Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Torre del Lago Puccini. In
the 1820s, towns such as
Massa, Pietra Santa and
Camaiore developed marinas
and lidos along the part of
the coast they controlled.
These inland towns are linked
by roads to their coastal
twins. Here villas and hotels
with fine walled gardens line
the streets, with the moun-
tains of the Alpi Apuane as a
backdrop.
The beaches are divided into
numerous bathing establish-
ments run by hotels or private
operators, who charge for use
of the beach and its facilities.
Forte dei Marmi is perhaps the
most beautiful of these resorts,
much favoured by wealthy
Florentines and Milanese.
The Turrite Secca valley in the Parco Naturale delle Alpi Apuane
white-walled tunnel called the
Galleria del Cipollaio. North-
west, at Arni, are the Marmitte
dei Giganti (Giants' Cooking
Pots), great hollows left by
the glaciers of the Ice Age.
Southeast at Calomini is a
12th-century rock-cut hermit-
age, home to a Capuchin
monk; at Fornovolasco is the
Grotta del Vento (Cave of the
Wind). To the east, past Barga,
at Coreglia Antelminelli, is the
Museo della Figurina di Gesso
,
devoted to the history of
locally made plaster figurines,
once sold all over Europe.
E
Museo della Figurina
di Gesso
Via del Mangano 17, Coreglia
Antelminelli
.
Tel
0583 780 82.
#
9am-1pm Mon-Fri,
10am-1pm Sat & Sun.
&
Poster for the Versilia
Parco Naturale delle
Alpi Apuane
4
Road map
B1
.
Castelnuovo di
Garfagnana
5
Road map
B1
.
V
@
Castelnuovo
*
6,300.
V
@
di Garfagnana.
Piazza Delle Erbe
1, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (0583
64 42 42).
n
n
Via Cavalieri di Vittorio Veneto
(0583 64 10 07).
(
Thu.
Visitors to the Garfagnana
use the town as a base for
sporting activities. For details,
head to the information office
or the
Cooperativa Garfa-
gnana Vacanze
. The 13th-
century Rocca (castle) houses
the town hall. Ludovico Ario-
sto, author of the epic poem
Orlando Furioso
(1516), was
town governor in 1522-25.
The Parco Naturale delle Alpi
Apuane, northwest of Castel-
nuovo di Garfagnana, was
designated a nature reserve in
1985. Monte Pisanino is the
highest peak in the area at
1,945 m (6,320 ft). It towers
above Lago di Vagli, an artifi-
cial lake covering the drowned
village of Fabbrica. Nearby are
Vagli di Sotto
(see p168)
and
Vagli di Sopra, ancient villages
with rugged stone houses.
To the south, in the valley of
the Turrite Secca, a spectacu-
lar mountain road leads to
Seravezza, passing through a
}
Cooperativa Garfagnana
Vacanze
Piazza delle Erbe 1
.
Tel
0583 651
69.
Jun-Sep: 9am-1pm,
3-7pm daily; Oct-May: 9am-1pm,
3:30-5:30pm daily.
#
The 13th-century Rocca at
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana
