<strong>Tuscany without the crowds: </strong>The Garfagnana region in northwest Tuscany is known for its focus on food, and Alimentari Caproni in Barga is a must-stop for picnic provisions. Click through the gallery for more photos:
Tuscany without the crowds: The Garfagnana region in northwest Tuscany is known for its focus on food, and Alimentari Caproni in Barga is a must-stop for picnic provisions. Click through the gallery for more photos:
Melanie Haiken
<strong>Tuscan charm: </strong>Though Tuscany's capital city of Florence continues to draw in the most tourists, hidden gems seem to emerge from every corner of the area around Barga.
Tuscan charm: Though Tuscany's capital city of Florence continues to draw in the most tourists, hidden gems seem to emerge from every corner of the area around Barga.
Melanie Haiken
<strong>Local charm: </strong>Life in the ancient hill towns still feels profoundly local, a place where it's possible to raise your camera in a medieval piazza without a single other tourist stepping into your shot.
Local charm: Life in the ancient hill towns still feels profoundly local, a place where it's possible to raise your camera in a medieval piazza without a single other tourist stepping into your shot.
Melanie Haiken
<strong>History preserved: </strong>Less than an hour's drive from Barga, Lucca is characterized by its massive Renaissance-era rampart, which, thanks to the city's freedom from siege, was preserved in its entirety.
History preserved: Less than an hour's drive from Barga, Lucca is characterized by its massive Renaissance-era rampart, which, thanks to the city's freedom from siege, was preserved in its entirety.
Melanie Haiken
<strong>View from above: </strong>Lucca's skyline was once spiky with more than 200 fortified tower houses, some rising 100 feet or more above the street and topped with rooftop gardens.
View from above: Lucca's skyline was once spiky with more than 200 fortified tower houses, some rising 100 feet or more above the street and topped with rooftop gardens.
Melanie Haiken
<strong>Generations of history: </strong>Fought over by warring clans for much of its history, Garfagnana features numerous hill towns named for the fortress-like castles that defined their existence.
Generations of history: Fought over by warring clans for much of its history, Garfagnana features numerous hill towns named for the fortress-like castles that defined their existence.
Melanie Haiken
<strong>Natural wonders: </strong>At the Grotta del Vento (wind cave), water seeps through porous limestone, continuing to shape calcium carbonate into fang-like stalactites and gleaming alabaster draperies while feeding a crystalline underground stream.
Natural wonders: At the Grotta del Vento (wind cave), water seeps through porous limestone, continuing to shape calcium carbonate into fang-like stalactites and gleaming alabaster draperies while feeding a crystalline underground stream.
Melanie Haiken
<strong>Preserved architecture: </strong>The Basilica of St. Frediano, built in 685, glows with a Byzantine mosaic façade of golden tilework.
Preserved architecture: The Basilica of St. Frediano, built in 685, glows with a Byzantine mosaic façade of golden tilework.
Melanie Haiken
<strong>Happy hour: </strong>Tuscan wine is a must during your trip, especially from local wineries such as Podere Concori and Alessandro Bravi.
Happy hour: Tuscan wine is a must during your trip, especially from local wineries such as Podere Concori and Alessandro Bravi.
Melanie Haiken
<strong>Picture perfect: </strong>The Ponte della Maddalena is also known as Devil's Bridge.
Picture perfect: The Ponte della Maddalena is also known as Devil's Bridge.
Melanie Haiken
<strong>Inspired scenery: </strong>Nicknamed the Marble Mountains for the stone most famously mined in nearby Carrara, the Apuan Alps regional park is popular with off-the-path adventurers.
Inspired scenery: Nicknamed the Marble Mountains for the stone most famously mined in nearby Carrara, the Apuan Alps regional park is popular with off-the-path adventurers.
Melanie Haiken