To the Reader

At the beginning of this guide there is a line from "The Soldier in San Pietro in Campo", by the poet Giovanni Pascoli, who writes of sadness and death, but also of what is beautiful and good. Many of Pascoli's works were dedicated to Barga and expressed his feelings for the town and for the natural beauty of its surroundings.

We conclude the guide with the words of another poet, Mario Mazzoni, whose name is perhaps less well known, but whose love for Barga was equally strong.

Mazzoni writes with great feeling about the merits and beauty of Barga, but his words are tinged with a sad and melancholic nostalgia for the Barga of long ago, and yes, even with suffering, for its slow decline.

This guide, also, is offered as a homage, above all to the people of Barga, but also to those others who have used it, or who will use it when they come to Barga, the town that I love and hope to see always preserved and at its best. This goal will be made easier with the help and collaboration of those who, for a few days or even a few hours, have walked through its streets, who have admired what it has to offer and who have shared, if only through their imagination, the times when it was a flourishing and prosperous place.

Thank you, reader, for having come to Barga and farewell. In the following pages, after the tribute to old Barga by Mario Mazzoni, you will find a few addresses, telephone numbers and other information that might be useful while you are here.