Two weeks previous to our planned visit to Tuscany the ‘travelling section’ of the Prestonpans art group breathed a collective sigh of relief. The drama and the dust from the Icelandic volcano had receded, and we resumed our rummaging; in lofts, in dark cupboards and under the stairs, for suitcases and travel bags, tubes half full of sun screen, or acrylic paints, and sandals, squashed desperate for an airing.
On Tuesday 4th May with only two days to go, a new cloud of ash stole in stealthily and settled over Scotland. Anxious texts, phone calls and e mails flew around, all hoping that one of the others might know a bit more, have a clearer idea……. What were the chances of our flight taking off? On Thursday 6th May we left Prestonpans anyway, our suitcases set for sun, and heartened by internet assurances that our plane was scheduled to go, and, it did.
For Scots the weather is a constant inconstant, we always anticipate more of it, but travelling to Tuscany we had hoped for less of it. Along our way the gods threw the whole seasonal jigsaw in the air, and the pieces landed all over the place. Wind and ash from Iceland, Edinburgh bathed in sunshine, and landing into a cloudburst in Pisa, which we ran through it to get to our seats on the spotless Biagi bus, and continue our journey on to the beautiful walled city of Barga Vecchia. For several of our party, we headed up to the magnificent Conservatorio di Santa Elizabetta, just below the Duomo. Here was our elegant and atmospheric dwelling place for the week, made available to us by a generous extension of hospitality on the part of the Comune di Barga. We felt very privileged.
Home is where……
Prestonpans and Port Seton in Scotland are small towns on the coast of East Lothian.The Sea is to us what the mountains are to Barghigiani, part of the air we breath and often a presence that provides a catalyst for our changing moods and emotions and the backdrop to so much of our creative outlet. Barga and Prestonpans are twin towns, drawn together in this instance by our links with the great artist John Bellany, who was born and raised by the sea in Port Seton, and now lives, inspired, on a mountain in Tuscany just beyond Barga, for more that 20 years past.
We too made the journey to Barga looking for inspiration, and we found it over and over again. Several of us had travelled to Barga before, to sing or paint, or, in the case of Hamish Moore to play and build his beautiful Scottish small pipes. We returned with a joy that was unconfined, to friends and familiar faces and places. For others who were new to Barga, there was all the excitement of finding the best ice cream shop in the world, working out the ‘secret code’ of the bells at the Duomo, or finding themselves part of the everyday film show flickering quietly away in the corner of the Barga Book Exchange.
Throughout our week in the town, the un-seasonal (for Barga) weather was a major topic of conversation for both Barghigiani and visitors alike. Fair weather shifted to hard rain, and soft rising mists to sparkling light, and colours that changed almost as fast as we could mix them on our painting pallets. Days folded into one another in a vivid mix of good food, and drink, conviviality and above all painting. The weather showed us the changing scenes and hues of Barga, and we attempted to capture them quickly, in the knowledge that each view was a one off, brought about by a shift in a fleeting cloud formation. We painted; from the Duomo, from an Altana in the old town, in doorways and stairways, in beautiful gardens and from the windows of the Conservatorio itself. We simply painted through the weathers.
Some in the group were greedy capturers of light and hue and had to record what we saw there and then. Other walked and talked through the week taking it all in, to return to their easels at home in Scotland, warm with inspiration. Some recorded our collective experience on camera.
Our favourite meeting place Aristos bar, proved to be a welcoming spot for our impromptu exhibitions at the end of a painting day. Prosecco or beer in hand we surveyed the days work and felt warmly encouraged and supported by the people of Barga who sat with us, or passed, smiling and enjoying our pleasure.
Those of us who left the walls to walk for an hour or two, found ourselves moving up through soft air and scents, that let you know, that Spring had really been here all the time, in the wild flowers, butterflies and in the green green foliage all around. Others got on buses and enjoyed travelling with the school children through the different hamlets, to their homes in and through the hills.
On Sunday the heart beat of the old town pulsated to drums pounded by men and women dressed in velvets so rich, you could almost feel the great softness of their touch. They were followed by lords and ladies in heavy brocades and satins, and by pilgrims in plain linens, and then most importantly by fierce archers protective of their domains. A great feast for all the senses.
Each day we looked forward to meals made from the best local produce. Tasty lunches in small cafes and bakers, and hearty dinners in the restaurants and trattorias, almost always accompanied by the delicious local red wines, and served up with a warmth of spirit that added even more depth to the flavour.
Two days before we left the sun shone for us, and as Barga sparkled in all her finery, we purred with the pleasure of the suns warmth. We had been able to produce so much work through the week, that we decided to hold a miniature exhibition in the Conservatorio, and invite people who had been interested and curious about how we had been doing. We then attended a small reception with the Mayor Marco Bonini, we were happy to be able to present him with a painting of Barga, painted for the occasion by our Art tutor Tom Ewing.
On this occasion we were accompanied by a group of children from Longniddry in East Lothian, who sang beautifully in Italian and Scots, as we gathered to record the event on the wonderful balcony of The Comune building.
Even now we are all in our various ways planning our returns, Some in two years, some almost immediately, to take part in The Hamish Moore School of Scots Music that will take place this year in June. For almost all of our group members the questions seems not to be if, but when.
Barga’s beauty is immediate and intense, turning a corner can startle you with any number of perfect connections between the natural landscape and the towns built architectural landscape. But, there is also another, slower, more peripheral beauty, of the memories that come back to us and seep out warmly into a Scottish winter evening, a glass of good wine, bringing back smells of flowers you hadn’t been aware of, or a song you forgot you had sung, or a photograph that once in your hands can recall for you the exact moment of the shutters click, a moment you knew even then you would treasure forever.
There are many people we would like to thank, but it’s too difficult in case we miss someone out, but we would like to single out Sonia Ercolini in particular. She has simply been ‘Our woman in Barga’, our connector to possibility. Many thanks Sonia from the Prestonpans Art Group.
Article by Martine Robertson.
Photo links by May Cruickshank
Alleys and doors
Artists and musicians
Buildings and vistas
Laundry
Seen around Barga
Things medieval
