turn right
After several days of icy winds and snow flurries, this morning was sunny and bright. I thought it would be an excellent day for a walk over the hill directly in front of the apartment.
It is not all that far, but it is quite steep in parts. The road heads up past Bagni Caldi (thermal baths) and onward through chestnut and oak trees into the tiny collection of houses that is Colle.
under the chestnut trees
on the way to Colle
Along the way there are bee hives, rows of grape vines and small gardens. It all looks very pretty, but it must have been a fairly difficult existence when people relied on these things to survive. It probably didn’t seem quite so romantic then.
grapevines waiting for spring
bee hives on the way to Colle
Just past Colle is an old rustico- stone cottage – that I would like to be mine. Several years ago I scratched my name on one of the wooden beams in the hope that it would help things along. It hasn’t happened yet, but I can hope.
the path to the rustico
the rustico
just in case
Further up the hill is a green park with a tiny memorial to the Alpini, a band of soldiers.
the park at the top
Chiesina Alpini
a prayer for the soldiers
A lone cat watched me warily. I thought he must have been one of the many semi wild cats that are everywhere, but his owner called to him and he scampered off. I have seen this man before. He is often up there and I think he must take care of the area by trimming the grass and cutting back the trees.
the cat
a man and his cat
He showed me a huge pile of timber had had cut before he had a heart attack in December. He appears to be making a recovery. I hope so, the area needs someone to love it.
the wood pile
I walked down the other side of the hill to La Villa. On the way is Villa Ada, and abandoned villa that is crying out for some attention. Inside is the lovely little statue that is often seen in photos about Bagni di Lucca.
Villa Ada
the marble sculpture
The round trip takes about 2 hours. You could do it in much less time , but it’s so pretty, what is the rush?
helibores along the track
spring violets
tiny daisies
wild strawberries
[…] Bagni Caldi you can walk through cool chestnut forests and over the hill to La Villa. Wander through the grounds of Villa Ada, once the home of the […]
By: My first guest blog « Bagni di Lucca and Beyond on January 19, 2012
at 5:05 am
great post, thank you 🙂
By: Patrick Cahill on April 1, 2013
at 7:32 am