Carrara

one of my favorite day trips in italy so far has been a trip to the carrara mountains. the first time we drove to the mountains it was an amazing site; it appeared there was new snow on the mountain, but since it was august and close to 100° i wondered how the snow could be there and be so brilliantly white. as we drove further and began our approach up the mountain we began to see the spectacular white "snow" was really marble. the carrara mountains are famous for producing the highest grade of white marble which has been prized for centuries by artisans such as michaelangelo, and all of the architects and builders throughout italy. even during roman times they would go to carrara to extract the marble to use on the coleseum, the vatican, leaning tower of pisa, the duomo in florence as well as many buildings in venice. it is a wonderful daytrip: you can drive right up to the sites where they extract the marble. you are able to watch them remove pieces of marble from the mountain the size of small trucks! if you drive further to the town of colonatta(the lard capital of italy) you are able to see how they transport these huge marble blocks from the tops of the mountains.

flowers for a monday

lucca festivities

Lucca loves festivals and July is the month of festivals. The woman was in one of the medieval festivals last July. They parade through the city representing each reigning family in the history of Lucca. They wear period clothing, and play instruments of the time. They also carry crossbows, and have crossbow competitions, flag throwing competitions and others. They reinact historical moments and generally just take your breath away! If you can be in Lucca in July walk out at night around 9:00 and you are sure to be surprised by a beautiful ceremony celebrating this incredible city.

cinque terre, italy

lucca's botanical garden

italy's finest treasure

As promised from the last blog i will tell you about Carlo, the blacksmith, who we feel is truly a treasure in Italy. I have been very fortunate in my travels in Italy in that I have seen some of the greatest masterpieces ever produced. In Italy, four fifths of the worlds treasures reside, most people seek out the well known treasures, I have been lucky enough to actually meet a living artist, Carlo. This man has worked in this shop since he was a young boy. The photo you see with the small fire, is a fire his ancestors started 213 years ago. It has never gone out! Unfortunately, the fire will not burn much longer because Carlo's only son will not be able to continue in the family tradition due to medical reasons. Carlo, is not only an amazing blacksmith but a testament to self-sustained living. There are two mountains by his workshop which provide water to him through a waterfall and stream. Carlo uses this water to provide electricity and power for all of his machines. He also makes all of his tools from recycled iron and the handles from tree branches which have fallen in the surrounding woods. I am amazed when our guests go back to the states who have seen the wonders of Rome, Venice, and Florence: they always say their trip to see Carlo was the most memorable experience they had in Italy. I found a quote which I think appropriately describes Carlo's life and his works, "We exist temporarily through what we take but we live forever through what we give." If you are ever near Pescaglia, Italy please find your way to Carlo's workshop.