Lucca, the Garfagnana and the marble of Carrara

Route description

Start in Lucca, a city still enclosed by complete Renaissance walls, four kilometres around and wide enough to walk or cycle along the top. The centre is a restricted traffic zone, so park outside the walls. Inside, the oval Piazza dell’Anfiteatro follows the shape of the Roman arena, and the tower of the Guinigi family has oak trees growing on its roof.

Head north on the SS12 along the Serchio. At Borgo a Mozzano the Ponte della Maddalena, the Devil’s Bridge, crosses the river with one steep arch beside the road. Continue into the Garfagnana to Barga, a hill town with a Romanesque cathedral on its highest point, then cross the valley to Fornovolasco for the Grotta del Vento, whose guided tours last one to three hours.

Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, with its Este fortress, is the valley’s main town and a good place to stock up. From here the SP13 climbs west past the little lake village of Isola Santa and Arni, then goes through the Cipollaio tunnel and drops towards the coast at Seravezza. The road is narrow with tight bends; it suits vans and small motorhomes, but not long vehicles.

Pietrasanta, just inland from the Versilia beaches, is a town of marble workshops and bronze foundries, with sculptures in its main square. From there drive north to Carrara and follow the signs for Fantiscritti, deep in the quarry basin, where lorries carry blocks down from the white walls above. End in Colonnata, a village of quarrymen known for lardo cured in marble tubs.