It is said that the bridge builder made a pact with the devil in 1300 on the Ponte della Maddalena, which connects the two banks of the Serchio, close to the town of Borgo a Mozzano: he would be able to finish the work before the deadline as long as the soul of the first wretch to cross the river would be given to Satan.

That’s why, upon the suggestion of the town’s priest, the first to cross the bridge was a pig and the demon appeared, red with rage for the trick. One of the most beautiful and striking bridges in Tuscany, Ponte del Diavolo takes its name from this legend, one of the many mysterious symbols in the Garfagnana.


This land wedged in between the Apuan Alps and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines has always been considered magical for the many tales and enchanting places that are found there.

Among the gems to be visited in the area, there's the Grotta del Vento, an incredible underground complex where you can take in the surreal landscape designed by the centuries-old stratification of the ground.

Climbing up the chalky gorge of Orrido di Botri instead, a canyon formed by the flowing of two torrents, you come across incredible natural swimming pools immersed in the silence of nature, and who knows if you’d even come across a real eagle if you continue above 200 metres.

You’re one of the lucky one if you’re able to catch a glimpse of the bell tower or walk around the alleyways of Vagli, the sunken village, preserved in the man-made dam of the same name and which only re-emerges in the light of the sun occasionally for basin maintenance works.

Along an imaginary route along the Garfagnana, stopping in Barga is almost mandatory, acknowledged by Touring Club as one of the loveliest towns in Italy, the last refuge of the poet Giovanni Pascoli, to which he dedicated some of his best verse and whose house is still open to visitors today.

BOX: www.ingarfagnana.org