9960 Remembering Dead Poets

It is great to see that poets are not forgotten and people honour them. This was the case on Saturday 31st May at Bagni di Lucca when Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett were remembered in a great event that took practically most of the day and which was very well attended. Organised by the Michel de Montaigne Foundation, a new body created this year to foster cultural and other events of interest to the Comune and its inhabitants, it included the inauguration of a promenade on the river bank dedicated to the couple. It was so successful that the Foundation decided to celebrate a festival of friendship between Bagni di Lucca and the UK on the 31st of May of each year, using different themes, including gastronomy. The town was heavily decorated with the Italian, British and European flags and the atmosphere was festive, indeed. I have just heard that a similar day will be held in August to honour Luise de la Ramée, also known as Ouïda, another British writer who is buried at the English Cemetery in Bagni di Lucca.
Most of the ceremonies took place at the former Anglican Church, now converted into a Public Library. According to the organisers, the idea was to foster a strong relationship between local people and foreigners, particularly EU members. And they managed quite well. It had the support of the British Consul in Florence and the British Institute.
If you want to know more about the event, Council has published this piece of news:
[url=http://80.17.156.51/pages/newsn.asp?id=425]comune di Bagni di Lucca[/url]