Bagni di Lucca and Beyond

Posted by: Debra Kolkka | July 19, 2026

Wineries in the Rioja region of Spain

La Rioja is the oldest wine producing area of Spain. It sits in the Ebro River valley below the Cantabrian Mountains.

The countryside is stunning, even when driving through on a dull day.

The vineyards surround the old town of Haro. It is the historic wine capital and has underground cellars and major foundational wineries. We visited a few.

The first was Bodegas Ysios with its spectacular building. There grape varieties are Tempranillo, Viura, Graciano Garnacha and other native species. Some of the vines are 100 years old. Their signature wine is Ysios Finca Les Naves. The winery is open for visits and guided tastings.

The interior is amazing as well. There are small tasting rooms and it is possible to do short tours of the winery.

The next one was Bodega Vivanco. The Vivanco family produced their first wine in 1915. The town looked great driving in.

The view from the winery is excellent in all directions.

Bodega Vivanco’s fourth generation winemaker, Rafa Vivanco Saenz, makes red, white, rose and sparkling. There is a shop, cafe and museum at the winery.

Next stop Bodegas Marques de Riscal. It has been named the world’s best winery in 2024.

The adjacent hotel designed by Frank Gehry was opened in 2003. This is not my photo. It is difficult to see the whole building when you are close. The best view was on the road driving away, but there was nowhere to stop to get a photos.

The company was founded by Camilo Hurtado de Amezaga, 6th Marques of Riscsl in 1858. The estate produces iconic Rioja and Rueda wines. Its cellar holds every vintage since 1862.

The grounds of the winery are beautiful and there are quiet places to sit.

The shop and tasting rooms are excellent.

There were some dramatic skies driving between wineries.

On another day we visited Bodega Marques de Murrieta. The winery was founded in 1852 by Peruvian born Luciano de Murrieta y Garcia-Lemoine. It was the first estate to export its wines.

It is in the most magnificent setting with beautiful gardens and stunning views over the area.

The sales and tasting rooms are beautifully presented and the young woman who looked after us was particularly charming. In fact all of the people we met in the Rioja wineries were delightful and knew their products well.

Lopez de Heredia has a striking tasting pavilion designed by Zahar Hadid. It was created to celebrate the winery’s 125 th anniversary. It is shaped like a wine decanter.

There is a great outdoor space for warmer weather.

Bodegas Muga is a family owned winery founded in 1932. It is one of the olny wineries in Spain with its own on-site master coopers, handcrafting all of its own oak barrels.

The changing weather on our way out of the region made for some great views from the car.

Rioja is a stunning region. The landscape is breathtaking. We were there in early spring when everything was turning green. I think it is probably the best time to visit. I am not particularly interested in wine, but Jim liked the wines he tried and a few bottles made their way into the car for the drive back to Italy.

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Posted in Spain | Tags: Rioja, Spain, wine, wineries

Posted by: Debra Kolkka | June 26, 2026

Prehistoric painting at Altamira caves

While we were in Santillana del Mar in the Cantabria region of northern Spain we visited the nearby Altamira Museum. It is a 5 minute drive or a 20 minute walk away. It is uphill with little shade, wear a hat or take an umbrella.

Around 40,000 years ago Cantabria began to be inhabited by early an early human species. It was the beginning of the Upper Palaeolithic period. This was a cultural period where the first manifestations of complex, abstract thought was in evidence. Art was part of this.

Along the Cantabrian coast caves inhabited during the Upper Palaeolithic period have been discovered. One of these is the Altamira Cave. The cave was occupied by man for two epochs, the Upper Solutrean, 18,500 years ago and the Lower Magdalenian, 14,000 years ago. I can imagine the excitement when it was discovered that the rock ceiling of the cave was covered in paintings. After the last occupation, around 13,000 years ago a landslide sealed off the cave’s entrance. The cave was no longer used and it was preserved intact for thousands of years.

The cave was discovered in 1868 and the Magdalenian paintings known as the Techo de los Policromos, Polychrome Ceiling, was first seen in 1879. When tourism hit the area in the 1960s the cave became one of the most visited sites in the country, beaten only by the Prado Museum in Madrid.

By 1977 Altamira was closed to the public, to halt the deterioration caused by visitors, and find ways to protect the paintings. When it reopened in 1982 visitor numbers were strictly restricted.

Eva, one of the delightful ladies we met at Hotel Casa Marques, where we stayed in Santillana del Mar, told us that when she was still at school, she was one of the five people permitted to enter the cave each week. She was very young, but remembers creeping in and almost lying on her back to be able to look up at the ceiling to view the paintings. She still remembers how excited she was and now realises how lucky she was to experience this.

To make up for the limited number of people permitted to enter the cave it was decided to make a faithful replica of the cave nearby. The Neocueva, New Cave, along with the Altamira Museum, was opened in 2001. It was built to enable visitors to see the paintings in the context they were created.

Before going inside, we are shown a film which shows the milestones in the history of the cave, the landslide and its subsequent rediscovery.

Come for a walk through the replica of the cave. It is very well set up, with imagined scenes of life within the cave and the ceiling paintings are exact copies of the originals. The artists used the same natural pigments used by the primitive artists and care was taken to recreate the textures, contours and colour variations.

It is amazing that we can see back so far in history. There is a real feeling of how people lived and seeing the paintings is excellent. There is also a museum outlining the history with artifacts collected in the area. I recommend a visit. There is a small cafe, excellent gift shop and an outdoor picnic area.

It is possible to book online. We were able to buy tickets at the ticket office on the day.

This is where we stayed in Santillana del Mar…The perfect place to stay in Santillana del Mar

Santillana del Mar…Sensational Santillana del Mar

A church and flowers in Santillana del Mar

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Posted in Spain | Tags: Altamira Museum, Santillana del Mar, Spain

Posted by: Debra Kolkka | June 20, 2026

A church and flowers in Santillana del Mar

Just before we left Santillana del Mar we found the magnificent Collegiate Church. For a modest fee of €4 we entered the stunning cloister of the church.

Cloisters always seem to be quiet, tranquil places, and we had this beautiful place almost to ourselves.

I love old stone faces, and here there were lots to keep me looking up. The faces are worn from centuries of wind and rain. Were they modelled from real people or just from the imagination of the artists who sculpted them? Each one is different and fascinating.

Some were more detailed.

The church began as a monastery in 870. The church we see today dates from the 12th century. It had 3 naves, a dome, transept, 3 semi-circular apses and a tower.

We entered the church from the cloister.

It is incredible to find these treasures are still around for us to see.

Walking through the town I noticed elaborate coat of arms decorating many of the houses.

All over Santillana del Mar flowers spill from pots and balconies.

Santillana del Mar is a wonderful little town. I am very happy we were there in early spring and saw the town without hordes of visitors. I have heard that it becomes seriously crowded in the summer. April was a perfect time to visit.

See the hotel we stayed at…The perfect place to stay in Santillana del Mar

More on Santillana del Mar…Sensational Santillana del Mar

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Posted in Spain | Tags: Cantabria, flowers, Santillana del Mar, Spain, spring

Posted by: Debra Kolkka | June 15, 2026

Sensational Santillana del Mar

Santillana del Mar in the Cantabria region of Spain is a stunning, entirely pedestrianised town, lined with 15th to 18th century stone mansions. Flowers tumble from window boxes and balconies. The cobblestone streets are lined with artisan craft shops, and lots of places to buy the famous Cantabrian anchovies. We were there in spring and it looked wonderful.

The name is misleading. The town is not on the coast, but a few kilometres inland. It is a significant stop on the northern route of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. The name is a contraction of Santa Juliana, an 8th century martyr whose remains are housed in the Santillana del Mar Collegiate Church. It is a Romanesque church and former Benedictine monastery.

The church sits at the top of the town and was our first stop after checking into the hotel. It started life in 870 as a monastery. It was transformed into a church over the 11th century. The church we see today dates from the 12th century. It is remarkably preserved. I particularly liked the many sculptures dotted around the building.

The main street has an old water trough probably used for washing and watering horses.

On the left we found a small park with more modern stone sculptures.

Then is was back to the main street. Come for a walk along the cobble stone streets.

There are lovely buildings, some with Cantabrian balconies.

There is lots of decoration on buildings.

There are interesting shops. Lots sell Cantabrian anchovies and chocolate.

The town is quiet small and is surrounded by green countryside.

We had lunch in this very sweet cafe.

Dinner was at this fun bar, the only place open that night.

The very best part of Santillana del Mar was staying at the Hotel Casa Del Marques, the subject of the previous post. In the next post I will show you the stunning interior of the church which we managed to find open just before we left the town.

Going home

We are now on our way back to Australia. It is time to return to our other lives. As much as I love Italy I am ready to leave.

We travelled quite a bit on this trip. We no longer have a garden to take care of so we have time for other things. There will be more posts on our Spain, France and UK visits to come.

As well as visiting new and favourite places, we like hanging around Ponte a Serraglio. I have my coffee and sfoglia most mornings at Bar Italia, across the bridge, and there is always someone there to have a chat with.

I still have some flowers to look after. Our tiny balcony has lots of pots to fill. We are very prominent in the village so I like to plant lots of colourful flowers. It is fun to watch people stand on the bridge and take photos of the village, including the bridge and the flowers. I like to think of it as my front yard.

A delightful young man named Peter has been watering the plants on the bridge while I am not there. This year the flowers have another friend. A couple from Brazil have taken an interest and the very nice man usually beats me to the watering. The plants are thriving with all the care.

The window flowers. The trees on the other side of the river are reflected in the windows.

Balcony flowers. My neighbour opposite likes to plant flowers too. I wish everybody did!

Bridge flowers.

I am with Monet, who said…”I must have flowers, always and always.”

Goodbye lovely Bagni di Lucca until September.

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Posted in Bagni di Lucca, Ponte a Serraglio | Tags: Bagni di Lucca, flowers, Ponte a Serraglio

Posted by: Debra Kolkka | May 28, 2026

The perfect place to stay in Santillana del Mar

On our recent trip to Spain we visited the delightful Santillana del Mar, a tiny town in the Cantabria region of northern Spain. There will be more on this gorgeous town later, but first I have to tell you about the beautiful hotel where we stayed.

Hotel Casa Del Marqués was originally a 15th century private house. It was the residence of the first Marquis of Santillana, Don Inigo Lopez de Mendoza and his mother, Dona Leonor de La Vega. The Marques was a great poet and student of science.

Paintings of the Marquis and his mother are featured in the reception area of the hotel.

The magnificent staircase leading to the upper floor is made from a single piece of oak, now hundreds of years old.

Every room in the hotel is a delight. There are 2 lovely sitting rooms inviting to to stay and read a book or just sit and admire the surroundings.

The breakfast area and surrounds are lovely.

There is a small bar.

The garden area at the back of the hotel is delightful, with lots of quiet areas to hide in.

Our room and bathroom were delightful.

The front door gives a clue about the delights you will discover inside.

Best of all were the lovely people working at the hotel. There were two helpful ladies at reception called Eva, who were happy to share stories about the hotel and the town. They were rightly proud of both and made our stay much more interesting. We loved our stay at Hotel Casa del Marques.

I would go back to Spain just to stay there.

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Posted in Spain

Posted by: Debra Kolkka | May 23, 2026

60 years ago

My youngest brother, Peter, was born on 24th May 1966. I remember the day he was born as though it was yesterday.

At about 4.30 in the afternoon Mum decided it was time to go to the hospital. Dad was a builder, so could not be contacted at work. Mum had a bell which she was to ring from our balcony, so our neighbour, George, would come to take her to the hospital. It had been a bit of a joke for some time.

The bell was not needed. Dad came home and took Mum to nearby Southport hospital. He dropped her off at the front door, quite normal at the time, and drove home in about 15 minutes.

As he was walking up the stairs the phone rang and my younger brother, Robert, answered it. He has quite a deep voice for an 11year old and the nurse said, “Mr Kolkka you have a son.” Robert replied, “No, I have a brother.”

The three of us were piled into the car and off we went to see our new brother. I was 13 and the only one of us allowed into the maternity ward. The other two had to stand at the window and look in at Mum and wave.

I was one of the first people to see Pete, who was just an hour old. He was held up by a nurse from inside the nursery. He was a big baby and a bit bruised from his birth, but he soon grew to be a beautiful baby.

Pete was a surprise addition to our family. Once we all got over the shock, and he was born, we all loved him to bits and wondered what we did without him. While he could be naughty, he looked like an angel and could be hilarious and sweet natured.

Mum was 35 and Dad was 39 when he was born. They were considered to be quite old to be having a baby. Times have changed.

I am in Italy and don’t have any baby photos, but here is one of the four of us when he was about four. He had been practicing smiles all morning, but refused to offer any to the photographer when he arrived. We look like 2/3 of the Brady Bunch.

Pete was an early talker. I remember the boy next door to us saying…”You know, your brother, he speaks just like a human being.”

He had a few sayings that have been adopted by the rest of us. He called his toe nails his foot finger nails and he would claim to have a headache in his tummy.

Mum sent him off to work with Dad sometimes to get a short break. His time on a building site meant that he swore like a trouper at an early age. This came as a shock to some.

Because of his early talking and excellent memory, we thought he would be a genius. He is. He can build things, he can fix anything, he can do anything he puts his mind to, just like Dad could. He wanted to make a wallet, so he did and it looks just like one from the shops. He recovered his leather lounge and it looks like new. He has now moved on to cutting gemstones and making jewellery.

The tales of Pete’s mischief are legendary and mostly for family consumption. Here is an early example of what was to come.

Dad took Pete to what was to be his first day at kindergarten. He said goodbye and drove around the corner in time to see Pete climb over the back fence and run across the park behind the kindergarten. Dad scooped him up, took him home and kindy was put on hold for a while. I can still hear Dad laughing as he told the tale.

I have now known my brother for 60 years. I am happy that I was old enough when he was born to know and understand and love him from the start. I am very happy to have him in my life. It also helped when I had my son only 7 years later. I knew something of what to expect.

He and my son are more like brothers than uncle and nephew, but Pete is still called Uncly Pete from time to time. They are great mates.

Pete took on responsibility to pass on some of his knowkedge and expertise to his nephew. I overheard a lesson on the noble art of burping one day when my son was about three. Pete was a master in the art. After lots of practicing Brando caught on and Pete was heard to say “You’re learning son.” Brando has gone on to be a true star in the field, surpassing his uncle.

It is good that Pete, and his exceptionally wonderful partner, Annabel, live nearby.

Happy birthday Peter. I hope you have lots more!

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Posted in Family | Tags: birthday, family

Posted by: Debra Kolkka | May 21, 2026

Schiaparelli at the V&A London

I was lucky to be in London while the Schiaparelli exhibition is on at the V&A museum.

Elsa Schiaparelli was an Italian fashion designer.

She was born on 10th September 1890 into a wealthy aristocratic family. She died at 83 on 13th September 1973. Her Maison Schiaparelli was established in Paris in 1927. She ran it until the 1950s.

She began with knitwear. She launched a knitwear collection in 1927 featuring sweaters with surrealist troupe-l’oeil images.

The collection later included bathing suits, ski wear and linen dresses.

Her collections were famous for unconventional and artistic themes. She collaborated with Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau. She was regarded as one of the most prominent European fashion designers between the two World Wars.

She was influenced by Paul Poiret, whom she considered a mentor and friend. She had no training in pattern making and clothing construction. She draped fabric directly on the body, sometimes herself.

Evening wear was added in 1931, using luxury silks. Many designs a stunningly embellished with embroidery and beading. Some of these could still be worn today and look current.

Who doesn’t love a carrot button? I love these whimsical details.

Designed with Jean Cocteau…a bit blurry, sorry.

This is the famous lobster dress designed in collaboration with Elsa’s friend, Salvador Dali. It was worn by Wallis Simpson in a pre wedding photo shoot.

Beside it is the famous lobster telephone.

A bad photo of the famous shoe hat.

More hats.

There is a delightful collection of whimsical jewellery.

My favourite outfit was this gorgeous one. It was saved until last.

Daniel Roseberry took over as the creative director at Schiaperelli in 2019. He was born in Texas in 1985. He studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and then worked for Thom Brown for 10 years before moving to Schiaperelli.

I think he has done a good job carrying on the avant-garde and use of surrealism of Elsa Schiaperelli. He is interested in experimenting and pushing the boundaries of couture…as she did.

This red dress was worn by Ariana Grande.

This is incredible, possibly a little difficult to wear.

The scorpion one could be difficult too.

This jacket is incredible.

All are stunning works of art.

The final piece before the exit was this small example of the embroidery and beading by Maison Lesage, showing the decadent gold thread that would have adorned Schiaperelli evening wear. The padlock motif appeared in Elsa Schiaperelli’s 1935 Stop, Look and Listen collection as a striking suit fastener. A design feature across her garments and accessories, it remains an inspiration for Daniel Roseberry today.

Schiaperelli: Fashion Becomes Art.

The exhibition continues at V&A South Kensington is on until Sunday 8th November 2026.

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Posted in Fashion, London | Tags: Elsa Schiaperelli exhibition, fashion, London, V&A

Posted by: Debra Kolkka | May 11, 2026

Is returning to a place you liked a good idea?

Usually I find it fun to return to a place I have found delightful. It is a chance to rediscover pretty streets, a restaurant where a delicious meal was eaten, a lovely park or fun shop, and get to know a place better.

It doesn’t always work out that way. Recently we revisited a couple of towns we have loved on previous visits.

In 2011 we stayed in Saint-Tropez and fell in love with it. It still had a small village feel. It was calm and relaxed and we enjoyed our stay…click below to see what I wrote back then.

No Brigitte Bardot sighting in St Tropez

We returned in April 2026 to find it quite changed. The tiny harbour was packed with huge boats. The quaint restaurants on the edge have been replaced with much bigger, impersonal ones and big name shops have arrived in force.

I still found things to like, some the same as before.

Early in the morning you have the streets to yourself.

It was a little busier later on. We were in Saint-Tropez very early in the season. It was not busy and many of the shops were wait in to open.

It was wisteria time.

We were lucky to have blue skies.

I found a seriously cute shop, Damonte & Lacarrieu. They also have a shop at 7 Rue de L’Universite in Paris and one in Ibiza.

We had breakfast here.

This also looked cute.

The fish market is still there, but on the day we were in town there was only a tiny part open.

These cakes looked especially delicious.

As you can see Saint-Tropez is still lovely, (I have left out the bits I didn’t like) but it does not have the charm it did years ago. I imagine it must have been magical back in the 1950s and 1960s. I wish I had seen it then.

A short time later we stopped in Getaria in the north of Spain. We went there in 2018, mainly to see the Balenciaga museum. We were there on a Sunday and found a gorgeous little village and discovered the town’s other famous son, Juan Sebastian Elkano, the first man to circumnavigate the world…no, it wasn’t Ferdinand Magellan.

On the recent visit we found the town a bit uncared for. A lovely row of houses beside the port is a mess, the famous green door, all that is left of Elkano’s house, is covered with graffiti and the restaurant prices have skyrocketed.

It still a pleasant town and our very expensive fish lunch was delicious, but we won’t go back.

One new addition that was fun is a colourful mural beside Alkano’s statue at the entrance to the town. It is a long, narrow mural on a curved wall so I can only show you bits.

Elkano is still standing proudly in front of his town.

The main street still looks colourful.

We were disappointed with both places and won’t return. Fortunately there are lots of places I do love going back to…Lucca, Pietrasanta, Florence, Venice, Paris, London and more.

Here are the links to the 3 posts I wrote about our first visit to Getaria.

The Balenciaga museum

Balenciaga museum

About Getaria

Something in the water in Getaria

About Alkano’s voyage

A very special green door

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Posted by: Debra Kolkka | April 30, 2026

Spring in Bagni di Lucca

We arrived in Ponte a Serraglio, our little part of Bagni di Lucca, in February in time to catch the last of winter.

There have been trips to Torino,

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Florence,

Lucca,

Venice,

Rome,

Montenegro,

France and Spain, more to come on that.

Now spring has arrived and we have watched the trees turn green and flowers arrive.

Bright yellow canola flowers show up in fields. This one is beside the road to Lucca. It only lasts a couple of weeks, but looks spectacular while it lasts.

The tiglio trees have begun to form a tunnel on the road to Bagni di Lucca.

The trees on either side of the river have their new leaves.

Wild flowers and wisteria.

The pansies I planted on the bridge were pelted with rain and then strong wind, so didn’t do well. The hanging pots have lasted a bit longer.

I have now changed the ruined pansies with marigolds, which will hopefully survive the summer. There are now 2 wonderful people who are going to water them while I am not here.