Not far from the centre of Castiglione Garfagnana, on the road passing through Chiozza leading to the hospital in San Pellegrino in Alpe, an old stone bridge built with a single broad span humpback, a typical form of many crossings in the Middle Ages, is still preserved in good condition.

The “Ponte a Piastre”, as it was called until the nineteenth century, was built by recovering stones which were transported from the raging waters of the Castiglione river, then polished and worked ; only some segments, especially those that constitute the arc of the span, underwent the most accurate processing.

Historical notes

It is difficult to attribute a precise date to the bridge considering the longevity of this type of structure, but tradition has it that its construction was decided by Spinetta Malaspina during the fourteenth century to facilitate the movements of anyone (merchants, pilgrims and wayfarers) who moved between Lucca and Modena, passing through the mountain passes.

Bridge of Castiglione di Garfagnana, medieval bridge

Bridge of Castiglione di Garfagnana, detail of bridge access

Bridge of Castiglione di Garfagnana, bridge access ramp