The most beautiful villages of Tuscany - part2

In this second part about the Most Beautiful Villages of Tuscany we visit the most beautiful villages of the provinces of Pisa and Lucca.

Italy has hundreds of beautiful villages, small jewels to visit, both inland and at the seaside. The most beautiful villages can be found in the guide to the 271 Most Beautiful Villages of Italy, I Borghi più Belli d’Italia 2017*. Twenty of these villages are located in Tuscany, three in the province of LUCCA (Barga, Castiglione di Garfagnana and Coreglia Antelminelli) and one in the province of Pisa (Montescudaio).

The town of PISA is world-known for its leaning tower. The Square of Miracles (Piazza dei Miracoli) is one of the main attractions in Tuscany.

Montescudaio

MONTESCUDAIO is situated 63 km south of Pisa. The fact that Montescudaio belongs to the most beautiful villages of Tuscany is very exceptional, because the village was destroyed twice by an earthquake in the 19th century. Most buildings were completely rebuilt after the second earthquake, such as the Oratory of the Announcement and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church. From the square in front of the church there is a breathtaking view of the sea and the scenic valley of Val di Cecina.

Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church, Montescudaio

Every year during the month of september a procession is held with the statues which survived the earthquakes. The procession goes from the Oratory to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary church. On this occasion the village is decorated with white roses.

The province of Lucca is so much more than just the town of LUCCA, the city with 100 churches, where the Festival Lucca Comics takes place every year. In the province of Lucca there are three of the 20 most beautiful villages of Tuscany.

Barga

BARGA is a small town close to Lucca. It has an old historical centre which is surrounded by medieval walls, with narrow cobbled streets and old squares. The city gate Porta Reale bears witness to the glorious past of Barga.

Barga is known to be the most Scottish town in Italy. Many residents emigrated to Scotland in the twentieth century. After making their fortune, they returned to Barga, and brought along the Scottish traditions and customs. More than half of the population has Scottish roots. Every year the town hosts its very own Sagra del Pesce e Patate or Festival of Fish and Chips. One of the local dishes of Barga is zuppa di farro, a soup made from a type of wheat, emmer or hulled wheat.

CASTIGLIONE DI GARFAGNANA is located north of Lucca. The village is characterized by ancient city walls. There are three town gates: Porta Inferi, Porta del Ponte Levatoio* and Porta Nuova. 

Through Porta del Ponte Levatoio you enter the historical centre and Piazza del Castello with the renaissance building Palazzo del Parlamento, which now houses the Town Hall, and Palazzo Nobili. The beautiful Saint Michael’s Church from the beginning of the 15th century and Saint Peter’s Church from 1197 are worth visiting. You can attend a medieval Festival in August with a pageant in medieval costumes. 

The typical dishes of Castiglione di Garfagnana are polenta di castagne, polenta made with chestnut flour and necci, chestnut flour pancake rolls.

Coreglia Antelminelli

COREGLIA ANTELMINELLI, a lovely hillside town, has a breathtaking view on the Apennine mountains of the province of Lucca. The Roman remains and the beautiful renaissance palazzi are in perfect harmony. A number of historic city gates give access to the ancient city center. Once inside it seems that time has stood still here. Coreglia Antelminelli was very well known for its Figurinai, figurine makers who made small plaster figurines. In Palazzo Vanni, you can visit the Museum of the figure makers. Castagnaccio is a typical dish of the village (pastries made with chestnut flour).

* The Guide "I Borghi più belli d'Italia 2019" is available only in Italian and is very hard to find outside of Italy.

Lucca Apartments with pool in Borgo a Mozzano Tuscany