The best walks and hikes around Borgo A Mozzano

A beautiful hike. Some trails are a bit abandoned and lack signage, but following the trail is fine. From the top of the tower, there would be a beautiful view, but we missed it due to fog and a myriad of flying ants.

Hermitage of San Bartolomeo  The church of San Bartolomeo near Cune, also known as the “Hermitory of San Bartolomeo”, is a small church with a single nave and an apse similar to many others that arose in the territory of the diocese of Lucca during the 12th century and particularly similar to that of San Martino in Greppo. The toponym of Cune has been known since the 9th century. The architectural beauty of the small building, compact and of clear proportions, is underlined by the charm of the place where it was built, a centuries-old holm oak forest near the ancient fortress of Bargiglio, demolished in 1373. The original medieval layout had been modified with the addition of a portico, today however eliminated and known only from a drawing made by Giuseppe Matraia for the guide of the city of Lucca and the county that the scholar was preparing towards the middle of the nineteenth century: the manuscript of the Guide and the drawing of San Bartolomeo are preserved in the State Library of Lucca. In front of the facade of the church still stands the massive bell tower, built with a more rustic masonry than the one, with squared ashlars, that characterizes the church. Despite the isolation, the inhabitants of Cune continue to feel a particular bond towards their ancient church, where until a few years ago the Christmas Eve mass continued to be celebrated. In the current parish church there is a wooden statue of Saint Bartholomew from the first half of the fourteenth century, coming from the ancient church dedicated to the saint and worthy of note for the almost perfect conservation of the original polychromy. On the base of the statue there is an inscription, almost illegible, which however tells us the author of the polychromy itself (in medieval and post-medieval wooden sculpture the plastic and pictorial parts were often performed by different artists), a certain “Johannes de Petrascancta”.

The ruins of the Tower, or Rocca, of Bargiglio stand on the top of the mountain of the same name at 866 meters above sea level at the gates of Garfagnana and the Media Valle del Serchio. Once you arrive at the Tower, it is clear why it has always been called the "Eye of Lucca": the view is panoramic at 360 degrees and offers a perfect view from the peaks of the Apuan Alps, with the Pania di Corfino clearly visible, to the numerous castles and fortresses of Garfagnana, such as the Castiglione Castle and the Mont'Alfonso Fortress. From here you can also dominate the entire Serchio Valley below, from the walls of Barga and Coreglia Antelminelli to Bagni di Lucca, up to the many towns in the Municipality of Pescaglia. And finally, in the distance to the south, the Lucca plain and then the Tyrrhenian coast. The origin of the fortification dates back to an unknown era, probably built by the Suffredinghi, one of the three potentates of Lombard origin who controlled the Serchio Valley who distinguished themselves for their tenacious resistance to the expansionism of the Municipality of Lucca, being bordered by the Este dominions of Garfagnana. It consisted of only one tower, used as an observation and control point of the vast territory, of the road that passed a little further down and of the small community that lived in the farmhouses surrounding the fortification and the ancient Hermitage of S. Bartolomeo.

A very beautiful bridge over the Lima River in Fornoli. For pedestrians and cyclists only. The best way to cross the river to the quieter side.

An exciting bridge made of wood and steel with two beautiful portals.

A bridge for pedestrians and cyclists, of a special kind!👍

The Fornoli bridge is certainly less famous than the nearby Devil's bridge, but still not to be missed. Built at the behest of Carlo Ludovico di Borbone, the bridge is also called Ponte delle Catene and recalls the famous connection to Brooklyn, in miniature.

Beautiful views from the most important defence tower of the Lucca Republic