Day 5: Into the Mountains We Go

Tuesday morning dawned sunny and clear, as we set out for a roadtrip up into the mountain towns in Livorno. Nathan had heard about some quaint towns that we should try to explore, so we made our way north, first to Castelnuova di Garfagnana, where we explored a bit and took in the sights from the highest point (of course).





On to Barga, stopping at the Ponte del Diavolo on our way. It's real name is actually the Ponte della Maddalena, but it is known by the name, the Devil's Bridge because supposedly the devil built the bridge after the townspeople agreed he could have the first soul to cross it when completed. According to the legend, when it was completed they sent a dog across first. Poor dog.

Barga was another small beautiful town where we planned to have lunch. Nathan knows his strategy when it comes to keeping me on board (promise lunch to follow) so we walked around town first, including up to the highest point (of course), which had beautiful panoramic views of the town and the surrounding mountains.

After wandering around the very quiet streets, we finally found a place that looked promising. It. Was. Delicious. The small place looked like a bar, but had a hidden restaurant section where they focused on local products. We got an antipasto plate of various local salami and prosciutto (I wasn't really supposed to eat it as I'm pregnant, but felt much less guilty when a very pregnant Italian woman sat down next to us and polished off a large glass of red wine), and then I had a spinach and ricotta ravioli that was one of my favorite meals in Italy. I don't even remember the pasta Nathan had because though it was good, mine took my full attention.

After lunch we rambled back to the car and headed back to Lucca. We were back to Lucca in time to take an un-rained-on walk around the walls. We finished the walk just as the sun was setting and a drizzle started.

And so ended our last day in Lucca because on Wednesday we headed to Montepulciano.