The Gothic Line at Borgo a Mozzano
Between 1943 and the summer of 1944, the commanders of the German forces decided to construct a formidable defensive line from the Adriatic Sea to the Tyrrhenian Sea (Rimini – Viareggio, 320 km), as a last stronghold against the invasion of Northern Italy, known as the Gothic Line.
The German Todt Organization was in charge of the construction and, in approximately a year with the labor of thousands of men, imposing fortifications were built.
In the MediaValle area of the Serchio River, at Borgo a Mozzano, bunkers, anti-aircraft emplacements, communication trenches, and antitank ditches are still well-preserved. This site (recently opened) is the only one of the entire Gothic Line to have remained intact and therefore, is of substantial historic importance.
Borgo a Mozzano is also known for its “Ponte del Diavolo (The Devil’s Bridge)”, the extraordinary and legendary medieval bridge built in the 11th century that dominates the Serchio River.
With our local specialized guide, you will visit some of the bunkers and also walk across the Devil’s Bridge. If you have an entire day at your disposal, after a light lunch at one of the farmhouses in the area, you can visit the village of Borgo a Mozzano and the Church of San Jacopo that houses Andrea della Robbia’s beautiful statue of Mary Magdalene.
