4 Days in the Garfagnana

Last updated: September 25, 2026

This route works its way up the Serchio valley from Lucca, the way travelers always have. You start at the Devil’s Bridge, spend two nights in Barga, then move up to Castelnuovo di Garfagnana for the Este heartland and Lake Vagli.

It’s paced for people who like to stop. Expect two or three main sights a day, long lunches, and plenty of time on mountain roads that are slower than they look.

Before you start: the Fortezza delle Verrucole opens on set days that vary by month (see Day 4). Plan your days around it, and book the fortress in advance.

Day 1: Into the Valley

Morning: Leave Lucca on the SS12 and stop after about 25 minutes at the Ponte della Maddalena in Borgo a Mozzano, the Devil’s Bridge. Walk over its steep hump, then down to the riverbank to see it side-on. Then drive up to Coreglia Antelminelli for the Museo della Figurina di Gesso e dell’Emigrazione. It tells the story of the plaster-figurine makers who walked the world. Opening hours are limited, so check current hours with the comune before you go.

Lunch: In the valley near Coreglia. At Piano di Coreglia, Antica Macelleria Nutini is a butcher’s shop with its own grill restaurant. Its signature product is Prosciutto Bazzone.

Afternoon: Drive back down and turn east into the Lima valley for Bagni di Lucca. Visit the English Cemetery, where the novelist Ouida is buried, and walk past the old Casinò and the Ponte delle Catene. Then head up the valley to Barga, about 30 minutes.

Dinner: In Barga’s old town.

Sleep: Barga, inside or just outside the walls.

Day 2: Barga, Sommocolonia, and the Cave of the Wind

Morning: Explore Barga. Enter by one gate, climb to the Duomo di San Cristoforo, and take in the view from the terrace. Find the red British phone box turned library, a nod to Barga’s Scottish emigrants. Then drive up to Sommocolonia to see the memorial park to Lt. John R. Fox of the Buffalo Soldiers and the Italian partisans who fought beside him in December 1944.

Lunch: Back in Barga, or a picnic with Garfagnana bread and cheese.

Afternoon: Cross the valley to Gallicano and climb the Turrite di Gallicano valley to the Grotta del Vento. Choose Itinerary I (about 1 hour) or II (about 2 hours). Bring a warm layer, since it’s a constant 10.7 °C inside. Check current tour times before you set off. On the way back, stop at the Eremo di Calomini, the hermitage built into a cliff.

Dinner: Barga. In summer, eat fried fish and potatoes at the Sagra del Pesce e Patate, or catch a Barga Jazz concert. Dates change each year, so check the Garfagnana events calendar.

Sleep: Barga.

Day 3: The Este Capital and Lucca’s Island

Morning: Drive north to Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, about 25 minutes. If you can, make this a Thursday, when the weekly market fills the center. Visit the Rocca Ariostesca, where Ludovico Ariosto governed from 1522 to 1525, and its archaeological museum.

Lunch: Osteria Vecchio Mulino. Order a board of Garfagnana cured meats and cheeses.

Afternoon: Drive up to Castiglione di Garfagnana, Lucca’s walled enclave in Este territory. Walk the circuit of 14th-century walls and see the 1389 Madonna col Bambino in San Michele. On the way back, detour to Pieve Fosciana for the Prà di Lama, the valley’s only natural lake, fed by warm springs.

Dinner: Ristorante Il Pozzo in Pieve Fosciana, for Garfagnana cooking. Look for tortellacci garfagnini and game such as hare and venison. Book ahead.

Sleep: Castelnuovo di Garfagnana.

Day 4: Fortress, Farro, and the Drowned Village

Morning: The Fortezza delle Verrucole above San Romano. Costumed guides lead you through the Este citadel. Visits are by reservation, and opening days vary by month. Check current days and book in advance.

Lunch: Head north to Piazza al Serchio. Visit Birrificio La Petrognola for beer made from farro (check opening hours and call ahead), and eat simply in the upper valley. If it’s early July, look at the golden farro terraces on the way. Alternatively, visit the Renaissance ceramics in the tower of Camporgiano‘s Este fortress.

Afternoon: Drive to the Lago di Vagli, where the village of Fabbriche di Careggine lies underwater. Cross the suspension footbridge, walk a short stretch of the 18th-century Via Vandelli along the shore, and continue to the stone hamlet of Isola Santa.

Dinner: Ristorante La Ceragetta at Capanne di Careggine, overlooking the Lago di Isola Santa. The zero-kilometer kitchen is a fitting last meal. Check opening days and book ahead.

Sleep: Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, or drive back to Lucca (about an hour).

Practical Tips for This Route

Driving

The main valley road, the SS445, is easy. The side roads to the Grotta del Vento, Sommocolonia, Vagli, and Isola Santa are narrow and winding. Add 30–50% to any time your map app gives you. In winter and bad weather, the Fornovolasco road can be difficult.

Parking and ZTLs

Barga and Castelnuovo both have limited-traffic historic centers. Use the car parks outside the walls. Ask your accommodation where to park before you arrive. For local traffic rules, check with the Comune di Barga or the Comune di Castelnuovo.

Bookings

• Fortezza delle Verrucole: visits by reservation only; book here
• Grotta del Vento: individual visitors buy tickets at the ticket office; groups book ahead (details)
• Restaurants: book dinner at Il Pozzo and La Ceragetta

Seasonal notes

• July–August: festivals in Barga, all attractions open, and the most visitors
• September: Castelnuovo’s historic fair on the first Sunday
• October: chestnut festivals; Borgo a Mozzano’s Halloween on October 31 (avoid the bridge that day unless you want the party)
• If the Lago di Vagli is ever drained (talked of for 2027–2028, not confirmed), rebuild Day 4 around it and book months ahead

Without a car

It’s possible but slower. Take the Lucca–Aulla train to Barga–Gallicano, Castelnuovo, and Villetta–San Romano, and use taxis for the last few kilometers. The Grotta del Vento is hard to reach without a car. The line has had summer closures for works, so check Trenitalia first.

Rain

This is one of the wettest parts of Italy. Pack a waterproof. On a very wet day, swap in the Grotta del Vento and the museums, and save the lake and walls for the dry one.

Information is provided in good faith and may change. Always confirm opening hours, prices, and event dates with the official source before you travel.