Itinerary Garfagnana, Apuane and Versilia

Not sure what to see in Tuscany? Here we suggest an extraordinary itinerary that leads from the green hills of the Garfagnana to the sea and glamour of Versilia. The thousand faces of the region follow one another along this route full of interesting, often unusual and extremely varied stops. The itinerary is quite long but can also be covered in stages, depending on the destinations one wishes to visit.

The starting point is Lucca. Leaving Porta Santa Maria, the road to follow winds for a good part along the course of the Serchio, the river that, fed by the springs of the Apuan Alps, gives life to the Garfagnana. Before arriving in Chifenti, one encounters the mysterious Ponte della Maddalena (Magdalen Bridge), more commonly known as Ponte del Diavolo (Devil’s Bridge), due to the strange legends surrounding the story of its construction. From Chifenti, a short diversions leads to Bagni di Lucca, which lies along the banks of the river Lima. The town has been famous since Roman times for its thermal waters, which acquired great importance at the beginning of the 19th century, when many artists and intellectuals of the time such as Byron, Shelley and Heine made it a holiday destination. Worthy of mention are: the Art Nouveau complex of the Real Casinò, inaugurated in 1839; the Ponte delle Catene bridge, interesting both aesthetically and for its construction technique; Villa Ada, surrounded by a splendid park in romantic style; and the former headquarters of the Circolo dei Forestieri, an elegant belle époque building that currently houses a restaurant.

Back on the state road 12, the itinerary continues in the direction of Barga, a small medieval jewel with the breathtaking backdrop of the Apuan Alps. Here, the Cathedral of San Cristoforo stands out, with its Alberese stone façade that changes hue with the changing light; the Conservatorio di Santa Elisabetta, where you can admire a beautiful altarpiece from the Della Robbia school; the Museo Casa Pascoli in the hamlet of Castelvecchio Pascoli, which has all the charm of a place out of time; and splendid historic palazzi such as Palazzo Balduini, Palazzo Pancrazi and Palazzo Bertacchi. At this point, taking the road up the mountainside from Gallicano, the itinerary offers the possibility of discovering a very unusual aspect of the Garfagnagna: the underground. Near Fornovolasco is the entrance to the Grotta del Vento (Wind Cave), a beautiful natural cavity that presents an extraordinary variety of aspects of underground karstification, ranging from multicoloured stalactites and stalagmites to small lakes, streams and forms of erosion.

At the end of the speleological excursion, we proceed to Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, a delightful medieval village surrounded by a picturesque circle of mountains that rises at the confluence of the Serchio and its smaller tributary, the Turrite Secca. In the central Piazza Umberto I stands the majestic Rocca Ariostesca, dating back to the 12th century, and not far away is the Duomo, rebuilt in the 15th century in Renaissance style. The itinerary continues in the direction of Arni, a small village in the midst of the quarries that cut into the mountain and herald the famous marble quarries of Carrara. The road then crosses the Cipollaio tunnel, carved into the marble, and descends rapidly along the Versilia side of the Apuani. You pass through Seravezza, Pietrasanta and Querceta, all important centres of the marble industry, and arrive at the Fantiscritti quarries in the municipality of Carrara, where there is also an interesting museum illustrating marble extraction and processing techniques. A few kilometres away is Colonnata, a small village nestled in the mountains in an exceptionally panoramic position, known worldwide not only for its marble but also for the production of lard.

Once the visit to the marble area is over, we take the way back, passing through, one after the other, the seaside resorts of Versilia: Forte dei Marmi, Marina di Pietrasanta, Lido di Camaiore and Viareggio. The latter, also known as the ‘pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea’, is the location of some of the oldest and most characteristic bathing establishments in the area, such as the historic Bagno Balena, founded back in 1874. But Viareggio is not only sea and beaches, it is also a town rich in scenic and cultural beauties just waiting to be discovered. Finally, the last stop on the itinerary is the Migliarino, San Rossore, Massaciuccoli Regional Park, a splendid natural area extending from the Tyrrhenian Sea towards the Tuscan hinterland, straddling the provinces of Pisa and Lucca. Of particular interest is the presence of extremely diverse environments: it includes wetlands, marshes, coastal dunes and the large lake of Massaciuccoli, so dear to the great composer Giacomo Puccini. The park is equipped with a complete network of trails.