Bordered by the mountain ranges of the Apennines and the Apuan Alps, this region contains in a relatively small area a large variety of landscapes. Here you can find everything from the grassy gentle slopes of the Apennines, to the rocky ridges of the Apuan Alps, from broad and populated valleys to wild gorges and canyons, from large navigable rivers to steeper and more impetuous streams.
Nature and culture goes together
Here man has always understood this wealth making this “the valley of the beautiful and the good” as described by Pascoli, who chose it as his home. The history of some of the great Italian families, including the Medici and the Estensi, are intertwined with these places, and many of the most eminent personalities of our cultural landscape are linked to these places, such as the already mentioned Giovanni Pascoli, Ludovico Ariosto, Giacomo Puccini, and the distinguished Italian and international guests, who in the past attended the thermal bath and the area of Bagni di Lucca: from Carducci to Montale and Dumas, Shelley and Byron.
The Cathedral of Barga, the Ariosto fortress of Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, the Maddalena (or Devil’s) Bridge in Borgo a Mozzano, the Mont’Alfonso fort and the Verrucole fort, are just some of the many historic buildings dotting this valley. Romanesque churches, fortified villages, medieval bridges, still tell a story of tradition that endures over time.