The Garfagnana (the valley of the Serchio river, north of Lucca between the Apuan Alps to the west and the Apennine ridge to the east, administrative center at Castelnuovo di Garfagnana) is the most specifically mountainous and least touristified of the easily accessible Tuscan valleys, the valley where the Farro della Garfagnana (the spelt wheat. Triticum dicoccum, that the Garfagnana mountain agriculture has cultivated since the Bronze Age and that carries the IGP European quality designation) is grown on terraced mountain fields, where the Apuan Alps marble mountains (the same geological formation that gives Michelangelo his marble, the white Carrara marble quarries are visible from the Garfagnana valley floor as white scars on the mountain faces to the west) are the constant horizon, and where Ludovico Ariosto, the author of Orlando Furioso (1516, the most important Italian Renaissance epic poem), served as governor for the Este of Ferrara from 1522 to 1525 in the Rocca di Ariosto at Castelnuovo.
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Garfagnana: What to See and Do
The Farro and the Agricultural Tradition
The Farro della Garfagnana IGP (the spelt grown on the terraced fields of the Garfagnana at 300-900m altitude, characterized by the specific nutty-sweet flavor that the mountain terroir and the traditional cultivation methods produce, no chemical fertilizers, traditional threshing) is sold at farm shops throughout the valley and is the primary edible souvenir of the Garfagnana visit. The farro risotto and the zuppa di farro are the specific Garfagnana culinary expressions of this grain. The trattorie of Castelnuovo and the surrounding villages serve both. The market at Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (Thursday morning, the main weekly market of the valley, where the farro, the local chestnut flour products, the mountain cheeses, and the seasonal wild mushrooms are sold by the producers directly) is the most accessible single-location Garfagnana agricultural encounter.
The Apuan Alps and the Marble
The Apuan Alps (the mountain chain west of the Garfagnana valley, whose geological core is the largest deposit of pure white Carrara marble in the world, exploited continuously since Roman times for the specific white marble that appears in the Pantheon, in Michelangelo's sculptures, in the Duomo of Florence, and in the countertops of kitchens worldwide) are visible from the Garfagnana as spectacular white scarred mountain faces, the quarrying has created a landscape of raw geology that is simultaneously industrial and dramatic. The Parco Regionale delle Alpi Apuane (the regional nature park that covers the Apuan Alps) has hiking trails that access both the summit ridges and the quarry landscapes. The Foce di Mosceta and the Monte Pisanino are the principal hiking destinations.
Q&A: Garfagnana
How do I reach the Garfagnana from Lucca or Florence?
From Lucca: regional train to Castelnuovo di Garfagnana via the Serchio valley line (1.5 hours, one of the most scenic regional railway journeys in Tuscany, the train follows the Serchio river through the narrowing valley, with the Apuan Alps visible from the windows). From Florence: car via the A11 to Lucca then SP12 Abetone-Brennero north into the valley (approximately 1.5 hours). The Garfagnana is best explored by car (the valley's lateral villages and the Apuan Alps access points aren't served by train), but the train from Lucca covers the valley floor and provides access to Castelnuovo and the main valley towns.
