Massa Marittima.

We got up fairly early today and make a quick decision to make a fairly long day trip to see Massa Marittima, a hill town further south. It was a pleasant enough place with a substantial cathedral, a nifty local archaeological museum and the requisite absurdly steep and narrow cobbled streets. We had swell lunch with a unique polenta dish and beat it back to Lido in the early evening.

Torre del Lago Puccini.

We rousted ourselves and made a hasty plan to visit one of the nearby attractions, a villa once owned by Giacomo Puccini, one of the the great operatic composers (and a favorite son of Lucca). It's located on the edge of a lagoon on the broad seaside plain near Viareggio. The lagoon, called Lago (lake) di Massaciuccoli, is actually never more than about 6 feet deep. In the photo, by the way, the bridge structure in the distance is the autostrada pointed towards Lucca.

Puccini's house was quite interesting, a real turn-of-the-century time capsule crammed with momentos, photos, artwork and ephemeria. Oddly, there was a tiny chapel in the center of the house containing the tombs of the composer, his wife and his son.

We took the tour with an Italian foursome and a young Japanese couple. Apparently we were taken for Italians as well (because we followed instructions from the attendant and responded correctly?) and were given Italian-language audioguides. Fortunately the recorded voice spoke clearly and slowly and we didn't have much trouble.

We had planned to stop at the beach walk in Viareggio on the way back, but being Friday night, it was very crowded so we gave it up. In our meandering, though, we caught a look at the boatyards by the marina and were fairly amazed by the number and size of the private yachts being built and housed there -- quite remarkable, all the wealth in the world.

Prices.

We are living "on the cheap" for most of this trip; due to the generosity of Roland's family, we are escaping-- for most of our time here -- the costs of lodging and car rental. And although the euro/dollar exchange is not to our advantage right now (about $1.44/euro as of this writing), we had a sizable bankroll of foreign currency from previous trips, so that has helped.

But, how expensive is it here? I've taken some notes and make some conversions in U.S. dollars and measures. Hopefully my math is correct.

• A good dinner for two at our local trattoria, including (free) appetizers and bread, pizza, sausages, roasted potatoes, bottled water and glasses of wine and beer and complimentary limoncello: about 30 euro / $43
• Hot sandwiches, bottles of water, and coffees at an upscale bar in the center of Lucca: about 11 euro / $15
• One caffè normale (espresso shot), about $1.15
• Gasoline figures to cost about $7.40 per US gallon (this includes some considerable taxes, of course)
• Autostrada tolls: about $3-4 for 20-30 min. runs
• 1/2 gallon of milk, about $3.67
• Large loaf of bread $2.12
• Mortadella (like bologna, but better) about $10 / lb.
• 1 lb. "muelsi" type breakfast cereal, $4.53
• 12 oz. good ground coffee, about $10.70
• Butter, about $6 /lb.
• Cookies (cantuccini - biscotti) about $4.30 for 12 oz.

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Portovenere.

Following the advice of many, we head up the coast into Liguria, through the harbor city of La Spezia and out on the peninsula to the certifiably picturesque seaside village of Portovenere.

It's a bit chilly and after a short walk we park ourselves for pranzo at a quayside restaurant for a multi-course meal (not at a small price, but ranking high with Nancy as a gastronomic event). Then we're on to our trek out to the chapel/lighthouse on the point and to the fortress up on the hill. There are picture postcards in every direction, and the memory card on the Nikon fills as the magic hour passes. We get back to the car minutes before the parking pass expires and the TomTom leads us home.

Boxing Day / Presepi.

We had an invite from cousin Isabella to come back to Lucca (neighborhood of San Concordio) to see a local holiday exhibition, but we begged off, feeling a little tired and also in need of doing some laundry. Later on, a failed trip for groceries (nearly everything was still closed) had us wandering down the road a bit to Camaiore. We had a nice walk there, managed to grab some coffee and some crepes, and fell into checking out some of the presepi the (nativity scenes) set up in various niches and churches around the village. There were a range of types, from children's assemblages to elaborate, animatronic villages with running water, sound effects, working villagers and day-to-night sequences.

Image, borrowed.

Apparently there is quite a market in providing the means for these expressions: see www.presepi.com

Transportation.

We're driving Vivienne's Opel Agila. We've also been left the keys to Roland's BMW 5 series, but we haven't had the need (or the courage) to drive it. The Agila has good space inside, turns on a tight radius, and affords good visibility all around-- perfect for us. The 1.2 liter engine keeps us in a relative passive attitude when on the autostrada, but that is not a problem. If I read the on-line specs right, it's getting better than 40 mpg.

We feel special to be driving a vehicle which is obviously not from a rental company-- it sports local provincial (Lucca) license plates. Hopefully this gets us some consideration in the queue at the toll gates and at roundabouts.

Buon Natale!

We took ourselves back to Lucca to share Christmas Day with cousin Anna and her family. She and her husband Rolando are the heads of a large extended family which now includes a few great-grandchildren. Our midday meal, a sitting for about 14, included tortellini in brodo, quadrucci al ragù (pasta) ; a meat course with choices of roast guinea hen, pork, salsicce; patate arrosto, patate cipolle, torta agli spinaci and piselli e prosciutto; a green salad; deserts: tiramisu, panettone, torta di riso, fruit, peanuts, walnuts, candied dates---Nancy's contribution: banket, a almond pastry from her Dutch tradition.. and coffee.

The meal was followed a passeggiata with Gabriella, Pietro, and cousin Ilaria's husband Raffaello around the city walls (about 4 kilometers). Then it was back to the house for more visiting with additional family members who had come by for a visit.

We said our goodbyes around 8:30 P.M. Despite having the all the shops and cafes closed, Via Fillugo was filled with after-dinner strollers, and there was a small crowd --mostly teenagers-- hanging around the skating rink set up in Piazza Maggiore. The parking lot near Viale Europa was empty except for our car and a few others, more evidence that there are relatively few tourists in town.

Fairly exhausted after some seven hours of our best efforts to follow the conversation with our elemental Italian skills, we "debrief" on the trip back to Lido, checking each other's comprehension of the evening's topics: work, hobbies, cell phones, Formula One, changes brought by computers, soccer (calcio); the health of trees in the park, tourism, poor church attendance, and, of course -- cooking. It's been a qualified victory -- our understanding is better than on earlier trips, but dealing with different speakers in multiple simultaneous conversations is always a struggle.

Christmas Eve.

Carolers on stage in Piazale Maggiore. The second number was John Lennon's Merry Christmas (War is Over). The English in the choruses was strong, in the verses - eehhh - not so much.




Babbo Natale visits with children in the street, and has some small gifts from his bag. In Italy, apparently, he's seen more like a guru in a bathrobe than a retired linebacker.




Some last-minute shoppers in Via Fillungo. Like most any other night, much of this traffic is just part of the passeggiata.




Early evening just outside the walls near Porta San Pietro.

Here's Nancy in Lido. We're fortunate to have one Pizzeria/Bar right near us on the beach walk that has stayed open for the winter. They seemed happy enough to have us there for a late pizza last night -- we were the only ones in the place at 8:30 P.M.

Visits.

We've been in Lucca a couple of more times. It's about a 20-minute trip if we use the autostrada, which is, of course, a toll road (about 2 euros each way), but it saves us percolating up into the hills on narrow winding roads.

Lucca is a bit colder than down here by the ocean, so we need to layer up a bit when we go in. I've bought a padded vest to wear under my heavy jacket for added comfort, and Nancy was found some warmer gloves. And it's been lightly raining off and on for the past few days.

We've paid a short visit to Anna, one of my mother's first cousins who lives inside the city walls. She's been feeling poorly and rarely leaves her flat these days; fortunately she has a very devoted husband who cares for her.

Yesterday we had pranzo with cousin Luanna's family (she is another first cousin of my mother's) and got caught up with them. Between her and her daughter Isabella, much of the conversation goes to cooking, where Nancy's specialized vocabulary comes into play. Granddaughter Claudia (13), after she warms to the occasion, is always interested in showing me her latest efforts at computer illustration.

Later in the evening we met Gabriella and Pietro for a walk in Lucca, along Via Fillungo among the crowds of holiday shoppers. Although Lucca is not a huge town, it has many prosperous citizens, and the shopping district includes many fancy shops with the same designer names that will be found in Firenze or Milano. It is common to see tall, striking young women (and men) done up in high fashion.