Bagni di Lucca and the Devil's Bridge, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy

Bagni di Lucca has been known for it's hot springs for more than 2000 years dating back through both the Roman and Etruscan eras. Today, tourists still visit for the same reason, or, ..........

....to enjoy a brief rest at a delightful cafe/restaurant directly across from the bridge over the Lima river. The time had gotten away from us and we did not spend as much time in town as I would have liked. There are perhaps a dozen other nearby villages that dot the river valley and adjacent hillsides and mountains. Maybe next time.....  

In the short time I was there, through unbelievable serendipity, I met a blogger whose posts I had read from home long before this trip. What are the odds of such a chance meeting?  She has much better information about Bagni than I do and can be found at this link at Bagni di Lucca and Beyond. 

Moving on though, we needed to get to Ponte della Maddelena before the light was gone for the day......

A few miles down the river from Bagni di Lucca in Borgo a Mozzano stands the 1000-year old Ponte della Maddalena, in English, the Bridge of Mary Magdalene. It is also known as "the Devil's Bridge." The story being that the builders made a pact with the devil to help build the bridge. In return, the devil would receive the soul of the first to cross the bridge. The locals outwitted the devil by luring a pig across first.

This view is from the bridge's highpoint as daylight fades in the Serchio river valley. I am amazed that this panorama was possible.  As I panned the camera, I noted the exposure speed was 1/30 second.  Amazing technology that allows a moving camera to make multiple images at such a slow speed and still sandwich them together into a fairly sharp final composite.

An old VW bug (maybe 1968?) parked along the bridge area. There is an ample parking area to visit the bridge and the restaurant/bar/shops across the street.

The bridge is lighted at night on both sides but seemed to randomly cycle the lights on and off.

View from the north side of the bridge.

View from the south side. I think this blurred, grainy image demonstrates the limits of my hand-held point and shoot technology.

Barga, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy

Barga is a thousand year old hilltown about 20 miles north of Lucca. There are approximately 10,000 residents spread across the hillsides with commanding views of the southern part of the Alpi Alpuane (the Apuan Alps). It's a great medieval town to wander about. They host both an annual opera festival and a jazz festival in addition to enjoying a beautiful location above the Serchio River valley.

Yes, that is still a bit of snow remaining on the peak of a nearby mountain (not sure the exact height but certainly less than 6000 feet).

This view is looking uphill behind the town.

Terraced hillsides host both cash crops and family gardens.

One of Barga's streets snakes off into this narrow valley.

One of the advantages of being tall is that I can occasionally sneak a peak over someone's fence.  If this home ever went up for sale I would consider becoming an expat and moving in (but I wouldn't really do it). What a setting!

Whether it's a shade of golden ochre or Tuscan pink, houses that border the narrow lanes blend together seamlessly in a way that creates that special Tuscany feel.

Yes,  I saw a car drive through this street.  I had to stand flat-backed against the wall to allow it to pass.  No wonder very small cars are popular here.

Over the course of this visit to Italy, I stopped into many churches and cathedrals.  Whether large and ornate or small and unadorned on the outside, it was difficult to predict what might be inside.  For example, this beautiful gold leaf detail covered much of this small neighborhood church in Barga..

An older model Fiat 500, a popular car of any year.....

.....although this Fiat seems to have been sitting still long enough to have developed a good case of mold.  Perhaps too many good memories to part with it?

This stone and brick work harkens back to a time long gone by. A great place to visit, Barga.

Lucca's Wall, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy

The current wall around Lucca, which last year marked it's 500th anniversary, is wide enough at the top to accommodate all manner of visitors. This view gives a sense of how wide the top is. This most recent of four separate walls built over the centuries, took about 100 years to build, the citizens paying large sums annually to finance it.

I appreciate planners with the long view - trees planted years ago yield their benefits to the current generation.

It's like a circular park - people of all ages - walkers, strollers, joggers, bikers, sitters, domino players, chess players.  Arm in arm, old and young - la dolce vita - the sweet life -  as only the Italians can do so well and have taught the world.

A nice place to try out your training wheels while mom and dad walk behind.

Or bike the flat, smooth main walkway around the 2.5 mile circumference.  In this section of the wall, these trees are a newer generation.

Nice long afternoon shadows and lines on the inside of the wall near a neighborhood park with swingsets.

This fancy and large villa inside the wall is visible from the walking path.....

...as is this one.

And looking outside the wall, more villas and churches wait for this towering thunderstorm to soon unleash its rain. Walking the walls on a Sunday, I heard bells toll as they have for a thousand years calling the faithful to worship.

The wall when viewed from the outside stands about 30 feet high, has a broad grassy area, and a moat-like stream.  There are six main entrances (portals) through which authorized vehicles can gain entry and a few other pedestrian tunnels through the wall.

Pardon my crude hand drawing but, these colored lines generally represent the various walls over the past 2000 years. The red boundary was the original Roman version built around 200 B.C., the blue and yellow followed in later centuries, and now today's wall, moat/stream, and the ten arrowhead-like bastions are in green. The current perimeter wall is about 2.5 miles/ 4 kilometers, very broad across the top, and has both a paved surface and unpaved surface for the people to enjoy. Attack does not seem imminent.

Trees, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy

I was outside the wall that surrounds the town of Lucca needing to have an image of the wall for another blog post when I stumbled on this great row of trees bordering the footpath that parallels the circumference road on the north side.

It winds around for perhaps a half mile or more.

Whether looking forward or backward, with or without people, it looks pretty cool. I like to see vision in action - the planners knew 30 years ago (50 years ago?) that someday the mature trees would shade a beautiful pathway......

..but I wanted a splash of contrast color so my favorite subject with her new pink hat (Amy) made a perfect contrasting color element..

All that walking and modeling earned her a sit down break on a bench.  Now, if she just had pink sneakers........

Stone, Terracotta, & Stucco, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy

Terracotta tiles for roofing are the standard here - I have yet to see even one asphalt shingle.

Many folks who have a rooftop patio turn it into a rooftop garden.

Stone house and tower walls, some having stood for many centuries. No vinyl siding.

And it seems that everyone hangs their laundry out to dry.  This being a Mediterranean climate, the air tends to be dry and clothes dry quickly outside - not to mention that electricity is expensive and dryers are not common.

Big stone, little stone, brick, and timber - and one white corner stone which has some writing on it.....

....that on closer examination reveals this text. I don't know what it says but I think the Roman numerals, MCCCCLVIII, mean 1458 (although we don't normally use four C's together like that, they might have when this was built).  

I expect these filled in arches have a story to tell - perhaps a kitchen and oven.  They were on an outside wall beside a narrow street.

On the Road to Montecarlo, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy

Along the road to Montecarlo, it didn't matter whether I was looking forward or backward, the view was the same - breathtakingly beautiful.

Montecarlo (not visible above) is a small, walled, hilltop town about 10 miles east of Lucca. The Apuan Alps, part of the Apennine Mountains, are in the distance north of the area. The town and castle/fort have been around since the 1300's. The views along the road getting there and views from on the hilltop were spectacular. It is a popular area for growing olives and grapes and one of the locations along the designated Wine and Olive Oil Trail.

Panorama - click to view in full width.

Olive trees and grapevines cover the hills surrounding this estate.

A lone purple flower in a sea of green and gold.

A hilltop farm, olive trees in the mid-distance.

More olives and grapes - no wonder olive oil and wine are staples at the table in this area of Italy.

If this is what a true Mediterranean climate looks and feels like, count me in. I lived in Southern California for almost 20 years and it didn't look like this even though it purports to have a Mediterranean-like climate. Hmmmm.

Olives trees, grapevines, and cypress trees - nature's icons in this area of Italy - not to mention the light. What a glorious quality of light late in the afternoon as the shadows deepen.

I just love how the planted vines so sensuously trace the curve of the terrain in this image. It is my favorite in this series - well, except for all my other favorites.

There wasn't much daylight left when I arrived at the town so I didn't make many images this time.

 So my last comment suggests there needs to be another time.

Looks like the idea for a return trip is starting to germinate.........

Sometimes in the blog I do go on about how spectacularly beautiful some sight or other appears to me. But really, this is one of the prettiest areas I've seen in the world.  So many of the places I've seen in just this small part of Italy all struck me that way.  I'd say the idea of a return trip is way past the germinating stage. I get it - Tuscany - I am yours.