Apuan Alps, Isola Santa, Barga and Garfagnana Day Tour

A magical day discovering the Apuan Alps Regional Park with the Lake Isola Santa, Barga and Garfagnana

On our Apuan Alps, Isola Santa, Barga and Garfagnana Day Tour, you will spend a lovely day in the Apuan Apls Regional Parks in Tuscany. Here, you will discover a very suggestive environment with harsh mountains and deep valleys. Moreover, you will admire the hidden village of Isola Santa and Barga, in the beautiful Garfagnana area.

The natural beauties of Northern Tuscany with the Garfagnana Valley and the Apuan Alps and the visit of the old towns of Isola Santa and Barga on our day tour

Private tour, Exclusive Experience
Enjoy a day in the Apuan Alps Park
Free Cancellation until 48 hours before the tour

Please, do not choose us if you like crowded tours.

The Apuan Alps Regional Park in Tuscany

The Apuan Alps are few kilometres from the Versilia Coast, between the Garfagnana Valley and Massa Carrara. The park features a spectacular natural environment. It is a unique scenery, that people can find in few other places in Europe. Indeed, this area is made up of different landscapes and contrasting climates. Compared to the nearby Apennines, the Apuan Alps have a very harsh morphology, with deeep valleys and impressive slopes. The geological evolution of this area brought to a high biodiversity in flora and wildlife. Additionally, the Apuan Alps hide many underground abysses. In the valleys, you find rivers and lakes. Here, the famous Carrara marble is extracted. Before heading to Isola Santa, we will visit the Pellegrini-Anselmi Botanical Garden. There we will have a walk with a nature guide. Afterwards, we will shortly stop at the old marble Henraux cave.

Discover the famous marble caves of Carrara.

The ghost town of Isola Santa

On our way to Garfagnana, we will stop in Isola Santa for approximately one hour. Here, you will discover an hidden village dating back to the Middle Ages. A small lake faces the village, where many pilgrims used to overnight. Indeed, people say the town was built as a resting place for travellers. In the 50’s the inhabitants left the town because of a hydroelectric power plant built here. Later on, in the 2000’s some of them came back and the village was restored. Today, you can admire rustic buildings and the Church of San Jacopo, built in 1260. Every ten years, the lagoon is emptied and a small stone bridge and a mill emerge from the lake. In fact, part of the village was submerged after the dam’s construction. After Isola Santa, we have lunch in a nearby trattoria and enjoy local specialties.

Read more about Isola Santa.

The medieval village of Barga, in the Garfagnana region

After lunch, we will reach the medieval hilltop town of Barga, in the heart of Garfagnana. This walled town dates back to Longobard origins. For years it also belonged to famous Florentine Medici family. Indeed, you find here many elegant palaces from the Renaissance period. Many narrow cobble streets surround the cathedral Collegiata di San Cristoforo. The cathedral features a Romanesque style and it is one of the best preserved in Tuscany. Every summer the Barga Jazz Festival takes place here. For the Italian literature lovers, Barga is considered the adoptive town of the famous Italian poet Giovanni Pascoli. Once he gave a speech in the Teatro dei Differenti. Moreover, he found inspiration here for one of his poems. The lanscape around the village is very suggestive. In fact, the town is located between the Apennines and the Apuan Alps.

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