The Garfagnana (Italian: [ɡarfaɲˈɲaːna]) is a historical and geographical region of central Italy, today part of the province of Lucca, in Tuscany. It is the upper valley or basin of the river Serchio, and thus lies between the main ridge of the Northern Apennines to the north-east and the Alpi Apuane to the west. The principal towns are Castelnuovo di Garfagnana and Barga.
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👉 Garfagnana in the context of Apuani
The Apuani were one of the most formidable and powerful of the Ligurian tribes who lived in ancient north-western Italy, mentioned repeatedly by Livy. From the circumstances related by him, it appears that they were the most easterly of the Ligurian tribes, who inhabited the lofty group of mountains bordering on Etruria, and appear to have occupied the valleys of the Macra (modern Magra) and Ausar (modern Serchio). Although they extended eastwards along the chain of the Apennines to the frontiers of the Arretines and the territory of Mutina (modern Modena) and Bononia (modern Bologna), the upper valley of the Macra about Pontremoli, including the area later known as Lunigiana where the Tuscan towns of Aulla, Fivizzano, Fosdinovo, Villfranca and Pontremoli are now found, and the adjoining Upper Garfagnana and Ligurian districts of Sarzana and La Spezia were their center.
To oppose their inroads, the Romans generally made Pisae (modern Pisa) the headquarters of one of their armies, and from thence carried their arms into the heart of the mountains: but their successes seldom effected more than to compel the enemy to disperse and take refuge in their villages and mountain strongholds in which they were generally able to defy the Roman arms.
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Garfagnana in the context of Apuan Alps
The Apuan Alps (Italian: Alpi Apuane) are a mountain range in northern Tuscany, Italy. They are included between the valleys of the Serchio and Magra rivers, and, to the northwest, the Garfagnana and Lunigiana, with a total length of approximately 55 kilometres (34 mi).
The name derives from the Apuani Ligures tribe that lived there in ancient times.
Garfagnana in the context of Walls of Lucca
The walls of Lucca are a series of stone, brick, and earthwork fortifications surrounding the central city of Lucca in Tuscany, Italy. They are among the best preserved Renaissance fortifications in Europe, and at 4 kilometers and 223 meters in circumference they are the second largest intact example of a fully walled Renaissance city after Nicosia, Cyprus. The current walls of Lucca, which replaced earlier medieval and Roman fortifications, are the result of a construction campaign that started on May 7, 1504, and ended a century and a half later in 1648, with additional structural updates in the second half of the seventeenth century based on new knowledge and construction techniques. These walls play an important role in the cultural identity of the city of Lucca and its surroundings, and as a physical monument to the region's history, and Lucca's longstanding independence as a republic.
The walls were also conceived as a deterrent and have never seen military use. At the time of construction, the Republic of Lucca feared the expansionist aims of the Republic of Florence and subsequently, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. However, there was never an open war against the Grand Duchy. Although the Republic of Lucca did come into open conflict with the Duchy of Modena in the 16th and 17th centuries, these campaigns occurred exclusively in the Garfagnana, so the city of Lucca never underwent any siege and the walls were never used.