A Tour of Greater Lucca

Our host, Luisa, offered us the opportunity of a tour around points of interest in this region that were not easily accessible by train.  So, with her legendarily patient husband, Damiano, as our driver, and Luisa as our guide, we set off on a Wednesday morning in an 8 seater Renault van to the hills to the north of Lucca.
Our first stop was the village of Borgo a Mozzano where, as it turns out, Luisa used to live and where she married Damiano.  Its a charming little town which was celebrating the harvest season and the approach to Halloween, and the shops were decorated for the season.  
Borgo a Mozzano is on the shores of the Serchio River, which is the third largest river in Italy and takes a bit of getting across.  The Serchio is also directly in the path of the medieval pilgrims’ route from England, via Rome, to the Holy Lands known as the Via Francigena.  So bridges, or at least one of them, became important for pilgrimage and the economic benefits that came along with it. About a thousand years ago work began on a bridge over the Serchio just outside Borgo a Mozzano.  It became known as the Ponte della Meddalena, but these days is better known as the Ponte del Diavolo (Bridge of the Devil) because of a legend associated with its construction.  Whether the work of the Devil or not, its a very impressive structure and a thing of beauty to behold.
We had been keen on seeing Bagni di Lucca (The Baths of Lucca), a town built around some thermal springs known about since the time of the Etruscans and Romans.  While there, we noticed the lovely Ninfa Hotel and were invited in by a staff member to have a look around.  It has a magnificent terrace overlooking the river and the hotel would be a perfect spot for a couple of days to recharge the batteries.
Dory and I had been keen to visit Collodi, the town which claims to be the home of the story of Pinocchio.  These days, the Pinocchio thing is a tacky theme park with cheap souvenirs and expensive entry fees.  But the town has a couple of imposing villas, including one stark looking place occupied by German forces during WWII.
We were refreshed by being whisked off to the hilltop town of Montecarlo amongst olive orchards and vineyards in the hills east of Lucca.  Montecarlo is a beautiful hilltop town, even when you arrive just as the Main Street is blocked off for a funeral.  We stood respectfully while the service ended and the mourners moved away, and the whole scene just added poignancy to our visit.  Montecarlo is lovely.  When you visit this region (as you should), go there!
We ended our day and our tour on the north western side of Lucca, just above the Serchio, at the magnificent Fattoria al Dotto vineyard.  Our host, Giacomo, introduced us to his father, explained that his grandparents were buried in the grounds of the small church on the property, and told us about his development of the olive groves and the vineyard.  “I think my grandparents would be proud of what we have done here.”  We tried six of the lovely wines, along with a small plates menus to match each wine, and were just a little bit gibbery when we left at about 8 o’clock that evening with several bottles of Fattoria al Dotto tucked under our arms.