Monday, April 8, 2019

I look at our tourist pamphlets piled up on the dining room shelves… our computer and all sorts of connectors spread out on the table… our camera gear all organized… our clothes neatly hanging in the bedroom armoire… and our toiletries gathered in the bathroom… and I am amazed at how quickly we can invade a space to make it our own!

We have been here one full week, and everything has its own place already! This is a beautiful apartment and as it turns out, the owner has decided to put it out for sale. It means that, unless the new owner also wants to rent it out, we might be the last tourists on these premises! It is our understanding that this small enclave of buildings, tucked away from the street, was renovated while keeping most of the old structure intact. The location within the walls is fantastic and the amenities are great, including a shower that is considered very large by Italian standards. The service is also impeccable, with the owner delivering pressed and starched sheets every Monday, together with a pile of towels and a perfectly folded tea towel that would have been approved by any Victorian Head house-maid!

We decided to use the official photos of the apartment to give it justice since they have been taken with a very wide angle.

Lucca Apartment courtyard facade (web source)

Lucca Apartment Master Bedroom (web source)

Lucca Apartment Kitchen (web source)

Lucca Apartment bathroom (web source)

We strolled on the city walls yesterday, doing what all Italians do on a Sunday afternoon: una passeggiata! Everybody is out, enjoying a leisurely walk and each other’s company. So relaxing…

Dinner experience: Trattoria da Leo (www.trattoriadaleo.webnode.it), a busy family-owned restaurant. This will mean nothing to most of you, but I had the BEST polenta (that rivaled my mom’s or Raymond’s)!!! What a great meal!

Trattoria Da Leo entrance sign

Polo alla cacciatora con polenta

When it comes to food, there are some fundamental differences between Northern and Southern Italy. In the South, you will find arancini, caponata and cassata. In the North, you will indulge in crocchette di patate, polenta, and risotto. Those are a few that came first to mind… don’t email me your exhaustive list… 😜

And now, a word on another Italian specialty: an Easter cake called Colomba di Pasqua (Easter dove). The dough tastes like a very light pound cake, and it is usually topped with pearl sugar and/or almonds. Really delicious!

“Pane integrale” and “Colombine di Pasqua”

That!s all for today…

Anna