Barga, beautiful, historic center of the Middle Serchio Valley in the province of Lucca, considered among the most beautiful villages in Italy, a marvel of Tuscany that has been awarded with the orange flag of the Italian Touring Club and Cittaslow, brands of great prestige and tourist quality that have further elevated the fame of this site of great charm that in 1933 was named a city.
The best entrance to visit Barga is the historic Porta Reale, a namethat replaces that of Porta Mancianella in honor of the Grand Duke of Tuscany Leopold of Lorraine who visited Barga and the atmosphere is immediately suggestive making you immediately feel the medieval atmosphere with a fascinanting intersection of suggestive alleys, picturesque streets and small squares.
You can start the visit with The Conservatorio di Santa Elisabetta, a building developed in the fifteenth century, it was the Monastery of the Poor Clares and inside boasting the presence of a precious altar attributed to the school of the great artist and talented sculptor of Florence Andrea della Robbia, one of the great masters of the Renaissance and a crucifix of the 400 of considerable value.
Afterwards you can visit the magnificent Cathedral of San Cristoforo, considered the most important religious building in Barga, a beautiful construction developed in the 10th century but modified in different times.
You will notice the extensions highlighted by added architectural and decorative elements of gothic and romanesque matrix.
The construction of the choir and the two side chapels marked the definition of the building,and inside you can admire a marble pulpit dating back to the 13th century attributed to the Comacini Masters, the Ciborium of the Holy Oils in terracotta, a masterpiece by Andrea della Robbia, a wooden crucifix of the 15th century by Bolognese school and a statue depicting St. Christopher of the Middle Ages.
The imposing bell tower is a further highlight, it preserves the ancient bells among which the smallest dates back to 1580 which inspired the poet Giovanni Pascoli who performed the poem "l'ora di Barga.
From there you can continue with the Church of the Crucifix, the most important religious building after the cathedral.
It was originally an oratory dating back to the 13th century although no traces of that building remain.
The splendid façade boasts magnificent stuccoes and decorations and two marble statues depicting a female figure of unclear identity and St.John.
Inside you can appreciate a beautiful wooden choir dating back to the mid-600s developed delimiting the area corresponding to the presbytery and the high altar in carved and gilded wood of the same period attributed to the artist of Borgo a Mozzano Francesco Santini.
Continuation in Piazza Garibaldi you will find yourself in front of Palazzo Balduini, an elegant building of the 16th century developed by the architect Bartolomeo Ammannati, built at the behest of Antonio, father of Balduino Balduini, bishop of Aversa and archiater of Pope Julius III.
You will notice that architectural elements and the use of ashlar and many details, the profile of this palace appears very similar to others present in Florence and also in Lucca.
On the central door of the façade you will notice the coat of arms of the Medici family with the grand-ducal crown in evidence while on the left side of the palace there is that of the Balduini family linked to that of the family of Pope Julius III and inside you will be delighted by a magnificent courtyard of purely Renaissance style.
Subsequently, moving through the vast lawn developed between the cathedral you can admire the Arringo and Palazzo del Podestà' place that represented the parliament.
It is a building dating back to the 14th century, former the residence of the Podesta commissioners who were sent to Barga by the Lordships of Florence.
Inside there are the old prisons below and on theupper floor the audience room.The building also houses the Civic Museum where artifacts of considerable importance are exhibited and displayed in a chronological reconstruction of the history of Barga.
From that building you will enjoy fantastic views of the Apuan Alps, the Apennines and the Pizzorne Mountains.
In Piazza Salvo Salvistands Palazzo Pancrazi, a splendid Renaissance-style building adorned with diamond-tipped pietra serena next to the Medici Column erected by the inhabitants of Barga in honor of Cosimo I de Medici in 1548, while on theleft side is situated the Loggia dei Mercanti which was in the past the site of the weekly market established in 1547.
Visiting Barga is a wonderful experience, a sublime corner of Tuscany, hiughlighted by marvelous landscapes fine art, relevant monuments that all together make Barga one of the most fascinating villages or"borghi" existing in Italy.
Link https://www.visitbarga.com/en/homepage/
Where to Stay | Recommended Accommodation
Le Sette Fontane
Renaissance Tuscany il Ciocco Resort
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