Celebrating Easter with Family and Friends
The Tandem Spirits enjoyed spending the long Easter weekend visiting family and friends in Lucca and Pisa.
We drove to Lucca on Saturday and checked into our hotel, TangoHotel in the San Concordio neighborhood. We hadn’t stayed in this part of town before and didn’t know what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised. Our room was nice, clean and comfortable. The shower was hot and strong. They didn’t provide breakfast, but il Fornaccio Pancaffè, an excellent bakery, was just a block from the hotel. Another bonus was that it is only a 10 minute walk to get to the center of Lucca.
Lunch at Ristorante des Arts
We went to one of our favorite places in Lucca for lunch, Ristorante des Arts. James had Risotto with Saffron and artichokes, Virginia had the Risotto with Asparagus. Both were excellent.
It was a perfect day to spend wandering around the town. While Lucca is much bigger than Foligno, they are both walled cities that are not on a hillside. Our town could learn a lot from them about cultivating and maintaining a city that is clean, inviting and vibrant with almost no traffic within the walls.
Dinner at L'isola Che Non C'era
Around 8pm, we wandered about looking for a place to have dinner. On a side street we came across L’isola Che Non C’era. For the appetizer, we split an order of meatballs. For our main course, James ordered Cinta Senese pork ribs and Virginia ordered a vegetable soup. Everything was delicious. When James asked for an amaro after dinner they offered him a taste of Belfiore, an amaro from Sicily with orange, lemon, wild artichoke and aromatic herbs.
Easter Sunday with the Cousins!
On Easter Sunday we started out visiting James’ cousin Laura and her family in San Leonardo in Treponzio. It was a big group, 14 people! Easter lunch started with lasagna, made by Laura’s mother, Emma. This was followed by the meat course, which include fired lamb, roast pork, and roast beef with potatoes. For dessert there was an apple cake and a traditional Colomba di Pasqua, which includes fruits and nuts and is vaguely in the shape of a dove. Of course there were also chocolate eggs. In Italy you know that it is Easter time when you see a whole aisle of Columbus and chocolate Easter eggs. The Chocolate eggs here are large and hollow. You smash them when you unwrap them and there is usually a small trinket inside.
James’ cousins in Lucca are the Luporis who are his paternal grandfather’s kin. The Tandem Spirits met them the first time in 1981. Of course, much has changed over the years. The picture below really captures the passing of time. There are four generations: On the left is Laura holding Alice. In the middle is Emma and on the right is Giulia.
Then, to Natalia's House for Easter Dinner!
In the early evening, we went to James’ cousin Natalia’s house in Sant’Andrea in Caprile. They had already had Easter Lunch, but around 7 pm, the food started coming out again and we had a small Easter Dinner. There was fried baccala, stuffed artichokes, a savory salmon cheesecake, quiche, and chocolate from the Easter eggs.
Little Easter in Pisa and Colle di Compito
The Monday after Easter in Italy is called Pasquetta, or little Easter. It is traditional to spend the day outdoors with friends. Our colleague Davide is from Viareggio, near Pisa and he was kind enough to invite us to join him and some of his friends for a barbecue at a national park near Pisa. This is a 30 minute drive from Lucca and we had never been to the park before. We enjoyed the BBQ and talking with his friends who were really nice young people! We also went for a walk in the park. Much of it is protected and can’t be visited without a guide. It’s quite impressive!
Monday was also James’ cousin Roberta’s birthday! She and Laura are Emma’s daughters. She had a huge party at her house in Colle di Compito. They had a large array of tasty finger foods, salads and pizza, followed by a delicious fruit pastry cake.
It was wonderful to spend the weekend catching up with the family. We usually only get up there a few times a year, but we enjoy spending time with all of them. Many don’t speak English, so our Italian skills get a work-out.
