Posted on April 9, 2024 by admin

Corsagna is the most populated hilltop village in the municipality of Borgo a Mozzano and is located on the slopes of the Pizzorne plateau at about 400 meters above sea level, dominating the Serchio River Valley. The village of Corsagna is quite spread out, characterized by many courtyards and consists of various rioni 1 (quarters): Pozzo, Verace, Postabbio, Fucina, Piazza, Cantone, Fabbriche and Lama. The ideal itinerary allows you to discover the beautiful stone houses and courtyards that still characterize the oldest areas such as Fucina, the first rione on the south arriving from Borgo a Mozzano. In just a few minutes on foot, you can reach Piazza XX Settembre, visit characteristic Cantone with its houses perched on the hill, and head toward the upper part of the village by way of Via Postabbio. The old Corte (courtyard) Papèra...

The Devil’s Bridge, Borgo a Mozzano

Posted on March 5, 2024 by admin

When you get to Borgo a Mozzano, you cannot help but remain awestruck by the Maddalena Bridge better known as the Devil’s Bridge. With its legendary origins and its humpback shape, a testament to great creative intuition, it is the gateway to the Serchio River Valley. There are several devil bridges throughout Europe, each with its own legend often tied to local beliefs. In the past, bridges were quite rare and when they connected the banks of very large rivers or had daring shapes, they evoked amazement and the belief that the work could not have been done by human hands alone. This has been the case since Roman times when Julius Caesar had a wooden bridge built across the Rhine River, which he later destroyed. The Germans consequently stopped raiding Gallia for a long time because they believed...

Borgo a Mozzano

Posted on February 27, 2024 by admin

The town of Borgo a Mozzano is located on the right bank of the Serchio River with the Apuan Alps (Alpi Apuane) on the west and the Apennines on the east. It is the administrative center of an area rich in history, legends, and traditions. Borgo a Mozzano is known for one of the most mysterious and fascinating monuments in the entire province of Lucca: the Maddalena Bridge more commonly known as the Devil’s Bridge. The 90-meter long bridge is a remarkable piece of medieval engineering and associated with a rather particular legend. Borgo a Mozzano, however, is not only the Devil’s Bridge, its old historical center is worthy of a stroll to discover interesting buildings, churches, squares, and small gardens. In the gardens, azalea plants, which in the language of plants symbolize maternal love, can often be admired....

The WWII in Lucca

Posted on March 1, 2023 by admin

Lucca thus avoided the shelling and bombardments that would have been fatal to it, with no clashes between the armies in the streets, no reprisals in the city. Read all →

Lucca through time: August

Posted on November 23, 2021 by admin

Yes, August is here. It is the month when the land yields its ripest, juiciest fruit and vegetables. And so we meet up, once again, with our medieval farmer in the loggia of the Duomo of San Martino in Lucca, who is hard at work and introduces us to the theme of this month, the agriculture of Lucca and territory. Read all →

Lucca through time: July

Posted on November 10, 2021 by admin

The panel for the month of July, in the portico of the Duomo of Lucca, shows a farmer threshing grain by hand. Today, only a handful of our elderly can recall farmers threshing grain with the ancient hand tool called flail. Read all →

Lucca through time – June

Posted on November 8, 2021 by admin

After the digressions of April and May, the farmer is with us once again. He has rolled up his sleeves and is back at work. In fact, in the panel representing the month of June at the Duomo of Lucca, the farmer is harvesting wheat.

Lucca through time – May

Posted on October 6, 2021 by admin

It’s finally May. The temperatures are warmer and make you feel like going out. The elegantly dressed young man we saw in April is now horse riding and holding a fresh flower in his hand.

Lucca through time: April

Posted on May 12, 2021 by admin

Remember the panels of the months located in the portico of Lucca’s Cathedral of San Martino? Well, to describe the passage of time, there isn’t only a farmer, as we saw in January, February, and March. April is represented by a well-dressed nobleman and so is May. We’ll talk about May next month; now we’re going to concentrate on April. April is depicted by a young man, who is looking in a mirror, and makes us think about beauty, youth and vanitas. In this video, we take a look at fashion and beauty in the sacred and the profane, the past and the present, the Cathedral Museum and the Museum of Palazzo Mansi. We meet up with the eternally-damned, quintessential beauty of Lucca, Lucida Mansi. She is the expression of vanitas to the nth degree, a Dorian Gray or...

Lucca through time – March

Posted on April 16, 2021 by admin

March the month of change. It’s the end of darkness and the beginning of light, a rebirth. The farmer, in the loggia of San Martino, is pruning and grafting fruit plants so they can return to life after winter dormancy.