Scansano: The Hill Town Where Maremma Spent Its Summers
Scansano Tuscany was Maremma’s summer capital for most of the 1800s. Discover the estatatura, Morellino wine, and Montorgiali, and plan your visit.
Bagni di Lucca: Where the English Came to Take the Waters
Bagni di Lucca Tuscany: hot springs, an 1837 casino, an English cemetery, an Anglican church, and the Shelleys’ summers. Plan your visit.
Borgo a Mozzano and Coreglia: The Devil’s Bridge and the Figurine Makers
Borgo a Mozzano Tuscany: the Devil’s Bridge, Gothic Line bunkers, a huge free Halloween party, and Coreglia’s plaster-figurine emigrants. Visit.
Barga: Italy’s Most Scottish Town and Its Double Sunset
Barga Tuscany: a walled hill town with Scottish roots, a sunset that happens twice, and a Buffalo Soldier’s last stand above it. Plan your visit.
Fabbriche di Vergemoli and Gallicano: A Cave That Breathes, a Cliff Hermitage
Grotta del Vento Tuscany: a show cave with three guided routes, plus the Calomini hermitage built into a cliff. Tips to plan your visit.
Vagli Sotto and Careggine: The Village Beneath the Lake
Lago di Vagli Tuscany hides Fabbriche di Careggine, a drowned village that has resurfaced only four times. Its story, and what to do there now.
Camporgiano and Piazza al Serchio: Tuscany’s Upper Serchio Valley
Camporgiano Tuscany: an Este fortress full of Renaissance pottery, then Piazza al Serchio’s farro fields and craft beer. Explore the upper valley.
San Romano in Garfagnana: A Fortress Where the Past Talks Back
San Romano in Garfagnana Tuscany: the Fortezza delle Verrucole, where guides in period dress bring a garrison to life, and the Orecchiella. Book ahead.
Castiglione di Garfagnana: Lucca’s Island in Enemy Territory
Castiglione di Garfagnana Tuscany: 14th-century walls built to face the neighbors, and a barefoot Holy Thursday procession. Plan your visit.
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana: The Capital a Poet Couldn’t Govern
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana Tuscany: the fortress where Ariosto fought bandits, a September fair held since 1430, and the valley’s best base.