Right now the days are…

…just not long enough to get through everything! You know the feeling – no sooner have you started working than it’s the end of the day with a lot still to do.

Just back from a very pleasant and successful promotional trip to Lucca. I felt it would be a good idea to stay in an apartment in the Roman Amphitheatre, just to see how the Contessa manages in her luxury apartment a little further on.  It was quite something – very high ceilings with exposed beams, large exposed sections of the original stonework and a fabulous view into the arena. It was also the centre of culture galore: a dance festival; performances by very talented music students from the Istituto Musicale Luigi Boccherini, so the Contessa would have been quite at home with that; some odd statuary and the Lucca flag-throwers, all kitted out in Renaissance outfits. And that was over just one weekend.

Flag Throwers in the Amphitheatre. Hours of practice made it look oh so easy.

One of the projects during the trip was to explore the area around the town of Bagni di Lucca, a collection of picturesque and historic villages forming a region to the north of Lucca. The area has been famous for its mineral waters since Etruscan and Roman times. It also boasts Europe’s very first licensed casino. The fifth in the An Eccentric in Lucca series is planned to involve the Contessa and COGOL – not to mention the attractive Arthur Crowe and his Banda Inghiltalia – in planning an arts festival there. Who could want a more beautiful location for making great music ?

Ponte a Seraglio spans the River Lima, the main tributary of the River Serchio. The Casino, which still awaits the granting of a license to resume its former role, is in the immediate vicinity. Napoleon’s sister, as Grand Duchess of Tuscany, spent the summers here in the early nineteenth century.

 

Built in 1837, this was the first licensed casino in Europe. Puccini and Strauss, as well as anyone who was anyone, frequented the casino. Others visited the numerous establishments in the area offering the benefits of the area’s mineral-rich water – these are the Baths of Lucca.

 

[image error]