Part of Unexpected Italy: Stories from My Recent Travels
A Stop We Couldn’t Drive Past
We were on our way to Castelnuovo di Garfagnana when the Devil’s Bridge appeared near Borgo a Mozzano. I had seen photographs of it, but they had not prepared me for the shape of that main arch. It climbs so high above the Serchio that, for a moment, it seems less like a practical crossing than a dare.
We pulled over. The bridge was not the reason for our trip, but I knew I would regret passing it. From the road, I could see the whole sweep of stone. Walking onto it was different. The slope drew my eyes down to the paving under my feet, then up again toward the river and the valley beyond. I took my time reaching the top.
Its proper name is Ponte della Maddalena, though almost everyone knows it as the Ponte del Diavolo. There is an old legend about a builder who made a bargain with the devil to finish the bridge. Standing there, I could understand why such a story had attached itself to this unlikely arch. I could also understand why people still stop to look at it, even when they have somewhere else to be.
Someone Else Stopped, Too
Near the top of the bridge, I found myself talking with a stranger. The meeting was unexpected, one of those small interruptions that can disappear from memory by the end of a journey. This one did not.
Our conversation turned to the bridge and its legend. I had arrived thinking about the famous structure in front of me; for a few minutes, I was listening to another person’s connection to the place. We stood above the river while other visitors made their way across. Then the conversation ended, as brief conversations on the road usually do.
I thought about it again as we drove toward Castelnuovo. I had intended to make a quick stop, take a photograph and carry on. Instead, I left with a memory of someone I had never expected to meet. The bridge had done what bridges are meant to do: it brought two people together for a moment.
Lunch Among the Shelves in Castelnuovo
By the time we arrived in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, I was ready to sit down. We found a local grocery shop that also served food. I liked it before we had even chosen what to eat. There was something inviting about being able to look at the products on the shelves and then taste the cooking that came from the same region.
Garfagnana has a food tradition shaped by its mountains and farms. Farro is used in hearty soups and other dishes. Chestnuts appear in both sweet and savory cooking. Local cheeses and cured meats offer another way into the area’s flavors. Sitting in a shop that was also a restaurant made me pay closer attention to those ingredients. I could look beyond the plate and see what people might buy to cook at home.
Lunch gave us a welcome pause. We talked about the bridge, looked around the shop and took our time before going back outside. I enjoy visiting a town’s monuments, but I also remember places where an ordinary part of the day becomes a pleasure. This was one of them.
A Walk Without a Checklist
After lunch, we walked through Castelnuovo. The town is a good place to begin exploring Garfagnana, but I did not want to turn our afternoon into a list of sights to complete. We followed the streets, stopped when something caught our attention and let the day continue at the pace lunch had set.
That freedom made the two parts of the trip fit together. At Borgo a Mozzano, we had stopped because a bridge caught our eye. In Castelnuovo, we had gone into a grocery shop because we were hungry and curious. Neither moment needed a complicated plan.
On the journey home, I kept returning to the encounter on the bridge. I remembered the height of the arch and the view along the Serchio, but I also remembered how easily a stranger had become part of our day. Later, when I thought about Garfagnana, the food in Castelnuovo came back just as clearly: a table, shelves of local products and the pleasure of having nowhere urgent to go.
That is the day I would recommend to someone else. Stop at the Devil’s Bridge if you are passing Borgo a Mozzano. Give yourself time to walk across it. Continue to Castelnuovo, find somewhere serving local food and linger over lunch. You may come away with a favorite view or a favorite dish. You may also remember a conversation you never planned to have.
Book Your Garfagnana Stay and Experiences
For more time in the area, compare places to stay in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana on Trip.com. If your wider itinerary includes Lucca, Weekend in Italy offers a Lucca and Pisa day tour.
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External Links
Visit Tuscany: The Devil’s Bridge
Visit Tuscany: Castelnuovo di Garfagnana
Visit Tuscany: The Flavors of Garfagnana
