Music and the food- such love in Lucca

This little boy was in front of us at a concert, conducting and dancing for all he was worth!

Here in Lucca, it is music on every noticeboard, concerts on every corner - it is the celebration of 150 years since Puccini’s birth. Puccini spent most of his life here, in a house just around the corner, and is being truly feted this year. There are concerts every day of the week from November to April- imagine, in a city of 82000.Glorious arias, amusing comic songs, even full scale performances of Manon Lescaut and Madame Butterfly.

Sunday morning saw a recital of Mozart which we had to miss to go to church with a huge choir , and we missed a Boccherini concert in a cafe in order to hear popular Tuscany songs sung by a young and energetic local group, Il Balhuardo, who included a tribute to Miriam Makeba, the African gospel singer who died recently. Conducted by baritone Elio Antichi with jazz pianist TizianoMangani, it was exciting stuff.
All this music to feed our souls, right alongside the feast of food also on offer, and all mostly free.
The weekends of November and December are brightened in Lucca with a colourful exhibition of local produce and craft-Il Desco- sapori e sapere Lucchesi in mostra . The weekend was called L’Olio e I Tesori di Lucca: iniziative enogasronomiche ed eventi culturai nella provincia diLucca. see http://www.luccaturismo.it/ How could we resist?
Free giveaways of grilled bruschetta drizzled with extra virgin oil, sea salt and pepper, slices of proschiutto, lard which Rosemary pronounced gorgeous, chocolate covered candied peel, chestnut paste prepared as it has been for centuries in Tuscany, between flat pottery plates-we lapped it all up!
The setting is an old convent behind the famous S. Frediano Church with its pure gold mosaic. The convent has interior courtyards, and cloisters which are perfect for displays. I stood for ages watching a Hungarian playing recorders, ocarina and whistles.The beautiful wood on the treble recorder tempted me sorely. Sweeping marble stairs lead to the upper floor, primo piano, where lace making, weaving, jewellery, exquisite furniture were attracting wealthy looking buyer types. We took our tourist looking types along to another free concert, this time of Hungarian songs and dances, Spettacolo Folkloristico con Musiche ungheresi. There was much slapping of leather boots (theirs) , heaving bodices and full skirts (again theirs not ours) and tapping feet and smiles of pleasure , this time on our part. The conductor was Kerko Neptanc.
The following night we returned for Opera Buffa - comic operatic sings.
We love the sheer serendipity of coming out of a café, like Antica Drogheria on Via Elisa, into pouring cold rain and wishing aloud for an umbrella. What immediately appears but a very black man with an armful of umbrellas to sell. He smiled when I called him an angel , Angelo. Later we peeped under our purple(Danielle) and rainbow (Ceri) umbrellas and saw him again.
‘Ciao, Angelo!’ I called across the sodden square. He raised an umbrella and a smile in reply.

Serendipity too, of coming across an exhibition of photos of projects in Africa where Italians and French are working together in former colonies to help women and children.
Right next to the Museum shop where we gazed at length at illuminated manuscripts from 14th century. I resolve to learn more about lluminations, and maybe even try to paint one.
Right next to the Museum, at the Romanesque Duomo of St Martino , I was delighted to find a labyrinth carved into the stone column by the door. We stood in the rain and walked our fingers around the marble, as so many thousands must have done for centuries.
Then, with our fresh bread from an artisan baker, new season’s Chianti, local tomatoes, leeks, garlic, broccoli, fat juicy olives, and two fat and meaty sausages, from the markets, we left the icy rainy streets and returned home to our warm apartment. We closed the green shutters, put on piano music by Franz Moser whom we met in Florence and ate another of Rosemary‘s marvellous meals. What culture! What a delicious time in Tuscany!