Perched on a hill in Lunigiana, inside the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano National Park, is the medieval village of Bagnone. The hamlet overlooks the waterfalls of the Bagnone stream, an affluent of the Magra River, while is itself dominated by the impressively high peak of Monte Sillara (1,861 m – 6,106 ft).
On the summit of the village is the old Medici castle, with the medieval church of San Niccolò on one side and a maze of narrow cobbled streets and stone bridges descending from all sides. Bagnone is a hamlet full of legends, typical of the Lunigiana region. One legend has it that on a Friday evening witches would gather under a large oak tree, while another says that one of the old bridges is guarded by a ghost armed with scythe preventing people to cross it. Some locals say that they can still hear the cries of those imprisoned many centuries ago within the Castle’s dungeons.
The magical atmosphere that surrounds Bagnone is something that visitors can experiment all year round, but especially in these days in which the village has organized the event Per le vie di Bagnone, “Walking around Bagnone”. From August 13th to 16th the streets and squares of this medieval hamlet will be full of live music and dancing, food and wine stalls with local dishes (such as the panigacci savoury pancakes), handicrafts of all sorts, cultural events and much more. Certainly an opportunity not to miss if you travelling in this part of Tuscany.
