The small area of land called Garfagnana rests in the mountains north east of Lucca and stretches between the Alpi Apuane and Appennino Emilio Romana mountain ranges in Tuscany; on the north/eastern edge that separates Tuscany from Emilio Romana. The mountains are green and lush with 60 percent of its land being covered in trees and only about an hour from the west coast of Tuscany with its expansive Versilian shores. The beautiful land is protected as part of the Parco Nazionale dell’Alpi Apuane and the Parco Naturale dell’ Orecchiella which house countless species of wild animals and nature and provide breathtaking scenery for a hiking or trekking excursion.
As many of the mountainous areas around the world, the Garfagnana has a long tradition of interesting legends and folklore that have roots in their hills. There is one city, called Borgo a Mozzano, which is particularly well known for a bridge that was built in the middle ages and was coined the ‘Devil’s Bridge’ after the legend of its creation.
Although incredibly beautiful, Garfagnana was no stranger to poverty in its past and has traditions in food that stem from that fact. The products most commonly associated with the area are typically substantial, sustainable and of the highest quality. Some examples include faro (spelt), which is a hearty grain that has been cultivated since antiquity and is easily grown in these lands, chestnuts and chestnut flour from its ample supply of Chestnut trees, pecorino from its sheep inhabited hills, naturally occurring acacia and chestnut honey, porcini mushrooms, and their own traditions of aged sausages like Biroldo della Garfagnana.