Weather ...

All Italy seems to have been beset by storms yesterday.  We had spectacular rain, wind and thunder and lightning, but thankfully the Garfagnana has escaped the worst of it.

Not much of a photo!  - the amount of rain we received overnight ...

Promise of better weather ahead ...

Cotognata, membrillo, quince jelly ...

As forecast, the weather has got warmer, wetter and windier.  Today it excelled itself, with very high wind squalls, torrents of rain - and temperatures above 20°, very weird.

As Pietro and Marijke have a quince tree here in the garden, Barbara decided to tackle the making of some quince jelly - called cotognata here, and popular in Spain, where it is called membrillo.  Generally it's a bit thicker than jam, and can even be sliced as an accompaniment to cheese. 

The best view we had all day!

A trio of quinces waiting for the chop ...

Coognata - the white flesh of the quince changes to pink and even to ruby red during the cooking process

Up in the woods

It is looking like yesterday was the last day of summer - the forecast is for rain and thunderstorms for the foreseeable future!  So we drove up to the little village of Tiglio and did part of the walk along the old trail up to Renaio.  Quite difficult underfoot, with fallen leaves very slippy though dry, and the new chestnuts like
walking on ball-bearings!

Denizen of the woods: 1

Denizen of the woods: 2

Denizen of the woods: 3

Sunrise to sunset ...

We were all up before sunrise yesterday to get Izzy and Mike down to Barga-Gallicano station.  Then a quiet day - for us - and a beautiful sunset over the Pania.

The train for Pisa heads away from the station ...

... and Barga duomo is just visible in the middle distance

All the Cs ...

On Wednesday, we took Izzy and Mike to Castiglione for coffee, then through the market town of Castelnuovo and up past the villages of Colle and Croce and via a detour through the chestnut forest to Carregine where we had a picnic lunch.

Castiglione - posing after coffee with the Pania in the distance

Castiglione - another medieval bridge over another very dry river (all set to change soon, apparently!)

Chestnuts glowing in the sun

A metato (chestnut kiln) lurks among the trees, with its stock of fuel neatly stacked on left

A new one on us - a chestnut harvester - basically a giant hoover for the forest floor!

Almost back at Barga (at St Pietro in Campo) we spotted Luciano with part of their flock enjoying a bite ...

... as did we later, in a pizzeria down in Fornaci di Barga

Izzy and Mike ...

On Sunday, we met Izzy and Mike at Pisa airport and did a whirlwind tour of sights before we we made it to La Serra just before dark.

Next day, a visit to Barga where we found Candida and Luciana in the dairy and Luciano and Marisa roasting chestnuts nearby - a very rural scene, and a great welcome as usual.

B&B left the car at Borgo a Mozzano station to continue to Pisa airport to meet Izzy and Mike

A visit to The tower is a must

At the Sunday antiques market in Lucca

At Borgo a Mozzano in front of the medieval bridge built in the time of Countess Matilda of Tuscany around 1100 AD

Next day, along at the farm to say hello, and get some cheese - with Candida and Luciana

Last stop before lunch - at the duomo

Lunch at last ...

Winter wood

Time to top up the wood supplies for our winter heating - and turning!  The wood arrived on Monday - tipped in a huge pile down the steep slopes of the terraced garden.  A lot of barrowing later, and we have a respectable woodpile to last us through to January.

Filling the barrow ...

Finished! (Note olive tree snugly embedded among the beech logs}

A collared dove outside the window this morning, with the distant village of Verni behind.  I had hoped it was a turtle dove, but I think they are a good deal rarer ...

Up a hill ...

With the weather continuing equable, and no snow yet on the tops, we decided to attempt to climb the Pania della Croce (6100 ft) - this is the mountain which dominates our view to the West, and which we have climbed twice before.

Being a Sunday, the hill was quite busy, but it's good to have folk around ...

The mountain seen from where we parked the car - the actual peak is the one in the dead centre of the photo

A couple of hours steady climbing brings us almost to the tree line ...

Spectacular limestone mountain scenes unfold

After a short break at a mountain refuge, we head for the rocks - the gully we are aiming for is the dark one an inch to the left of Barbara's back ...

Some quite big steps here, among the rocks

Four hours in, and we reach the summit ridge

After a bite to eat - on the descent down the ridge

Still on the summit ridge, with the prominent subsidiary peak of the Pania Secca in the background

Lovely leaves, eight hours later as we approach the car ...

Bye bye Betty ...

Thursday dawned dull and wet - a pity as it was Betty's last day - but then it was the only rain she'd seen in ten days ...

We went to Lucca for lunch - still many tourists, and now marquees are springing up in all the piazzas - it's Lucca Comics Festival soon. (Lucca has almost as many festivals as Orkney!)

With the pansies in Lucca.  

Betty heads off to security in a strangely quiet Pisa airport ...

A trip to Foscandiora

On Wednesday, we headed up to Foscandiora for a walk among the grapevines.  This village is one of a cluster of five small villages, where Scottish artist John Bellany latterly had his home.

Although in Tuscany, the Garfagnana is not a commercial wine-producing area.  However the slopes around Fosciandora, are ideal for viticulture, and produce plenty wine for domestic use.

Climbing up to Lupinaia ...

... and the steep slope to get down again - thankfully not slippery

Vespas in the vineyard - handy transport and a splash of colour

Lovely colours, as autumn creeps across the rows

Although nearly all the grapes have been picked, this vine seemed to have escaped - perhaps to be used for the table?

On the other side of  the valley, clouds begin to gather over the Pania

A light refreshment on the terrace to round off the day - the cicadas are still singing - just!

Florence

Yesterday we had a day out in Florence.  A  little bit of market shopping, and a little bit of rubbernecking.  It was warm, and the tourist quotient certainly put Orkney's moans about cruise ships into perspective ...

At the duomo

The wonderful campanile, designed by Giotto - first stone laid in 1334

Another famous tower - the Palazzo della Signoria - glimpsed up a side street

Beside the Uffizi gallery, on the banks of the Arno

On the way to lunch - Ponte Vecchio ...

... Lunch! (at the Pitti Palace)