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Half Day Private Tour to the Garfagnana Valley and the village of Barga
On our Half Day Private Tour to Barga and Garfagnana from Lucca, you will discover the beautiful Garfagnana Valley in the county of Lucca. Moreover, you will admire the famous Devil’s Bridge in Borgo a Mozzano and the medieval village of Barga.
Private tour from Lucca to the medieval Barga in the heart of the Garfagnana Valley
Please, do not choose us if you like crowded tours.
Enjoy nature, history and art in the beautiful Garfagnana Valley on our Private Tour from Lucca
Garfagnana is a beautiful montainous region in the north west of Tuscany. It is located between the Apennines on the east and the Apuan Alps on the west. It features a suggestive contrast for the presence of harsh mountains and green valleys. The area is ideal for oudoor activities, walking and hiking. The river Serchio crosses this valley and Monte Prado is the highest mountain here with 2.054 mt above the sea level. In this valley, we found also many medieval villages, rich in art and history. Among these, the hilltop town of Barga and the small Borgo a Mozzano. In this last village, we will stop to admire the famous Devil’s Bridge (officially Ponte della Maddalena) with its asymmetrical arches.
Garfagnana and the Mid Serchio Valley.
From your Hotel / Accommodation / Port to the Valley of Garfagnana
We can pick you up from your accomodation in Lucca or from the Cruise Terminal if you are travelling on a cruise ship. From there, you will board our comfortable minivan and start our Half Day Private Tour to Barga and Garfagnana from Lucca. We will drive through the beautiful Tuscan countryside towards the Garfagnana Valley, in the north west of Tuscany.
Read more about Garfagnana in our blog.
Stop at the Devil’s Bridge on our way to Garfagnana
During our trip, you will be able to admire a very suggestive landscape, full of marvellous green valleys and old medieval towers. Following the course of the river Serchio, we will have a stop at the medieval Ponte della Maddalena (Maddalena’s Bridge), in the town of Borgo a Mozzano.
The bridge was built in the XII century and it is a good example of medieval engineering. The structure is quite irregular, with asymmetric arches (a large one next to three smaller ones). Because of this peculiar shape and the legend behind its construction, the bridge is more commonly known as the Devil’s Bridge.
Indeed, it seems that the inventor of this bridge asked for the Devil’s help to build it. According to a popular legend, the Devil who accepted to do it in one night in exchange for the soul of the first person to cross the bridge. However, the constructor felt guilty about this pact. So, he confessed everything to the Bishop of Lucca, who made a pig cross it before someone died. The Devil took the pig and disappeared in the river waters. But locals say the Devil was furious about being fooled. Apparently, he is still waiting to get his debt paid.
The Medieval Castles in Garfagnana
Since the Garfagnana Valley alway featured a very strategic position, many battles happened here. Therefore, many fortresses were built in order to keep the surrounding areas under control. In this natural environment, you can find many castles and travel back to the Middle Ages.
The most famous fortresses in this area are: the Ariostesca Fort in Castelnuovo, the Verrucole Fort and the Castle at Montalfonso. Each of them offers a lot to see in terms of architecture and culture.
Nowadays, most of the fortresses hosts cultural and musical events.
During our Day Tour to Garfagnana we will have the chance to visit one of these medieval castles.
Discover the elegant old village of Barga in Garfagnana
Our last stop will be in Barga, one of the most charming medieval villages in Tuscany. The Italian Touring Club recently assigned to Barga the “orange flag”, that is a reward for its excellence in tourism hospitality. Additionally, it was recognized as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Barga is rich in hisory and architecture withm many civic and religious buildings to visit. Among these:
- Casa Pascoli, where the important Italian poet Giovanni Pascoli lived for more than 10 years,
- the Teatro dei Differenti, where the poet gave one of his most famous speeches,
- Collegiata di San Cristoforo, considered one of the most important Romanesque cathedrals in Tuscany.
Moreover, Barga was also named “the most Scottish town in Italy”. Indeed, many Scottish migrants came here at the beginning of the 20th century and today you find also some
| DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION | From your Accommodation in Lucca | ||
| DURATION | About 4/5 hours | ||
| DEPARTURE: | 9:30 am | ||
| SUGGESTED CLOTHING | Comfortable clothing, hat, jacket and sunscreen. | ||
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| NOT INCLUDED |
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Itinerary:
Departure From Your Accomodation
Visit the Devil's Bridge
Visit in a Medieval Castle
Visit the village of Barga
Return at your Accomodation
Request More Info About Half Day Private Tour to Barga and Garfagnana from Lucca
Terms And Conditions
- Deposit 30% is required at reservation time, by credit card or paypal (in both case 4% more) in order to guarantee your reservation.
- Due payment may be made 15 days in advance by the same way or the day of tour in cash in Euro
- There will be a full charge to your deposit for bookings canceled less than 7 days prior or for no-shows.
- No charge for cancellations made with at least 7 days prior notice. If you are interested in proceeding we will send you the complete terms of service upon request.
- They can also be viewed on the website by clicking the TERMS AND CONDITIONS link at the bottom of any page.
Tour Reviews
Our family of 9 did this half-day tour with Amelia, who was a wonderful guide: very knowledgeable, personable, and good with our young grandchildren. The Garfagnana area is a very special place in Italy and we loved walking around Barga as well as having a delicious lunch there. The scenery was breathtaking and we were very comfortable in our private and luxurious Mercedes Benz bus/van. We had an excellent driver. I recommend BellaItalia for their small group size and for the high quality of their guides.
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