Barga is a tiny little town lodged in a hillside in the Serchio Valley below the Renaissance Il Ciocco in Tuscany. If you’re really (REALLY) in need of relaxation, this is the place to do it. Wake up late, have coffee and pastries on the balcony, and then take a step back in time into this quaint little village a short walk (yeah, right!?) from the hotel. Or, you can be like me and take the shuttle.
You absolutely MUST visit Barga if you’re in the area, but be forewarned, these folks are dead serious about their siesta time. If you laze around in the morning and arrive after lunch, you’ll be hard pressed to find any shops or eateries open until dinner time. Except for the little wine shop in the center of town…
I was in a boutique one afternoon, trying on a ridiculously expensive sweater and heard a voice from the doorway exclaim, “Bellissimo!” When I turned, there he was…white top hat and all. A dead ringer for Chef Boyardee himself, blowing me a kiss with all five fingers. I smiled and said, “Grazie,” and kept on with my shopping. When I left the store, I ducked in to the wine shop next door. It was so beautiful; I was amazed that such a tiny place could hold hundreds of bottles, all on display.
A lovely lady asked in very broken English if I was looking for anything specific (I wasn’t) so I asked if they had Moscato – a light bubbly white wine, pretty low in alcohol content as compared to others. It is pretty sweet and mostly disliked by real wine drinkers. This sweet lady turned and asked the Chef (who was the shop owner) if he had a bottle of Moscato. He was thoroughly disgusted. Perhaps even offended. He turned to me, grumbling in Italian. The part that I understood very clearly was “Ooooh, NOOOOO….Moscato per Bambinos!” I giggled, thanked him again and was off to find something else to get in to.
Following the windy, steep streets to wherever they go is what I like to do the most. Taking in the scenery, peeking in to open windows and getting a feel for what it must be like to live a care free life in such a beautiful, peaceful place. Many of the old homes are empty, their occupants long since moving to the more modern side of town. But while I’m here, I imagine what it must have been like to have walked along these streets when this little village was in its prime. I don’t know about you, but I long for those simple days.
