GlobeTrotter Jon Haggins in Lucca, with Gabriele Calabrese – pt. 2

Posted on February 27, 2018 by admin

Part 2: In this episode, Jon Haggins strolls through the town and visits Palazzo Mansi. The palazzo is a tangible example of the opulence and power of Lucca past. Other landmarks are also viewed such as the Walls and some of the most beautiful historical gardens. The vegetation is, in fact, an element which ties the historical center to the ancient outlying “six-mile territory”. Borgo a Mozzano, Celle dei Puccini, and a farmhouse in Montecarlo, where typical local dishes are prepared, attest to the excellence of the rural historical landscape of what once constituted the territory of the ancient Republic of Lucca.

The Art of Taste and Taste in Art – Part 4

Posted on March 20, 2017 by admin

Now let us talk about a place where sophisticated food and delicacies would be prepared and served to a select minority: the palazzos of the wealthy. There are two aspects to Palazzo Mansi. It is an emblematic example of the many patrician residences in Lucca and also a national museum that houses numerous paintings, an art gallery. Many of the paintings portray products that were cultivated in the territory in the past (and are still cultivated today) and the commercial activities and customs that went hand-in-hand with the products. The palazzo is located at Via Galli Tassi, 43. The exterior of the building with its light-coloured plaster walls and rather insignificant shuttered windows does not, in any way, exhibit the Baroque magnificence of the interior nor the precious handmade articles also found within. This is typical of the reserved...