to Viareggio to enjoy the procession.

For the first several years that I lived in Lucca there was barely a hint of Carnevale here. A few children’s parties, some glitter and confetti, but not much else. With Viareggio just a short train ride away, none of the action came our way.

That changed in 2023 with the advent of Lucca in Maschera, a collaboration between the cities of Lucca and Viareggio to bring some of the Carnevale magic here to Lucca.

This year the festivities began on February 4th with a parade of masked groups, some 400 people strong, and some of the smaller floats / figures from Viareggio, along Lucca’s historic walls. And that was just the beginning. This year I watched the excitement of the parade from afar, as I was still in New Mexico visiting family. A big thanks to Lucca resident Sandra Liliana Pucci for the parade photos below.

Several large installations remain on display in the piazzas throughout town. I was delighted that they were still in place when I returned to Lucca last week. Walking through town to discover the various works was a great welcome home for me!

Paper-mâché Rolling Stones tower over Piazza Napoleone in memory of their concert here several years ago. A huge tiger sits under the loggia in Piazza San Michele.

This Shaman made its way from the parade on the walls to Piazza Anfiteatro. Thanks to M.A. Fisher for this photo

The whale from the Pinocchio tale fills the space in front of the tourist information center in Piazzale Verdi and huge Shamans work some magic in Piazza Anfiteatro.

Throughout February a host of other Carnevale activities are taking place. Events in Lucca include children’s celebrations, a masked ball, the return of a historic masquerade in Piazza San Francesco (an event that has been missing for several years), musical performances, and lots of good Carnevale sweets in the pastry shops.

I won’t make it to Viareggio this year, much less to Venice, but I am enjoying the Carnevale events in Lucca. Even the leftover confetti on the streets make me smile.

Happy New Year !

When a new year rolls around I always find myself reflecting on Januarys past and toasting to Januarys yet to come. That is especially true this year as I begin my 6th year of having a home in Italy and 8th year of writing Two Parts Italy. Time really does fly!

On January 1st of 2017 Two Parts Italy posted for the first time. I was fairly newly retired and headed to Italy to celebrate the new year with my friend (and then co-author) Judy. We wrote that first post from a lovely vacation apartment in Lucca. Writing remains my best ever (non-paying) job, a true passion project, and gives me a great excuse to keep traveling. Today, I spend most of the year in Lucca - something I didn’t even dare dream of in 2017.

January of 2018 was the start of my first full year of living in Italy. There was so much involved in that move. First, selling my home in New Mexico and finding an apartment in Lucca. Next, a visa and navigating the process of obtaining a permesso di soggiorno. Settling into an apartment was part of the fun, but boy those 38 steep steps proved to be brutal! Still, there was something magical at having arrived during the holiday season. Lucca was beautiful. Cold, but beautiful.

January 2020 in Rome. There was no a hint of what the year would bring.

January 2020 brought a move to a new, smaller apartment in Lucca, this time on the ground floor. It is where I still live today. That January was also a time of blissful ignorance as there was no hint that a worldwide pandemic would soon up end our lives. A few days in Rome would be my last travel for quite a while. Covid hit Italy especially hard that year. It was not easy to live with the restrictions or with the worry. And yet, I found more things to love about Italy during that time. Above all, the community spirit, along with the Italian belief that it would all be ok, was inspiring.

Restrictions and mask wearing were still routine in Italy in January of 2021. But the arrival of vaccines brought both hope and, by spring, a loosening of restrictions. By summer it was even possible to travel again, but those were complicated travel times. Remember pre-flight covid testing, vaccine cards, green passes, and a general feeling of angst around crowded airports and flights ? Not to mention the months when Americans could not enter Italy. My permesso meant I could continue to stay in Lucca.

In January of 2022 I wrote that my goal for the new year was to begin to travel again. Not a resolution, but a plan. That year brought trips to the US and several small excursions within Italy.

Better yet, in spring and summer, I had visits from several fully vaccinated friends. My daughter and 2 oldest grandchildren (also fully vaccinated) came to Italy for two weeks of fun along the Ligurian coast that summer. We still wore masks in crowds and on trains, but life was returning to normal (or at least to the new normal). Fall brought more friends and an October week at Agriturismo Cretaiole in the Val d’Orcia, one of my very favorite places in Tuscany.

Galleries Lafayette, Paris. December 2022

A trip to Paris in December of 2022 was a wonderful way to wrap up the year. Travel goals met!

Docked in Cologne on a Viking River Cruise. March, 2023

January of 2023 brought new travel goals. Big ones! In the spring, I joined friends on a river cruise along the Rhine. It felt pretty daring, and a bit risky post-covid, to go on a cruise. But I love the Viking river cruises and it had been a very long time since my last one. Balancing risk with benefit became, and remains, a component of both travel and every day life. Full disclosure – it was a wonderful cruise and all reasonable health precautions were taken on board. And yet, I came home with my first ever bout of Covid. Luckily up-to-date vaccines meant a relatively mild case and thankfully none of my traveling companions got sick.

To be honest, travel has not returned to pre-covid ease. Between delays, cancellations, strikes, and missing luggage, travel is more stressful than ever. And, contrary to popular belief, not all Italian trains run on time, something that became obvious in August when raced to make train connections returning from some time at Lake Como! And yet, for me, the urge to travel outweighs any of the negatives.

So, here we are in January of 2024. I am seeing in the new year from New Mexico, where my kids and grandkids live. I will return to Lucca in a few weeks but most curiously, I find myself with no firm travel plans for this year. How could that be?

I have a lot of ideas running through my brain including vague plans for a Brenta Canal day cruise in spring. It’s been a long time since I visited Rome and I am itching to return. There are many parts of Italy left for me to explore. The south of France sounds appealing and I daydream about the fabulous market in Uzes. I’ve never been to Ireland and half of my family roots are there. I want to see my friend who lives an hour from London - Covid has kept us apart for far too long. What ever shall I choose?

Having a base in Italy makes travel within Europe and the British Isles affordable, a real advantage. I think I better get serious about travel planning for this year. I hope you are also ready to start planning 2024 travels. Where are you hoping to go? I hope these photos might inspire you!

Blue skies to welcome 2024 in New Mexico

Wishing a happy, healthy, and well traveled 2024 to all.

Carnevale Lucca Style

Welcome to 2024