Discover Piazza Al Serchio

Piazza Al Serchio combines a distinctive river landscape with medieval history and several routes through the upper Garfagnana. The town lies at the confluence of the Serchio di Sillano and the Serchio di Gramolazzo. At the same time, Piazza al Serchio is an important transport hub in the upper Garfagnana: road connections to Emilia and Lunigiana meet here. This gives you a destination where local history, regional routes and different day-trip interests can be brought together in a tangible way.

Medieval San Michele and distinctive buildings

A central attraction is San Michele. The fortified village preserves parts of its surrounding wall and a tower house. The entrance to the medieval village is exclusively via the humpback bridge. This should be distinguished from the medieval bridge of San Michele at the entrance to Piazza al Serchio: the stone single-arch bridge from the 14th century connects the two districts separated by the Acqua Bianca stream.

The Pieve di San Pietro also adds a tangible historical testimony to the townscape. It houses a bell dating from 1271, which was discovered during more recent archaeological excavations. San Michele is also home to the Museo Italiano dell’Immaginario Folklorico, Via Comunale 2, 55035 San Michele LU, Italy. For a targeted visit, the Sala della Narrazione is particularly interesting: its guided tour is complemented by multimedia equipment and QR codes. In this historic setting, visitors can therefore experience both visible architectural landmarks and an explicitly guided, media-supported form of visiting.

Hiking, cycling and the history of the routes

Piazza al Serchio is defined not only by roads and local history. The Via del Volto Santo passes through the town on its route from Pontremoli to Lucca. Those looking for a longer walking route will also find a daily trekking trail incorporating the Via dei Piastroni. It leads from San Michele di Piazza al Serchio to Varliano. Eight sculptures made of Pietra serena also mark the ancient connecting route between Nicciano and Napoli. The dark natural stone creates a distinctive accent in the landscape of the routes.

There are also two clearly named starting points or passage points for cycling tours. The cycling route Le Contee del farro starts in Piazza al Serchio, while the cycling tour Tour dei quattro laghi passes through the town. Depending on your planned activity, you can therefore distinguish between a route with a starting point here and a tour whose course passes through Piazza al Serchio. The Fiera di San Pietro is part of the local cultural calendar: it takes place every year on the Sunday closest to 28 June.

River landscape and further places to choose from

The landscape can be read particularly precisely through its rivers and rocks. Along the river rise the Doglioni, black rocks of volcanic origin. Together with the confluence of the two branches of the Serchio, they give Piazza al Serchio a clearly recognizable geographical character. For your further selection of places, you can also visit Sant'anastasio and extend your view beyond Piazza Al Serchio.

For the higher-level travel overview: Lucca.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Trassilico, Fabbriche Di Vallico, Verciano, Pietrasanta, Castiglione di Garfagnana, Careggine, Stazzema.