The skies are a bit cloudy and it is cold and breezy, but it doesn’t look too terribly much like rain, so we decide to keep the car and do our northern Ghost town route today. We call Eva to confirm we will take the car and she tells us we should go see the Devil’s bridge – it is to the north of Lucca, which is in the general direction of where we are heading. It is All Saints day today, so we are taking no chances and have grabbed some cheese from the buffet to take along with our Orvieto sausage for lunch today. Its a major holiday, so who knows what will be open.
We plug Bargo a Mozzano, the name of the town near the bridge, into the GPS and set out for adventure. Originally, our plans had been to go to Lucca for lunch at some point, but this week the 2018 ComicCon is being held there – and it is the 2nd largest in all the world. So, we know better than to go to our favorite little restaurant in Lucca and have planned to steer clear of the town. But, unbeknownst to us, the best route to the Devil’s Bridge is around Lucca – and by around, I mean literally on the ring road that goes around the walls of Lucca. Oh man.
Surprisingly enough, though, the traffic flows fairly smoothly, if not slowly. What should be a 5 minute drive ends up being about 25, but we are in no rush whatsoever, and enjoy the fact that we at least know generally where we are and where we are going. Finally out of the scrum, we turn North and start our journey into the mountains.The scenery is fantastic as we start our drive up into the Apuan Alps. Clouds skim the mountains, looking like cotton candy clinging to the side of the cliffs. The roads lead us through farmland and little villages until we finally reach Bargo a Mozzano and drive right through the heart of the town on little narrow cobblestone lane/alleys. Since we couldn’t find the Devil’s Bridge in the GPS, we are sort of winging it now, and manage to get out of the town onto a connector road that runs right along the river – with directional signs for the bridge! Success.
And what a success it is. Built in the 12th Century, the asymmetrical design soars 60 feet over the Serchio river, and is 131 feet wide at its peak. No one really knows the story of the bridge, but it has appeared in literature as early as the 14th century, and has been renovated and restored over the years due to floods. There are many legends surrounding the Devil’s Bridge, actually named the Ponte della Maddalena, being dedicated to the saint in the 16th Century. The strongest legend claims that as the bridge was being built by Saint Julian, he found it too hard to complete, so he asked the Devil for help. In exchange, he offered the Devil the soul of the first living being who crossed the completed bridge. Once finished, Saint Julian threw a piece of bread in the middle of the bridge, luring a dog to cross it, thereby cheating the Devil.
The bridge is amazing, snaking its way across the river, looking like a loch ness monster or something. We walk partway up on one side of the river, then drive back around to the other side for more picturesque pictures.
A nice reward to our traffic hell from before. Stopping at a cute little quintessentially Italian cafe across from the bridge, we caffeinate with cappuccinos (and a rest stop) before plugging in Isola Santa – the nearest town to Col da Favilla, our next ghost town.
It takes about an hour to get to Isola Santa, and it is one gorgeous hours worth of driving. We may have missed fall in Asheville, but we are not missing it here in Tuscany. As we climb higher and higher into the Alps, the trees are turning and there are gorgeous yellows and reds all around. We reach a turn off through some little town, and end up on this winding, curving beautiful road that goes right through Parco Alpi Apuane (the alpine wildlife park) – a beautiful area that reminded us of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Little stacked stone walls lined portions of the road, while the trees and mountains tower over us. It’s like a “Tuscan” Parkway – makes us feel right at home. There isn’t really any population out here, but we do pass one great old house – which, if it didn’t have a satellite dish, we would have added it to our abandoned house/town tour!
Rounding a bend, we finally reach Isola Santa, a dammed lake with a cute little village perched on its shores. We park in the lot next to the restaurant/hotel, Mattarello L’Osteria dell’Isola, for a look around, discovering a peaceful little cemetery up on the hill overlooking the village.
As we are leaving the cemetery, we see someone entering into the restaurant. Hmmm…maybe they are open? They have a sign on the door, but it confused me with something about new hours until April, so I thought they might be closed, but no! We are in luck – even though I have restaurant options strategically located on the way back to the ship, this place is here, and cozy with its gas fireplaces, and it is lunch time – so we’re game. It’s a lovely lunch too – we order the house antipasto, which is the perfect size with excellent meats and this wonderful tomato type dip alongside. Then we order the mixed grill for lunch – and we tried to tell the waitress we wanted to share, but she misunderstood and ordered us 2 portions – oh well – it’s all meat, which is fine and its cooked to perfection over a wood fired stove – so why would we complain? Plus, as a bonus, the coperto includes the house wine! I’m liking this place more and more!
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