Late November in Lucca

It’s hard to believe that November is nearly over, but a blast of very cold air this past week served as a reminder that winter is on its way.  After such a mild October and early November, many of us were scrambling to dig out our sweaters, hats, warm scarves, and gloves.  No complaints though – the colder temps are appropriate for late November and help to set the mood for the upcoming holidays.

Soon these fall gourds will be replaced with Christmas decor

 Here in Italy the 4th Thursday of November is just another workday.  But most of the Americans, residents and visitors alike, plan some type of celebration to mark Thanksgiving. Though the celebrations will have an Italian twist.  After all, how many of us here have ovens big enough to roast a turkey?  Or dining rooms that will hold a large group for a formal dinner?   Certainly not me with my miniscule kitchen, small fridge, and my tiny oven that is just barely more than the Easy Bake I had as a kid.  Still, we will gather with friends in small groups in homes or larger groups in restaurants to give thanks.  And we will catch up with other friends throughout the week.  In a new twist for me, this year I will share a fully catered meal with a few friends. It will seem strange to not be making my mother’s turkey dressing or preparing dishes to take to a big potluck dinner.  But my “usual” Lucca Thanksgiving group has scattered, some to new cities, some back to the US, some to travel adventures. And so it is time for something new.   My one nod to my usual American tradition will be baking my sister Patty’s Apple-Cranberry pie.  Luckily the local fruit and vegetable market managed to get some fresh cranberries just in time this year!

And of course there are lots of reasons to be thankful. My family, friends who come to visit (some of whom are wise enough to visit in November and December), some friends living here who’ve faced health issues this year but are now on the mend, the everyday joys of being in Italy, the gift of travel this past year, Lucca’s always vibrant culture, and the many blog readers who have reached out this year, come to visit, or written the emails that make my day. I appreciate you all!

One great thing about late November in Lucca is the special events that take place. The most unusual was a flash mob organized for the filming of a TV ad for next year’s Sanremo Music Festival.  The musicians were from the Boccherini Institute, a local music academy.  The singers were lovely as they added their voices to the orchestra playing a well-known song, Piazza Grande, made famous by Lucio Dalla and a past winner of the Sanremo competition.  (video on Instagram at two_parts_italy).  

Another event, Il Desco, took place this past weekend.  An annual celebration of foods from the Garfagnana, it is always a fun event.  The stalls are great places to buy the season’s new extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground chestnut flour, dried beans, and grains.  Bring a big shopping bag, because there are also artisanal breads, local honey, many different cheeses, and lots of meat products (think salami, guanciale, sausages, lardo).  Packaged gift trays too!

 The longest line at Il Desco was the one I look forward to the most – the line to order necci  – those warm and fragrant chestnut crepes filled with a variety of fillings (make mine fresh ricotta and honey please). 

Definitely worth the wait!

 Late November also brings the start of the Christmas season in Italy. With no Thanksgiving to delay its start, Christmas begins to sneak in just after Halloween. Over the past week we’ve watched as lights and decorations were hung high above the streets in the historic center of town and as big, bright, and colorful installations were placed in the piazzas. There were some fabulous holiday shop windows unveiled too and the start of the Christmas Market.  (More photos of Christmas in Lucca next week)

The weekend’s big event was the lighting of the huge Christmas tree in Piazza San Michele.  Quite a big crowd turned out, despite the chilly weather, for a glimpse of the tree lighting. There is a short video clip posted on Instagram (two_parts_italy).  A nice glass of red wine in a cozy bar did just the trick to warm us up afterwards.

A crowd gathered to watch the ceremonial lighting of the Christmas tree

I wish you all I wonderful Thanksgiving no matter where you may find yourself this week. 

Buona Festa di Ringraziamento!

Fall Color Along The Danube

The Wachau Valley runs for 18 miles along the Danube River as it winds its way through Austria.  The entire stretch is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it Is easy to see why – it has an abundance of riches in its history, amazing landscapes, colorful small villages, and castles. 

Spitz, Austria

 There is no better way to see the Wachau Valley than from the river, gliding slowly along and enjoying the sights as you pass by (perhaps with a glass of wine in hand and the company of good friends). And there is no better time of year to see it than during fall, when the changing leaves turn the landscape to gold.

I spent an afternoon sailing through the valley during the peak of fall color in late October.  The afternoon was part of a week-long Viking Danube River cruise, sailing west along the Danube from Budapest, Hungary towards Passau, Germany, with much of the week spent in Austria.  The entire cruise was wonderful; I will be writing more about the various places on the itinerary in the weeks ahead.  But in terms of scenery, the Wachau Valley was the highlight of the trip.

The Hinterhaus Castle ruins above the town of Spitz surrounded by glorious fall color

The Wachau Valley lies between the town of Melk to the west and Krems to the east (though my cruise went in the opposite direction, upriver, going from Krems west toward Melk).  The stretch is flanked by two famous Medieval abbeys – Göttweig Abbey,  founded in 1083, in the east (below, left) and Melk Abbey founded in 1089 (below, right) to the west.  Both sit high up on bluffs and act as “bookends” to the stretch of the Danube through the Wachau Valley.

Between the two abbeys lie wooded areas, agricultural lands, and terraced vineyards where primarily Grüner Veltliner grapes are grown. Dotted throughout the landscape are a series of storybook villages, small cottages, castles, and monasteries..

 There are also churches in a variety of forms – some with tall bell towers, some with steep red roofs, others with colorful exteriors, such as the abbey at Dürnstein with its blue and white bell tower.

 Higher up on bluffs sit castle ruins, including this one above the town of Dürnstein. Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned in the castle the 12th century.

The ruins of Dürnstein Castle, on the bluff above town, where King Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned

The Wachau Nose

Not everything is Medieval in the region – one very modern piece of art found along this stretch of the Danube is a giant sculpted nose. 

The Wachau Nose is a landmark which suggests the importance of the sense of smell in wine tasting. 

According to the literature provided by Viking, the model for the nose was the son of the mayor of the town of Rossatz-Arnsdorf, the city where the nose can be found.

The wonders of this valley can be appreciated at any time of year.  But fall brings a unique view, as the trees and vines change from green to gold and fiery orange, adding a special bit of magic to the landscape.

Steampunk 2025

It’s been one week since the end of Lucca’s big Comics event and we are all breathing a sigh of relief at having survived the crowds and chaos.  Soon the tents will all be down (that takes a bit of time) and the city will have a period of quiet before the Christmas season begins.  Though here in Lucca, Christmas decorations are already showing up in window displays and shops.

But first, I will wrap up Comics with some photos from my favorite event, the Steampunk parade.  Actually, 3 days of Steampunk parades, each with a different theme but all with the hallmarks of Steampunk Style – Victorian elegance meets Industrial Revolution mechanical chic.  That means lots of fancy dresses and hoop skirts for the ladies, top hats and vests for the men.  The basic dress is then paired with goggles, gears, jet packs, brass arm braces, flying machines, interesting weapons, and telescopes.  

The Steampunk Italia group, which always has a big presence at Lucca Comics, goes all out in terms of costumes. It has to be the most photographed event of Comics, and for good reason. The creativity, self-expression, and cost (in terms of time and money) in creating these outfits is over the top.  Each day’s parade began in front of the San Michele church where participants posed for photos before beginning their procession through town. 

The theme for day one was Flotti Aeree, Air Fleets, with a mostly white and tan color scheme.  Every form of early industrial age flight was included.  Costumes included a variety of wings – feathered ones, canvas ones, and mechanical ones (steam powered of course). 

There were hot air balloons, propellers, flight helmets, goggles, and altimeters.

 Day two’s theme was Opere d’ Arte Viventi (Living Works of Art).  For this parade, the color of the day was mostly black and there were many picture frames added to costumes with the usual Steampunk sense of style.  Several well-known artists were represented along with many creative works of art. 

 The third and final day’s theme was a tribute to the world of Jules Verne. That world includes undersea and lunar exploration, travel, mad scientists, and flight. Some of the participants had entirely different costumes for this parade.

Look closely - can you spot Diana, one of Lucca’s own Steampunk enthusiasts, in three different costumes? Imagine the chaos in the dressing rooms after 3 days of different outfits!

Steampunk is the ultimate in cosplay events during the festival.  A big thanks to the Steampunk Italia troupe for all of their efforts to make this a fantastic event!

Lucca Comics and Games 2025

After a couple of weeks away from Lucca, I arrived back just in time for the 2025 edition of Lucca Comics and Games (Comics for short). The event is massive – Lucca’s narrow medieval streets, and every piazza, are packed full of people.  It is a little hard to imagine what 100,000 people look like when shoehorned into a small medieval city.  Trust me, it is wall to wall crowds. The thought of hurrying to get anywhere is laughable.  Going with the flow is the only choice. While I do grumble (often and loudly) about the crowds, somehow I find myself darting through them to take photographs. 

 This year’s theme was French Kiss, a nod to the influence of France in art, pop culture, and comics. The organizers further described the theme as Liberty, Creativity, and Diversity. All three of those values were on display, especially in the fantastic costumes.  The French theme showed up in various ways, berets and all.

I missed one photo opportunity that passed by too quickly  – men in black shirts that read “Louvre Security”.  They carried bags of jewels - a last minute but creative and theme-appropriate costume. 

 The first two days of the event were very rainy, but days 3 - 5 saw better weather.   Still overcast, but dry and 60+ degrees, it was perfect Comics weather and a nice Halloween treat.  It also meant that the costumes came out from under jackets and raincoats, filling the streets with all sorts of characters.

 It was entertaining wandering through Lucca taking photos.  The costumes ranged from simple to elaborate, from scary to fantastical, from prim and proper to sexy.  There were super heroes and princesses, monsters and angels, gaming figures and fairytale characters, steampunk cosplayers (my personal favorite), knights and ladies, cowgirls, ninjas, and men in drag. There were even a few creatures that I could not begin to identify, though many had the same pointy ears. 

A simple “posso?” and all were happy to stop and pose for photos.  

The crowds are quite well behaved, making it a safe space for families and kids. The kids were adorable! 

Whole families wore coordinating costumes, some even bringing along their dogs.

 Babbo Natale made an early appearance, stopping for lunch with some of his elves.

When it comes to Comics, pictures really are worth 1,000 words. Enjoy these photos.  Next week – Steampunk!

A big thanks to my friend Candice for sharing some photos for this post!

Calm Before Chaos in Late October

A quiet hidden corner of Lucca

October is when the crowds in Lucca begin to thin a bit.  There is a marked shift in the air – over are the special events of the Settembre Lucchese festival month. The evenings and early mornings are chilly, and this year the days are wonderfully sunny and warm. The early mornings and late evenings are a crowd-free breath of fresh air.

Life is normal - the olives have been harvested and the new oil has arrived, the markets are full of fall produce, there are morning coffees with friends, children play in the parks and ride the carousel, there are small concerts, and the streets are a little quieter. We can feel fall creeping in with the falling leaves.

But we also can’t miss the signs that say we should enjoy these last calm days because chaos is on the way.

A warm October day, before the start of Comics, is the perfect time for a ride on the carousel.

The chaos (my word, others would call it excitement) comes in the form of the approaching Lucca Comics and Games event.  The first sign of the chaos to come is the appearance of tents along the walls and in the main piazzas of the city.  I think of this as “la stagione delle tende”, the season of the tents.  It is a short but intense season here in Lucca. The white tents seem to go up earlier and earlier; they even crept in during the last week of September this year, well before the late October start date for Comics.  The smaller tents materialized first up on the walls, but soon the sound of larger ones being erected rang out in Piazza Napoleone, Piazza San Martino, Piazza Santa Maria, and even in the historic Piazza Anfiteatro.  Tents don’t make for interesting photos – so I will post just this one !

A beautiful October day along Lucca’s walls in the “season of the tents”

A photo from many years ago, still one of my favorite costumes. Imagine the work it took to create this elaborate dress.

 I must admit I have a bah humbug attitude about comics.  I hate to see Lucca’s beauty disappear as the tents take center stage and I dread the crowds (100,000 tickets per day!).  I generally plan to be out of town for the 5-day event, but this year my plans fell through and so I will be in Lucca throughout Comics.  Funny (or perhaps not so funny), but the same thing happened last year as the illness of a friend meant staying in Lucca.  It seems the universe laughs at my escape plans and arranges for me to be here.  At least it will mean some great photos!

As much as I don’t like the crowds (especially difficult for us short people who can’t see over all the heads), I do plan to approach the event with a good attitude. I have purchased some essentials and my freezer is as full as a tiny Italian freezer can be (negotiating the streets to go shopping is a challenge, best to stock up beforehand). A couple of friends and I hope to escape by bus on some days to one or two of the smaller towns near Lucca (avoiding the packed trains at all costs!).  And the early mornings, before all the participants arrive, is a good time for a walk in the crisp October air.

There are some things that I enjoy about Comics.  The costumes are amazing and the work that people put into designing them is impressive.  There is one fountain in particular where people go specifically to be seen and photographed (top photo).  I will try to sneak through the back streets to avoid the masses and arrive there early one day and grab some photos.    

And there is one Comics aspect that I truly love – the Steam Punk parades. This year the parades will feature participants showing off their very elaborate Steam Punk style in three scheduled events, each with a unique theme.  Count on photos and descriptions in November blog posts

Steam Punk 2024

But before comics, I am off on a travel adventure beginning in Budapest and ending in Passau, Germany. I’ll be back just in time for the chaos (I meant to say fun) of Comics. My camera is about to get a workout with photos from both my October travel and Lucca Comics and Games!

Changing leaves, October shadows, and a stretch of wall without any tents!