Garfagnana is a land capable of bewitching, suspended between the Apuan Alps and the national park of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, with the Serchio river that flows through landscapes where time seems to have stopped.

Its beautiful and ancient villages, many of which are still well preserved with their ramparts and walls, offer the visitor glimpses that will be difficult to forget.

In this land, once infested by brigands also fought by the famous Ludovico Ariosto, we have found a friendly atmosphere, where you can taste fantastic dishes where tradition was at home.

Here there is always something to see throughout the year: every town adjacent to the Serchio deserves a visit, such as Castiglione, Castelnuovo and Barga, while if you want to treat yourself to a moment of relaxation, abandoning yourself in the thermal water, we recommend the Bagni Of Lucca, where the Apennine woods are around the corner;  if you like the mountains you will be spoiled for choice, both by moving in a wild Apennines where the wolf has returned, and by making excursions among the gnawed Apuan Alps, where it is possible to visit the famous marble quarries.

Another beautiful experience to live in this land is a visit to the famous Grotta del Vento, with its gigantic formations of stalactites and stalagmites, while if you want to walk on an ancient medieval bridge, the Maddalena bridge (or Devil's bridge) from the XII century is the one for you.

It is said that this magnificent donkey-back bridge, once used by pilgrims, was built by San Giuliano.

He made a pact with the devil to be able to complete it, promising him the soul of the first living being who had traveled it. Once the bridge was finished, however, San Giuliano threw a piece of focaccia over it which attracted the attentions of a dog. The animal was the first to cross the bridge, and with this cunning the saint managed to mock the devil.

Garfagnana was a surprise, a pleasant dive into medieval history, and we discovered it by chance after visiting the Leonardiano Museum in Vinci, the fascinating birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci, one of the few absolute geniuses that humanity has ever known.