ITALY | Lucca Province, Italy Travel Guide
Monday, December 15, 2025
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Rocca Ariostesca
Outside of Lucca
Tuscany
0583-6448315
Type: Sightseeing
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Tuscany
0583-6448315
Type: Sightseeing
Comments ( 0 )
Rating (0 Votes)
The capital of these northern slopes, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, is farther up the panoramic SS324. It sits at an important crossroads between the Apennine and Apuan mountain ranges, which formed part of the Via Francigena, the pilgrim road between Rome and northern Europe. Lucca conquered the town in 1248, and Castruccio Castracani fortified and ruled the territory until it passed to the Este family in 1430. The Rocca Ariostesca which dominates the town from on high, remains the most significant architectural mark of the Este family’s dominion in Garfagnana.
It was commissioned in its vast dimensions by Alfondo II d’Este during the second half of the 16th century and should be your first port of call before heading down to the town Duomo. Although 10th-century in origin, the Duomo has both Renaissance and Baroque modifications. Inside is a 15th-century wooden sculpture known as the “Black Christ,” a glazed terracotta della Robbia altarpiece and a marble font created by the Civitali school.
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