"Quite Village in the foothills" Castelnuovo di Garfagnana by BruceDunning

Castelnuovo di Garfagnana Travel Guide: 7 reviews and 21 photos

Map of the village - Castelnuovo di Garfagnana

A big map for a little village

You should park at the entrance to the village and walk. At the top is the castle. The town is the setting for going further up the highway into the natural park area. The park is for skiing and walking pleasures. It does get cold up here in winter, I imagine, and the mountain peaks reach to 6,000 feet and pictures show white caps.
The town got its name back in Etruscan days and it stands for rich forests and traditions. It is less traveled as a tourist spot. There are adventurers to come to the town to hike, bike, trekking, and some water excursions, like kayaking. They also feature the marble quarries up there as a tour. In the winter skiing is available in the mountains of Apuan or Appenines.

The Castle

The castle-side view

Better check first. It seems like it may be closed a lot, unless someone is there to greet tourists, or you are more in season for tourism. The town was first referenced in the 8th century, and Lucca had control for centuries. In 1429 the Estensi family got possession and held until 1814.

Typical side via

decorated street

This was a side street near the castle that was all decked out for some occasion in butterflys; or in other lingua-papilion-french, or schmetterling-german, or farfalla- italiano. The streets were very clean and not much tourism traffic. Mostly locals doing their daily things they do. This was one decorated street to attract shoppers to come down that path.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Typical Village in the hills
Cons:Not much to do-you need to talk Italiano
In a nutshell:Hope things are open when you get there

Last visit to Castelnuovo di Garfagnana: Oct 2005
Intro Updated Aug 18, 2008
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Reviews (6)

Arial view of the town - Castelnuovo di Garfagnana

Town of every Day Life Things to Do (4)

The people go by their every day ways in spite of some tourists wandering through. IN October there were not many. You... more travel advice

REgional view of surroundings - Castelnuovo di Garfagnana

Area map Things to Do (4)

Up in the pinnacle of the hills stands this town. it is a pleasant ride to get to this destination. The 19th, or maybe... more travel advice

View of the hanging stalagites - Castelnuovo di Garfagnana

Grotto del Vento-CAve of the Winds Things to Do (4)

It is close by the town and promoted in all the literature to go there. It is a cave, like many others. Open mostly... more travel advice

Side view of the castle - Castelnuovo di Garfagnana

Visit the castle Things to Do (4)

It dates back to the 8th century as a fortress. Situated on top a a hill that is about 1,000 feet and in the valley... more travel advice

Transportation (1)
Parking

Off The Beaten Path (1)
Pescaglia

Comments (11)

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budapest8 Mar 3, 2012 at 3:24 PM

Been a while since I rated any tips at VT ...see they now called reviews..Pescaglia looks like a place I could spend a week in ..I love places that have almost no tourists..nice pictures
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angiebabe Dec 27, 2010 at 2:42 AM

this was on a list of villages to see on a scenic route I had recommended but I ran out of time when there last - nice to see this in your pages here!
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MalenaN Sep 5, 2010 at 12:20 AM

Sounds interesting with the sound of the wind in the caves, and Pescaglia village looks pretty!
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nickandchris Jul 20, 2010 at 3:37 AM

What a beautiful place and such a location! Glad you enjoyed Barnard Castle.
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hunterV Mar 5, 2010 at 11:59 AM

~ Hi, Bruce! It's a splendid castle and a beautiful place to visit! ><>><<><><><
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HORSCHECK Feb 10, 2010 at 1:18 PM

Bruce, lovely little page about this Italian gem, which I haven't even heard of. Greetings from snowy Germany.
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Yaqui Dec 28, 2009 at 9:45 AM

What a lovely place! I so enjoyed the tour! Hope your having a wonderful day!
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iandsmith Dec 5, 2009 at 3:21 AM

Another day, another castelnuova! How many are there in Italy? Thanks for sharing, some quality pics there.
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deecat Jun 11, 2009 at 6:20 PM

Pescaglia sounds good, too. Cave of the Winds would be fun as would the castle.
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bandit76 Mar 17, 2009 at 5:25 PM

these are great pics