Castiglione di Garfagnana
Castiglione di Garfagnana
astiglione di Garfagnana is situated at a height of 541 meters above sea level on the access road to Passo delle Radici and its territory has an area of 48.64 km2. It has just over two thousand inhabitants including the hamlets of Chiozza, Campori and Cerageto, but it is one of those villages.
The traditions of this municipality are many but the most important one is the so called “Festa del Regalo” (festival of the gift), which takes place, punctually, from 20 January 1631, without interruption, every first Sunday of the year: a suggestive cerimony to remember how the village was saved by the bubonic plague.
Then the “Processione dei Crocioni”, which renew the tradition of Christ’s ascent to Calvary every Holy Thursday: a large cross carried by a hooded man whose identity no one knows.
The local Alpine Philharmonic is over 100 years old. Do not to forget the Pascoli Festival at Passo delle Forbici which takes place every first Sunday in August to commemorate Giovanni Pascoli, the poet of Castelvecchio and the Change of the Beech Cross on the “pier” of San Pellegrino in Alpe, every year on the 1st August.
The construction of fortified villages, among these CASTRUM LEONIS, (Castiglione) the strongest in the valley, dates back to the period of Roman domination. Since those times it was held in high regard for its position of control on the road that led to the San Pellegrino pass.
Due to its strategic position, the castle of the lion, had a very troubled past and was often forced to pull out its claws to defend itself from numerous sieges.
To discover the history and monuments of the village, still narrow in its double curtain of walls, you can book a guided tour of the local pro loco (tourist infomation office), which also has access to the Rocca, now private, and to the two churches of St. Micheal and St. Peter.
The historic ski resort of Casone di Profecchia with its ski school is particularly suitable for those approaching this sport, while the cross-country trails that start from Passo delle Radici offer different degrees of difficulty.
In San Pellegrino in Alpe, the highest inhabited hamlet of the Apennines (1524 m AMSL), it is possible to visit the Ethnographic Museum “Don Luigi Pellegrini” (currently closed due to remodeling) and the Sanctuary of the Saints Pellegrino and Bianco.
