Maddalena's Bridge

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 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.