Via Della Dogana – eight more years in Lucca

July 2020

Having finally completed our move to Via Della Dogana, just around the corner from the Duomo and Piazza San Martino, I began to settle in by developing the small balcony as a place to catch the sunshine. Although Jan and I had spent seven good years in Via Di Poggio, we missed some outdoor space and wanted an unfurnished apartment that we could furnish ourselves with our own style etc. All we needed for the new apartment was a new dining table, a double-bed, and wardrobes.

As July progressed the virus restrictions eased, Jim Doyle was convinced he could make from scratch a four-poster double-bed out of finished pine. The simple style was from one Jan and I had seen awhile ago in Pervinca’s shop window. Jim really enjoys working with all types of wood such as olive wood and oak in his garage/workshop underneath his and Sheri’s apartment in Corso Garibaldi. Together we went to a huge timber outlet Gaddi Spa just north of Lucca and with some persuasion we organised delivery of enough timber that same afternoon, allowing Jim to start work immediately.

The design of the four-poster had to be that we could break in down into component parts and rebuild it in the bedroom in Della Dogana. As can be seen from the photographs below, the bed was an excellent addition to our other furnishings. With the offer of a couple of my oil paintings, Jim was happy to design a studio-quality painting easel that could accommodate larger than normal size canvases.

Coin Casa in Via Cenami in Lucca’s centre is an inspiring shop selling household indoor and outdoor furniture, china and glassware, kitchen, and soft furnishings. Here we purchased a sleek Tuscan-style dining table and table and chairs for the patio that almost completes our new apartment, just wardrobes left to fit.

In the north-facing second bedroom we arranged as a small tv room and painter’s studio. When the light is right, it provides a quiet space to paint and has encouraged me to do more, including ‘surprise’ double-portraits of good friends Eddie and Steve. The work was from a photograph taken several months ago that jokingly I named ‘The Guvnors’ since both came from hard north London backgrounds.

I am continuing to paint portraits of Puccini and hopefully these works derived from old photographs of the maestro can be produced as limited print editions for distribution throughout Lucca and online using the expertise of Steve in the print industry. At present we are looking for some to be in collaboration with the Puccini Foundation.          

Having lived in Via Della Dogana for several months, my daily routines have altered slightly. Now in a different area of Lucca I have become acquainted with the people, shops and bars that includes Bar Ristro in Corso Garibaldi, a family enterprise run by Roberto Bertolucci with homemade lunches cooked by his wife Sabrina. He serves great coffee by Melitto and offers excellent value lunches that include the Lucca specialties Tordelli Lucchese and Spaghetti Scoglio and is patronised by a loyal local cliental.