It is rather difficult to distinguish between major and minor nobility in Garfagnana, as throughout the territory of Lucca no totally hegemonic lineage emerged, but rather only several clans and diverse relations between households. The most important families in the Lucchese controlled countryside did not create a particularly consolidated noble class and very often disdained the political life of the city, preferring instead outlying urbanizations.
The trail begins at the historic Castle of Controne and continues through the most important localities of the noble factions, known primarily for their belonging to a particular district or their owning of a fortress.
