Discovering Garfagnana: One of Tuscany’s ‘undiscovered’ beauty spots

The Garfagnana is a mountainous region in the north-western part of Tuscany. It comprises of a beautifully wild, broad valley covered in woods and dotted with picture perfect villages. Garfagnana has two natural parks: the Regional Park of the Apuan Alps and the National Park of the Tosco-Emiliano Apennines. This area of rolling hills and vineyards has plenty of winding mountain roads, rivers and medieval towns perched on top of raised ground.

The area receives far fewer tourists than the better known tourist sites of Florence and Siena, but that’s part of its appeal. There are just as beautiful and picturesque towns like Barga, which you can have almost to yourself. Here the attention is on exploring, possibly walking, biking or caving, wandering around ancient quiet villages, and tasting the region’s traditional food.

Barga is cute! A winding maze of tiny cobbled streets weave their way down the hillside. Ancient wooden doors and balconies decorated with red geraniums hem you in. The view from the Romanesque cathedral Duomo di San Cristoforoat should not be missed, gazing down on the terracotta roofs and distant hazy Blue Mountains. This town is definitely a popular choice for artists.

Castelnuovo di Garfagnana is the major town of the Garfagnana and worth a trip to visit the impressive Rocca Ariostesca (Aristo’s Castle, 12th century), named after the town’s famous poet of the 16th century.  It has Renaissance ramparts, three gates and two bell towers and there is also the Mont’Alfonso fortress. This town is the beginning of one of the most incredible and spectacular drives in the whole of Italy. A slightly tortuous, sometimes heart-stopping but spectacular winding road takes you over the Apuane Alps and on to the coast at Massa.

The village of Castiglione di Garfagnana, not to be confused with Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, is situated on a panoramic hill overlooking the Panie (Apuan Alps) and is included in the list of the “most beautiful villages in Italy”. This beautiful village is well worth a visit to see its elegant buildings, streets, squares and courtyards.

There are numerous other wonderful villages to visit in this wild and beautiful region and you will definitely need a car to do this incredible region of Italy justice!