travel

The majority of overseas visitors arrive by plane to Pisa, or alternatively to Florence (Firenze), or even Genova and hire a car at the airport. People driving from Pisa or Florence as well as anyone arriving from the south of Italy by road, should first navigate to Lucca. From Lucca, there are roads on each side of the Serchio river up the valley to the Garfagnana. Initially, follow signs for Abetone, Barga and Castelnuovo di Garfagnana.

Those coming from Genova, or from the north – Liguria, Piemonte, etc. – can choose either of two routes:

• travel down the coastal motorway (A12, also known as E80) to Viareggio and take the A11 to Lucca. (After Lucca see above.)

• take a more scenic route by crossing from La Spezia to Aula and then down the Serchio valley to Castelnuovo di Garfagnana.

The Garfagnana is a rural area, and most visitors use a hire car for getting around. The purpose of this section is to add a little information on the public transport services that are available.