Olive Oil

Following the recommendation of Chef Gianluca, we traveled to the sleepy little village of Pieve di Compito, just a few kilometers southeast of Lucca, to purchase some local olive oil. We were met by Claudio Orsi, a charming winemaker and olive producer who also runs an agro-tourism small inn. His English is very limited and our Italian is even more limited, but we were able to taste and purchase some delicious wine and olive oil. We also learned that we could come back on Friday, on last full day in the region, for a lunch featuring all local food. We certainly were not about to pass such an opportunity.

The lovely Tuscan countryside near Lucca.

A vintage Lamborghini...

...towing a special model of Ferrari.

Joy with the resident cat.

A lemon tree just outside the door. Very convenient for lemonade, or Limoncello.

A wide variety of herbs on the edge of the patio.

A beautiful lunch inside the farm house.

Our very friendly host, Claudio Orsi.

Mario

Special dinner by Gianluca

Following our cooking class with Chef Gianluca Pardini, he offered that we go back to the International School of Italian Cuisine for a dinner on the terrace of the lovely villa where the school is located in the country. The setting was fabulous, the ambiance was very relaxed and friendly, and the food was fantastic. Fresh, sophisticated, and extremely tasty!

The whole gang getting ready for a very special dinner evening.

The Gagnons all dressed up.

Mother and daughter both looking lovely.

Enjoying the company of two other visiting families on the patio before dinner.

Having a nice conversation with Chef Gianluca.

Joy being treated with birthday cake.

Getting the attention of Chef Gianluca.

Joy is now officially a teenager!

Thank you Chef Gianluca for such a memorable dinner.

Mario

Joy's three birthday wishes

Joy had three wishes for her 13th birthday in Tuscany. Eggs Benedict from Aunt Kate, going to Pisa and having a picture of her "holding" the tower, and swimming in the Mediterranean. Wishes granted!

You can always count on Aunt Kate to make her delicious Eggs Benedict for a large gathering, anywhere in the world.

A lovely brunch on our balcony.

Pisa, with the Duomo and the leaning campanile.

The severity of the leaning is more apparent close by.

Joy holding the tower.

The mandatory family shot in front of the tower.

A replica of the famous Roman she-wolf suckling the infants Remus and Romulus.

Another perspective to appreciate the amplitude of the leaning.

The Baptistry facing the Duomo.

The beautiful beach near Pisa with rows after rows of chairs and umbrellas.

Joy getting ready to test the waters.

A lovely beach.

Joy and Vicki enjoying the gentle surf and the warm water.

Mario

Puccini

Lucca is the birth place of Giacomo Puccini, perhaps the greatest opera composer. There is a permanent festival dedicated to the music of Puccini that offers a simple performance sampling some of his most famous operas. We were able to see a performance in the beautiful Basilica di San Giovani with a soprano and a baritone, accompanied by a pianist. Excellent music and very high caliber performances. Simple and beautiful.

Giacomo Puccini.

Mario

Lucca at night

The city of Lucca is as lovely in the evenings as it is during daytime. The temperature cools down a bit, the shops are open, and the multitude of restaurants and gelaterias get ready to welcome customers looking for delicious Tuscan food or simply for a lovely gelato to cool off while strolling through the maze of narrow streets and small piazzas.

On our first night, we went to the main square to hear Neil Young perform in the Lucca Summer Music Festival. We did not have tickets to actually get into the audience area, but we could still hear the music very well and catch a glance of what was going on stage on one of the large projection screens.

The gang in Lucca.

The old man signing "Alabama", viewed on a large screen.

Maggie, Dorcas, Michael H., Joy and Vicki enjoying the music.

The twilight at sundown seemed to last a long time, and allowed for very nice photography of this old city.

One of the many, many beautiful churches.

 Did I mention that the food in Lucca was fantastic?

Restaurants on a small piazza.

Another wonderful group dinner at an outside table.

Puffed pastry with roasted vegetables and a cheese sauce.

Paccheri with veal and rabbit stew with a potato mousse.

The gate with the full moon in the background.

Another restaurant along a small street.

The restaurant of beautiful Palazzo Bernardini.

Scialiatelli with black truffles.

A fantastic suckling pig roast with a red onion sauce and spinach.

A very civilized way to finish a lovely evening.

One of the many geckos coming out to say good night.

Mario