|  Borgo
a Mozzano
lain down on the bank right of the river, is the door of
the valley of the Serchio.
This ancient country preserves
engraved architectural, monumental and artistic tracks
in the pass of the centuries, as the Romanesque wonderful
parishes of Diecimo and wood of turkey oaks and the risky
structure of the bridge of the devil (or bridge of the
Magdalene,) built in the century XIII to want some countess
Mathilda in Canossa.
The oldest historical signs of Borgo a Mozzano date back
to the name of Countess Mathilda, the daughter of "Bonifazio
Lucchese and Beatrice". But for sure this village like
all the others of the Serchio Valley had magnificence of
life at the times of the Roman Empire's grandeur not to
mention the former historical presence of the Ligurians
and the Etruscans. There is also plenty of news on Borgo
a Mozzano going back to Longobard and Carolingian times;
that is to say dating back to earlier than the year One
Thousand. Later on, even here, there are signs of the magnificence
of life of the free cities' times. There is clear evidence
through the large amount of laws, statutes, rules. Each
single field of community life, from agricultural technique
to sheep grazing, from religious life to political cohabitation
was involved. Unbelievable is also the number of written
laws and rules being the sign of great civilization, of
the attachment to the deep feeling of justice and passion
for well-structured living together. At Borgo a Mozzano
and in the whole territory of the free city there were born
artists, men of letters and law but also excellent craftsmen
for wood and iron. The first events of community life from
a political, religious and also artistic viewpoint are due
to them. And the awareness of a past that was not dull,
of a tradition of community life not being negligible at
all even today gives rise to the most different aspects
of social life.
The Devil's Bridge
is on the river Serchio near the town of Borgo a Mozzano,
along the road 'SS12 dell'Abetone e del Brennero' that you
can take from Lucca. The Maddalena's bridge or Devil's Bridge
(ponte del diavolo) connect the two banks of the river Serchio
at the height of Borgo a Mozzano. Its construction goes
back to the era of the Countess Matilde di Canossa (1046-1115),
that had large influence and power on this zone of Tuscany,
the 'Garfagnana', but its current aspect is due to the reconstruction
carried on by Castruccio Castracani (1281-1328), Sir of
the near town of Lucca , in the first years of the 14th
century. The aspect of this medieval bridge is the classic,
for its high frequence in Tuscany, called at 'donkey back',
here, and this becomes a unique characteristic, with asymmetric
arches. The bridge is known as Devil's Bridge' in force
of a popular legend, reinforced from its strange aspect:
a master mason had begun its building but soon he noticed
that it would not be successful to complete the work for
the fixed day and taken from the fear of the possible consequences
invoked to the Devil asking him aid. The Devil accepted
to complete the bridge in a night in change of the spirit
of the first that will cross it. The contract was signed
but the constructor, full of remorse, confess himself with
a religious of the zone that advised him to let cross the
bridge for first at a pig. So the Devil was defeated and
he disappeared in the deepness of the river.
The Legend of the Devil's
Bridge
Once upon a time a clever and respected
master builder lived in a village on the banks of the Serchio
River. The inhabitants of the village approached him, asking
him to build a bridge to connect their village with the
one across the river. He immediately set to work, but he
soon saw that the work was not progressing as quickly as
he'd promised his fellow citizens it would, and being a
man of his word and one who always fulfilled his obligations,
he became very unhappy and desperate. He continued to put
great effort into the work day and night so as to finish
the task within the time allowed for in the contract, but
the work continued to proceed very slowly while the days
flew by. One evening while the builder was sitting alone
on the banks of the Serchio looking at the work and thinking
of the shame and discredit he would suffer for not having
completed it in time, the devil appeared to him in the form
of a respectable businessman.
He went straight up to the builder telling
him that he'd be able to finish the bridge in a single night.
The man didn't believe what the devil was saying, but listened
anyway, and in the end accepted his proposal. Naturally
the devil wanted something in return: the builder was to
undertake to give him the soul of the first person that
crossed the bridge when it was completed. The builder accepted
and the following day the village had its beautiful bridge
that can still be seen today in Borgo a Mozzano.
The people were stunned and unable to believe
what had been accomplished, and went to congratulate this
craftsman who ordered them not to cross the bridge before
sunset. In the meantime, the builder got on his horse, a
little worried if the truth be told, and set off for Lucca
to ask the Bishop for advice. At that time the Bishop was
Saint Frediano. This saintly man told him not to worry and
to allow the devil to take the soul of the first person
to cross the bridge, and told him to let a pig cross first.
This was done and the devil, furious at having been tricked,
threw himself into the waters of the Serchio, and has not
been seen in the area since.
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