A beautiful day, so we decided to further explore the valley above Bagni di Lucca. We hadn't really been thinking about the "disastro"- the freak wind which has caused so much damage, but as soon as we began ascending in the car, we began seeing fallen trees. The paths we wanted to walk were however little affected, and we only had one small detour to make.
The villages had suffered very differently. Fallen roof tiles were in evidence everywhere, but San Gemignano had been hit particularly hard. Most roofs were affected, some very badly. Cars had been smashed by falling debris, and trees down everywhere. The roof construction of loosely laid tiles was vulnerable to this freak wind, but that also means that they can be rebuilt quickly (if the sarking is intact) by simply re-laying them.
Throughout the mayhem, the spring flowers were blooming in the warm sunshine ...
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| Just out of Bagni di Lucca, these shattered young chestnut trees were a taste of what was to come |
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| All tranquility on the crocus-strewn path |
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| The sign pointed to the "Old Well". It has been a spring which has been used in times past as a "lavatoio" - a communal clothes washing trough. |
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| Outskirts of San Gemignano - someone's precious(?) collection of old Vespas now sits exposed to the elements |
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| The process of relaying the roof is underway ... |
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| While the owners of this house (and shed) have a bigger job on their hands - before the next rain ... |
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| While the violets bloom on regardless ... |
you guys are doing an excellent job at documenting the "disastro", while enjoying the exercise and the spring flowers. Now Bill, don't forget that today, March 8th, is the day when men (young and old alike) give a branch of mimosa to their girls (giornata internazionale della donna). It's probably easier for you to find the mimosa in Barga -perhaps even in your own garden- than it is for me in Luxemburg, where this tradition is not on and there are no mimosa in the gardens.
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