Monday morning we set off for the bus station to take the bus to Barga- but took a wrong turn and missed the bus. Not entirely true. We didn’t check the timetable and were aiming for the 10 am bus. But there wasnt one! So we went toBagni da Lucca instead.
It has a reputation as a spa town set on a river.
The town is in two parts set along a river. We went to the top town first and went into a hotel to get a map. My Italian was good enough to ask the man for a map and get his suggestions for what we should see. He was very willing to chat but his onion breath put us off and we were back on the sunny street before too long. We stopped for coffee and planned our walk. It was a strange little town . Very quiet and you could hardly see the river. The buildings were all along it , so we trudged up and around the river. Very disappointing . We walked through the gardens and then decided to walk down to the lower town. I was all for hitch hiking to save ourselves a 1 k walk in the very hot sun along the narrow road but Pat and common sense prevailed!
We poked around the lower town , had lunch and got the bus back to Lucca. I’m glad we’re not staying there . No decent piazza!
We rested up before our evening glass of prosecco then headed out for a stroll. Or passeggiata. We had dinner at a great little restaurant Pat had been told about. I had breast of quail with vegetables. Delicious.
We decided to try the tiramisu . Nice but too creamy. We’ll have to try again!
TUESDAY:
Today we hired bikes and ride around the wall. It was such a lovely day. Blue sky, cool breeze an lots to look at. Mothers strolling with babies, men of all shapes and sizes jogging, some very attractive young ladies keeping their figures trim, older nonnas strolling and talking, some sitting in the shade reading. All sharing the space together. We finished by riding around the streets – the quieter ones – sightseeing as we went.
After the post ride coffee I returned to the apartment to shower and visit the language school and Pat went to visit Pfanner Palazzo and for a spot of shopping. The leather shops here are just amazing. Bags of every style in the most gorgeous colours. Orange being my personal favourite. When I was here with Catherine and Margaret about 4 years ago I bought an orange bag for Marg my sister in law. They are still beautiful.
Tonight we had a vino and went to a Puccini concert in a church. A young couple soprano and bass put on a very good performance. We followed this with lovely food at Gigi.
Tomorrow we are trying Barga again. This time with a timetable check.
frans travel tales 