The city of Lucca has always been my favourite. Not only because it is only 25 minutes away from our home and I go there at least two or three times a week, but also because you do not feel like a "tourist" there.
Gala Placidia's activity
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In this icy cold weather, hot drinks and comfort foods are a must. Preparing and consuming them are good ways to spend time when we cannot venture outdoors.
Wed, 02/08/2012 - 06:10
The cold weather is affecting most of Italy and creating difficulties concerning energy supplies. Russia, the most important supplier, has been reducing the provision of gas up to 30% due to increasing demand in their area.
Tue, 02/07/2012 - 02:22
The San Francisco Chronicle publishes today this most interesting article:
Sun, 02/05/2012 - 12:45
Whenever we are in Italy, we love to visit antique and vintage markets and fairs, looking for that special piece that we would love to have. Sometimes, we find it...
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 02:47
One of my favourite activities in Italy is to visit those markets that sell antique and vintage items.
Tue, 01/31/2012 - 06:38
Some members may have noticed that I have been fairly quiet for the past month and a half. The reason for this was that we have been visiting our daughters who live in San Francisco (CA).
Fri, 01/20/2012 - 02:59
The new ½ûÂþÌìÌà government has been announced and it is obvious that we will have a fight between technocrats and politicians.
Wed, 11/16/2011 - 14:24
A lot has been written about the dangers of overheating Teflon coated cookware. Toxic fumes can be extremely dangerous for our health. Personally, I have never liked that type of cookware and I do not buy it anymore.
Sat, 10/29/2011 - 06:24
In another thread, we were discussing Tuscan herbs and "funghi porcini". Tuscany is a paradise for herb lovers and many varieties, such as rosemary, sage and "nipitella" grow wild.
Thu, 10/27/2011 - 11:23
Comments posted
 Hi Colonel Mustard and welcome to the group. Sorry about the delay, but I have just returned from my Xmas holidays in San Francisco with my daughters and I have had no time to check the site. I am sure that we all look forward to exchanging recipes and knowledge. Happy cooking!
 We can recommend Falegnameria Gabrielli in our area. They did quite a lot of work in our place from the times of the previous owner, including the replacement of all windows and dooors, down to a custom-made kitchen in our case. They are very good and reliable. They are located at Ponte a Diana, on the road from Bagni to Abettone (Via Val di Lima)
I guess that there is always the possibility of an appeal if they feel than the sentence is unfair....
We do not have access to all the evidence presented, we have not watched the accused responding to questioning... We can only trust justice and hope that the conviction is a fair one. I read and watched the Spanish media´s reports and perhaps, as they were not directly involved, they were more objective than the ones issued by either the British, the American or the ½ûÂþÌìÌà press.From what I gather, it is a case of a horrible game that went wrong. I do not think that there was premeditation; however, all the little details are quite difficult to assimilate. Personally, I think that the accused are guilty as convicted. Yes, this is going to destroy their lives, but what about Amanda Kercher's own life? What about their family? It is not a case of "an eye for an eye" and no matter what kind of penalty they get the Kercher family will keep on suffering for the rest of their lives. And I do not believe in the death penalty.What I would like to see is the media banned from all these trials. Their power is abused. Only last week, here in Spain, a 24 year old guy was publicly accused of having sexually abused and killed his 3 year-old step-daughter. And the media was condemning the guy even before the forensic evidence was brought forward. Guess what? The guy was innocent. The child had fallen from a swing only a couple of days before, there was medical negligence involved as the child had been duly taken to hospital after the fall and they didn't even order an X-Ray. Now, everybody is asking for forgiveness, but this guy´s life has been destroyed. Media power is a very dangerous weapon. And it is becoming a circus.....
I think that there is another point which should be stressed. No matter where you live, parents must make sure that their children are cared for in a proper manner. I know that this is difficult because both parents working is not unusual nowadays; however, it is most important to check on the carers no matter where you are living. Don't take anything for granted.
I tend to agree with Giovanni F. Although it is terrible that these things are happening it does not mean that Italy is alone in this type of unforgivable incidents. There are similar cases all over the world and it shows parents that they should be extremely vigilant at all times. I don't think that there are more cases of child abuse nowadays, it is only that we hear more about them.
We have markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays downtown in Bagni on the main square. Nothing spectacular but there are a couple of fruit and vegetable stalls selling very fresh produce and other stalls selling local cheese, salami, etc. On Saturdays, they sell roast chicken, which is tasty and very handy. There are also the usual clothes and shoes stalls, plants and other items being sold. I always go and buy something to help the local economy. Castelnuovo di Garfagnana has quite a larger market on Thursdays. I haven´t visited the other neighbouring markets as yet.
Ciao Pacentro08, glad to have you in the Community.
Hello all and welcome to the Community.
I just heard on the Spanish news that the olive harvest this year is also very small as there has been a consistent drought. The quality is also very poor. This coincides with some of the information given by members regarding the ½ûÂþÌìÌà situation. The reporters were stating that the 2008 harvest was an excellent one and this caused a drop in olive oil prices; however, if it does not rain during the winter the 2010 harvest will be in jeopardy and olive oil prices will escalate worldwide.