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00 Castiglione Di Garfagnana
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Tuscany · Lucca

Castiglione di Garfagnana

A walled medieval town at 540 meters in the Garfagnana, the Lucca outpost that refused to submit to the Este and held the pass to San Pellegrino.

Best time
May–Oct
By car
1 h 35 min from Pisa
Population
1,705

Known for

  • LUCCHESE OUTPOST

    The Garfagnana town that stayed loyal to the Republic of Lucca through the Este wars, besieged unsuccessfully in 1603 and 1613.

  • CHESTNUT POLENTA

    Winter dish of chestnut flour polenta with boiled pig bones, served in local trattorie when the Garfagnana woods come into harvest.

  • SAN PELLEGRINO PASS

    Medieval route over the Apennines to Modena that the Castrum Leonis was built to control, still the main road north out of the valley.

When to visit

Best · May–Oct

  • J8°
  • F11°
  • M12°
  • A15°
  • M19°
  • J24°
  • J27°
  • A27°
  • S22°
  • O18°
  • N13°
  • D9°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

Why come

Castiglione di Garfagnana sits at 540 meters on the road to the San Pellegrino pass, in the upper Serchio valley, surrounded by chestnut woods and the Apuan and Apennine ridges. The Romans built a castrum here, the Castrum Leonis, to command the route between Lucca and Modena; what stands now is the thirteenth-century walled town, with three Torrioni and a Rocca that still anchor the south flank. Through the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, while the rest of the Garfagnana fell to the Este of Ferrara and was administered by Ariosto from nearby Castelnuovo, Castiglione held for the Republic of Lucca.

The Estensi besieged it in 1603 and 1613 without taking it. The Pieve di San Pietro Apostolo, the oldest church in the borgo, was first built in 723 by two Lombard brothers and rebuilt in the twelfth century. In winter the trattorie serve chestnut polenta with boiled pork bones, the standard cold-weather dish of the valley.

We've been

Feature from our free newsletter

Apuan Roadtrip | A Steak, a Friend, and the Long Way Down to Lucca

There are two ways to drive from Aulla to Lucca. The first is the one everyone takes: the coast, the A12, the cruise control, ninety minutes of the same Tyrrhenian to your right. The second is the one we took with Daniel, on a clear day in November, and it is two and a half hours longer if you stop, but it is in a different country.

From the Castiglione di Garfagnana letter, May 2026

Read the full feature on anywhereitaly.com

Read on

Castiglione di Garfagnana in our articles

How to get there

From Florence / Pisa (PSA), about 1h 52m by car.

Bologna (BLQ) is about 2h 24m away.

By car from the centre of Pisa 1h 35m or Florence 2 hours.

Every town within reach of Florence / Pisa airport.

Castiglione di Garfagnana, photo 1
Castiglione di Garfagnana, photo 2

What to see

  • Rocca medievale

    Thirteenth-century fortress with three Torrioni, the symbol of Castiglione and the anchor of the medieval walls.

  • Mura medievali

    Well-preserved thirteenth-century walls with large defensive towers ringing the borgo, intact for most of their length.

  • Pieve di San Pietro Apostolo

    Oldest church in town, first built in 723 by two Lombard brothers and rebuilt in the twelfth century by Bishop Guido III of Lucca.

  • Chiesa di San Michele

    Smaller medieval church inside the walls, with stone façade and a single nave preserved through later modifications.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Castiglione di Garfagnana fits in a slow Italy circuit.

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Plan your trip

Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

Living here

  • Population 1,705
  • Remotei
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Nearest airport Florence / Pisa, 1 h 52 min drive
  • Regional capital Firenze, 2 h 6 min drive

Common questions

What is Castiglione di Garfagnana known for?
Castiglione di Garfagnana is a walled medieval town at 540 meters in the Garfagnana, the Lucca outpost that refused to submit to the Este and held the pass to San Pellegrino.
Where is Castiglione di Garfagnana?
Castiglione di Garfagnana is a comune in the province of Lucca, in Tuscany.
What is the nearest airport to Castiglione di Garfagnana?
Florence / Pisa (PSA), about 1h 52m by car.
How long is the drive from Pisa to Castiglione di Garfagnana?
About 1h 35m by car.
When is the best time to visit Castiglione di Garfagnana?
Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 27 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 17 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Castiglione di Garfagnana?
Yes. Festa Medievale di Castiglione di Garfagnana. August is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Castiglione di Garfagnana?
Santa Fiora, Venzone and Trentinara.
How many people live in Castiglione di Garfagnana?
1,705 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 540 m
  • Population: 1,705
  • Surface area: 48.53 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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