Considered one of the most beautiful towns in the whole of Tuscany, Barga is the most important town in the Serchio Valley, a hilltop territory situated between the plains of Lucca and the mountains of the Garfagnana. Inhabited since prehistoric times, Barga is surrounded by woodland expanses of chestnut trees and is made up of many delightful hamlets, the most attractive being Castelvecchio Pascoli, where Giovanni Pascoli composed the famous Canti di Castelvecchio and spent the last years of his life. Of particular interest is the historical centre which has conserved the urban structure of late medieval times..

The village is dominated by the imposing structure of the Duomo, from where one can see not only the rooftops of the historic centre but also the lush surrounding countryside dotted with hamlets and farmhouses, stretching right to the Apuan Alps. The Church, built between the 9th and 11th Century, holds many important works such as the Ciborio degli Olii Santi, attributed to Andrea Della Robbia. Among the monuments and places of interest are; The Conservatory of Saint Elisabetta, an ancient monastery of the Order of Saint Clare dating back to the 15th century; the Church of the Santissimo Crocifisso; the Palazzo Pretorio, residence of the Commissioner of Florence from 1341 to 1859 and today seat of the Civic Museum; the Pieve di Santa Maria a Loppia, a Romanic 9th Century structure, where you can admire 17th Century paintings; Palazzo Pancrazi, a renaissance style building currently home of the town hall; and Casa Pascoli, in the hamlet of Castelvecchio Pascoli, where poet Giovanni Pascoli lived and is buried in the adjoining chapel.