To keep going a little longer with the bright colour theme, I would like to take you to a current exhibition at GoMA, our wonderful Gallery of Modern Art here in Brisbane. It is called Look Now, See Forever, showing the work of Yayoi Kusama, one of the most important and exciting contemporary artists to come from Japan.
She has been involved in film making, fashion, sculpting, writing, installation art and public happenings for nearly 60 years.
Born in 1929, Yayoi Kusama looks like no 81 year old I know. She suffers from ‘depersonalisation syndrome’ which leaves her suffering from hallucinations. Her art appears light hearted and whimsical and in glorious colour. She dresses to match her art.

I think my Mum needs a red wig.

Spots are a recurring theme. The exhibition begins with Dotted Pumpkins, gorgeous shiny pumpkins reflected in lots of mirrors.

We then move past the room where we see the artist telling her story and on to Dot Obsession, with giant inflatable objects covered with dots in a room covered with dots.

I wore a suitable dress to take the photos.

The next room is filled with her beautiful large scale works, Flowers that Bloom at Midnight.

The next room, which I think is everybody’s favourite, is where visitors get to take part. The Obliteration Room started out white. Visitors are handed cards of coloured dots and invited to stick them wherever they wish. By the time I made it to the exhibition the room had almost disappeared in a riot of colour.

Apparently, on opening day, a little girl was given the first card of dots and told she could put the dots wherever she wanted. She stuck the first one to herself.

GoMA does a wonderful job of making art accessible to everyone, particularly children. What better way to encourage an interest in art from an early age. Downstairs from the exhibition is a fairyland for children.

The detail in these installations is incredible.

Children can sit at a computer and create their own fantasy by gathering pieces to make their own art piece. What fun!!!

The exhibition is on until March 11, 2012. Go by yourself, or borrow a child and really have some fun. www.qag.qld.gov.au

As well as fishing, the island of Burano in the Venice lagoon is famous for lace making, and it is still possible to buy lace on the island. Unfortunately most of the lace for sale is not hand made and probably not made on Burano. You will know if it the genuine article by the price. We saw some beautiful hand made pieces and they were very expensive. This is quite justified when you consider the number of hours work in each piece.
Burano is also famous for its brightly colored houses. It is said that the houses were painted in different colours so the sailors and fishermen could identify their houses as they came in from the sea. Once again, this is probably no longer the case, but the houses certainly look lovely sparkling in the Venice sunshine, or even on a cloudy day as it was the day we were there. The sun peeped out from the clouds a couple of times just to show this pretty island at its best.

This is the main canal leading into the main piazza. I love the jumble of colours. What fun to live in a bright pink or orange house.

Burano – Vencie

This one was my favourite colour. It was the most gorgeous deep red. The photo is not quite true to colour.

When you can’t decide on one colour, pick two.

This would be a great spot for dinner in summer.

There was one building with medallions on the front with animals biting other animals. I have no idea of the significance of these. Perhaps someone out there knows.

It was good to see that the residents dress to match their houses.

At the entrance to the town is this sculpture of a young woman waiting for her sailor to come home and fearing that he won’t.

There is one in Portovenere of a completely different style. Click here to see it.

Catch the vaporetto to Burano at Fondamente Nove. It will be worth it.

Australians celebrate Australia Day today, 26th January, the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove in 1788. It is a public holiday, and a time to celebrate all things Australian.

We have had heavy rain this week and several official parties have been cancelled, but people will no doubt be throwing a chop on the barbecue and having a cool drink.

Brisbane is a modern colourful city. Here is a little bit of Australia for those of you who live elsewhere.

Have a great day!

Thank you WordPress for Freshly Pressing me. What fun!

To see another gorgeous city, take a look at my other blog – http://beautifulhelsinki.wordpress.com

I grew up in south east Queensland, a subtropical place, without much change from season to season. In Bagni di Lucca the seasons are clearly defined. I particularly love autumn in Italy, and autumn 2011 was the most beautiful I have seen. I became a bit obsessed with autumn leaves. I have already done a couple of posts on the beautiful trees around Bagni di Lucca. Here are some remnants of autumn in Italy.

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I love the patterns they make on the ground.

Click here and here to see more of lovely autumn.

The very lovely Nia of Nia Sunset has turned these leaves into works of art. Take a look here.

There are, of course, compensations for missing out on autumn colour here in Queensland. I found these on the footpath today when I walked into the city.

On a recent trip to Paris I became fascinated with the rooftops. I hope you find them as interesting as I did.

I love the chimneys. They come in all shapes and sizes

I would love an apartment here!

This could be my bedroom window.

This one would suit as well.

This cute little balcony had a view over the Seine. I took this photo from 

La Tour D’Argent, where I had the most delicious lunch.

There are so many beautiful apartments to choose from. All I need is a lot of money.

For more on heavenly Paris, take a look in the Paris category for places to see and delicious things to eat.

I have written about Ristorante Del Sonno in Bagni di Lucca before. It is one of our favourite places to eat, because of the delicious food and the company of Jayne and Ilario who own the restaurant.

The lovely Jayne kindly shared her recipe for saltimbocca with me and allowed me into her kitchen to watch her cook it. This Roman speciality is better here than at any restaurant I have been to in Rome.

The ingredients – thinly sliced veal, prosciutto and sage leaves. There is also stock which is waiting for the right moment to join the others.

Melt butter in a frying pan.

Fry the veal slices, which have been lightly coated in flour.

Turn the veal slices to cook both sides.

Put the prosciutto slices on top of the veal.

Next put the sage leaves on top.

Ladle enough stock into the pan to make a sauce for the saltimbocca.

Then serve it up. I usually have mine with grilled vegetables.

Jayne and Ilario have owned Del Sonno for about 10 years. Ilario grew up in Bagni di Lucca, but moved away to work. Jayne is English and came to Italy in 1982. Both come from a catering background but had taken time out to do other things.

Del Sonno has been established for around 150 years and Ilario and Jayne were delighted to find it for sale. I have since been contacted by a member of the original family who owned the restaurant. I will be keen to meet with her when I get back to Italy.

Jayne and Ilario have recently moved to the village of Gombereto. I was invited to lunch one day to their beautiful house and was given a guided tour of the village by Ilario.

Views from the village.

The town square.

Many of the houses are clustered together and joined by tunnels.

A lovely old doorway.

On one of the houses.

Say hello to Ilario and Jayne when you go to Del Sonno, and don’t forget to try the saltimbocca. Their wood fired pizzas are also excellent, making decisions very difficult.

 

Click here to see the earlier post on Del Sonno.

I was recently asked to put together an overview of what to do in Bagni di Lucca if you were only staying for a couple of days. Here is what I came up with.

Click on the highlighted words for more information.

Ponte a Serraglio - part of Bagni di Lucca

Bagni di Lucca is a collection of pretty villages in northern Tuscany in the Serchio Valley, close to an area called the Garfagnana. It is roughly 25 kilometres from Lucca, one of the lovliest towns in Italy.

 The road to Bagni di Lucca was built by Napoleon’s sister Elisa Bacocchio, who was Duchess of Lucca for a time. She liked to spend her summers in Bagni di Lucca, where she would  ’take the waters’  in one of the many thermal springs in the area.

The road from Lucca follows the winding Serchio river. The spectacular river valley is dotted with small villages and the views of the magnificent Apuane Alps make the drive a delight in any season. About 3 kilometres before Bagni di Lucca, at Borgo a Mozzano, is the stunning Ponte della Maddelena, or Devil’s Bridge.

Devil's Bridge

Just past the devil’s Bridge, the Serchio and the Lima river come together, and Fornoli, the first of the 3 villages that form the main part of Bagni di Lucca, comes into view.

 One kilometre up river is the hamlet of Ponte a Serraglio, the most picturesque of the villages along the river.

La Villa, the commercial centre where there are lots of shops and restaurants, is another kilometre up river. There are 25 small villages in the surrounding mountains, making up the wider Bagni di Lucca community.

Ponte a Serraglio is an excellent place to base yourself to discover the area. There is a good selection of hotels, B&Bs and apartments to choose from -  Villa Rosalena B&B,  Hotel Corona, Bridge Hotel, Villa Talenti and the Antico Albergo Terme at Bagni Caldi. The Stay in Bagni di Lucca page at the top of the blog gives more information on this.

I would suggest being up bright and early to start the day with an excellent cappuccino and one of Annalisa’s delicious pastries from Bar Italia or Il Monaco. Take the time to sit at the bar and watch the village come to life. Practise your very best Buongiorno! and make friends with a local.

Bar Italia

join the crowd at Il Monaco

After breakfast take a walk and discover the sights of Ponte a Serraglio. The first casino in Europe was built here in 1837. It was renovated several years ago and now looks just as it did when Puccini played there and it was visited by the VIPs of the day. There is a cafe and a restaurant and there is often live entertainment in the evenings.

the casino

Cross the passerella in front of the casino to Villa Fiori. If you are lucky there will be a local festival in full swing.

the walking bridge across the Lima

Villa Fiori across the bridge

artists' day at Ponte a Serraglio

Walk up to Bagni Caldi on the hill behind the casino and make an appointment at the thermal springs. It is possible to use the natural steam grottoes, one of which was the personal steam grotto of Napoleon’s sister. Rumour has it that Napoleon joined her on occasion. Follow up with a hot stone massage or one of the many theraputic services on offer.

Elisa's steam grotto

From 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 De’Nobili family. In summer it is possible to swim in the open air pool fed by thermal springs while taking in the spectacular view of the surrounding mounains.

Villa Ada

the thermal springs beside Villa Ada

There are lots of choices for lunch in La Villa. Trattoria Borghese is excellent value at about 6 euros for delicious local fare. We also like Osteria della Piazzetta. They specialise in fresh, local produce and have excellent wine.

Trattoria Borghese in La Villa

While in La Villa, call into the information office (open in the mornings, not Sunday) in case there is a performance at the local theatre, or an exhibition at the Circolo dei Forrestieri. It is amazing how much happens in this tiny place.

Then walk back to Ponte a Serraglio for a gelato and a rest, or a treatment at the spa, before an aperitivo at Bar Italia. Ristorante Vinicio, beside the bridge, serves excellent wood fired pizzas for dinner or wander up to La Villa to Del Sonno and try Jayne’s delicious saltimbocca.

saltimbocca at Del Sonno

The next day you could take a drive to Lucca or some of the surrounding mountain villages. If you don’t want to go that far, the Lovers’ Walk along the river at La Villa is delightful. There used to be a walking path all the way from La Villa to Ponte a Serraglio and recently part of the walkway has been restored. It is dedicated to the Barrett Brownings who spent a few summers in Bagni di Lucca.

dedicated to the Barrett Brownings

Lovers' Walk in spring

Go across the walking bridge to visit the English cemetery and wander through the wonderful old headstones. The English church in La Villa now houses a library with some excellent historical material.

the bridge to the English cemetery

one of the headstones in the English cemetery

These are just a few suggestions on how to spend a couple of days in lovely Bagni di Lucca. Of course, there is much more to see if you have more time, but do take the time to smell the roses – or pansies. There is a reason why Bagni di Lucca has been popular with artists and writers, including Shelley and Byron, for centuries. Peace and beauty and a sense of history are still drawing people to the area.

pansies on the Ponte a Serraglio

 I have also started another blog about Helsinki. My grandfather was Finnish and I absolutely love Helsinki and Finland. I travel there several times a year and have gathered hundreds of photos of this gorgeous city. Not nearly enough people know just how beautiful Helsinki is. Hopefully I can spread the word. Take a look at http://beautifulhelsinki.wordpress.com

I love fish markets and the one in Venice is one of the most interesting I have seen. Apart from the addition of refrigeration it probably looks much as it has for centuries in its position beside the Grand Canal. The decoration at the top of the columns in the covered area is particularly lovely.

A lot of care is put into the displays of the seafood. I would like to have an apartment with a kitchen so I could try some of the things I saw. Some things were familiar and others not.

I not sure about the last photo. Are they oysters?Any suggestions?

The lovely Paolo has opened a new gelateria at Fornaci di Barga. I missed the opening by a few days. Fortunately Rosi and Adriano were there and took some photos for us.

Paolo's new gelateria

The new gelateria is in the main street of Fornaci di Barga, not too far from Bagni di Lucca. He still has the one a Gallicano so now we have 2 places to go to find the very best gelato.

Paolo raises a glass

 

 

the new shop

 

 

Daniella and Mauro, Paolo's proud parents

 

 

choosing the right flavour can be difficult

 

 

Enrico enjoying the party

 

I will be back soon to have a nocciola, pistachio or perhaps a chocolate or possibly a yoghurt. Paolo makes the best gelato.

 

 

 

Auguri Paolo, I wish you all the best in your new shop

We love Paolo. We wish he was still with us at Ponte a Serraglio, but he is not far away so we can visit often.

Here is another photo of lovely Paolo, there can never be too many. This one was taken when we called in to check on the progress of the new shop.

the lovely Paolo

Click here to see the first post on Paolo. He was the very first person I met in Ponte a Serraglio.

 

We have a baby blue Fiat 500. It is the new model, not the absolutely gorgeous old one. We still see quite a few of the original Bambinos scooting around Italy. I love them.

This little blue one was standing in the rain in Trastevere, Rome.

It looks good from any angle.

Just around the corner I spotted this cute van.

It is very well cared for.

This little baby was hanging around in Florence.

Fiats get around. This one was advertising  a restaurant  in Helsinki.

Siena had one too.

On holidays by the sea in Rapallo.

Bagni di Lucca has a few. As well as this orange one there is a gorgeous chartreuse one scooting around. If I ever find it standing still I will photograph it.

You can see how small they are!! Jim is standing beside this Fiat in Bologna.

Jim standing beside a Bambino in Bologna - I didn't have a matchbox

Our Fiat lives in Brisbane.

la nostra machina

In Italy we drive a Toyota Corolla.

Click here to see more on our baby blue Fiat.