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, at the beginning 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 an 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 begun its building but soon noticed that he would not be able to complete the work for the fixed day and frightened of the possible consequences invoked to the Devil asking him help. 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 to a pig. So the Devil was defeated and he disappeared in the deepness of the river.