The bad news is that travelling up through the Mid- Serchio River Valley it’s easy to miss a sign for Barga, the good news is that there are at least half a dozen roads that lead you up there. You enter Barga by way of tree lined roads which wind up past Florentine Villas and rustic farmhouses. These two elements are the keys to its rich history.
The juxtaposition of the Florentine influences, in this seemingly remote mountain village, now a city, and the thriving mountain farming community, lead to what the Barghigiani consider an identity crisis but really is its charm.
The city of Barga is home to a sophisticated blend of town and country. It was one of the first cities in the area in which there were internet cafes, and there’s a terrific website: www.barganews.com.
There is a world class summer Jazz Festival and composition competition, and a year round jazz club. There is a beautiful Theater, with a full winter season of operas and plays and a summer Opera Festival, and has the distinction of having staged the opening of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly simultaneously with La Scala in Milan on February 17, 1904. Poetry is deeply ingrained in the local heart and mind. The famous Poet Giovanni Pascoli, a close friend of Puccini, made his home here.
At the same time, its agrarian roots go deep and there are ongoing celebrations of local products. There is an array of chestnut products which lend themselves to festive occasions like the recent Lecci Festival, the fresh ricotta-filled chestnut-flour crepe tasting, the crepes are cooked over an open flame; or Le Mundine, roasted chestnuts; and Castagnaccio, the rich chestnut custard like torte. There is also a light sweet chestnut paste, used as a condiment. Chestnut flour is readily available in markets and is used not only in the lecci and castagnaccio mentioned above but also in a polenta like side dish. Even in supermarkets you still find fresh locally made woodburning-oven baked bread, delicious local pecorino cheeses, and fresh ricotta, porcini mushrooms, and berries from the nearby mountainsides. Roasted dishes are seasoned with the delicious combination of rosemary and sage. In typical local counter point, wild boar sauce, sugo, is served on melt in your mouth delicate fresh pappardelle.
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