Casa La Pace Bed and Breakfast is in the village of Ghivizzano. Ghivizzano belongs to the municipality of Coreglia Antelminelli in the province of Lucca. The first historical document that mentions Ghivizzano dates to A.D. 983. The village is characterized by its cobblestone streets, its vaulted fortification walls, and a castle and guard tower by Castruccio Castracani, noted Lord of Lucca.
Ghivizzano is located in the Serchio Valley and borders the Garfagnana. The Serchio Valley lies between two mountain chains, the Apuan Alps and the Apennines. It is a picturesque valley of verdant hills covered in oak and chestnut trees. The Serchio River, which carved the valley, begins in the Garfagnana, a mysterious region of rugged mountains, grassy slopes, and mysterious forests. The valley is populated with hundreds of villages, sprinkled on mountain tops and steep hillsides, and hidden in secret valleys and crags. These villages still reflect their medieval origins, a time when each town was its own fiefdom and was controlled and protected by a powerful lord. Until recently, the Serchio Valley was ignored by the outside world, leaving most villages almost untouched. A stroll down the narrow alleys and cobblestone streets is a walk into the past.
The Serchio Valley, now a short drive from Lucca, was historically a remote, untamed territory. This isolation is reflected in its unique cuisine, a delicious mix of wild and cultivated ingredients. Today, the Serchio Valley, with its natural beauty, is a destination for visitors who want to explore history, enjoy wonderful local cuisine, and experience the ‘true’ Italy.
Things to Do / Places to See
–Nearby Villages and Towns– Below are of some of the nearby villages and hamlets near Casa La Pace and the approximate distance to each. Bagni di Lucca – 10 min Barga – 15 min Borgo A Mozzano – 15 min Castelnuovo di Garfagnana – 25 min Coreglia Antelminelli – 10 min Fabbriche di Vallico – 15 min Fornaci di Barga – 10 min Gallicano – 20 min Lucca – 25 min Montefegatesi – 25 min
–Musuems & Galleries– Museum of Plaster Figurines – Coreglia Antelminelli Lu.C.C.A. (Lucca Center of Contemporary Art) – Lucca National Museum of Palazzo Mansi – Lucca Archaeologoical Museum of Villa Guinigi – Lucca Cathedral Museum – Lucca Puccini’s Home – Lucca Lucca Comics Museum – Lucca Puccini Family Home Musuem – Pescagllia Pinocchio Museum – Pistoia Rural Museum of the Chestnut—Colognora
–Points of Interest– Ponte del Diavolo (medieval bridge) – Borgo A Mozzano Parco Naturale dell’Orecchiella (natural park & preserve) – Garfagnana Grotta del Vento (caverns) – Vergemoli Orrido di Botri (hikeable canyon) – Ponte a Gaio Lago Vagli (hydroelectic dam and submerged village) – Vagli Ermita di Calomini (hermitage) – Vergemoli Fortezza delle Verrucole (fortress) – San Romano Ponte delle Catena (chain bridge) – Fornoli Terme di Bagni di Lucca (baths) – Bagni di Lucca Chiesa di San Petro e Paolo (medieval church) – Ghivizzano Duomo di San Martino (cathedral) – Lucca Chiesa di San Michele (historical church) – Lucca Basilica di San Frediano (Romanesque church) – Lucca Chiesa di San Francesco (historical church) – Lucca Duomo di Barga (cathedral) – Barga Chiesa di Maria Assunta (church) – Loppia Le Mura (fortification walls) – Lucca Orto Botanico (botanical gardens) – Lucca Parco Alpi Apuane (natural park & preserve) – Garfagnana Teatro dei Differenti (live theater) – Barga Teatro del Giglio (live theater) – Lucca
-Weekly Markets- Bagni di Lucca – Wednesday Barga – Saturday Castelnuovo Garfagnana – Thursday Fornaci di Barga – Friday Ghivizzano – Tuesday Lucca – Wednesday and Saturday
-Antique Markets- Lucca – 3rd Sunday of the month Barga – 2nd Sunday of the month
–Nearby Villages, Towns, & Hamlets– Abetone, Bagni di Lucca, Barga, Borgo A Mozzano, Calavorno, Camporgiano, Cardoso, Castelnuovo di Garfagana, Castiglione di Garfagana, Coreglia Antelminelli, Diecimo, Fornaci di Barga, Fornoli, Galllicano, Gioviano, Gromignana, Lucca, Lucchio, Lucignana, Montefegatesi, Motrone, Pescaglia, Piano di Coreglia, Piazza al Serchio, Pisa, Ponte A Serraglio, San Romano, Tereglio, Vergemoli, Viareggio, Vitiana
–Harvests– Grapes – September thru October Olives – November thru January Truffles – October thru November Chestnuts – October thru December
–Festivals & Events– January Festival of Epiphany – Throughout Italy Regatta on the Arno – Florence Winter Festival – Lucca February Carnivale – Viareggio and Venice Chocolate Festival – Florence March Easter Festivals, Throughout Italy Truffle Festival – Cigoli Cakes and Sweets Festival – Florence April Festival of the Azaleas – Borgo a Mozzano Easter Week Festivals – Throughout Italy Festival of Sacred Music – Lucca Scoppio del Carro, Easter Sunday – Florence May Pinocchio’s Festival – Pescia Festival of the Cricket – Florence Medieval Festival – Barga Tuscany Walking Festival – Castelnuovo Garfagnana Musical May Festival – Florence Cherry Festival – Pisa June Feast of St. John – Lucca Battle of the Bridge – Pisa Festival of San Ranieri – Pisa Summer Saracen Festival – Arezzo Saint John’s Festival – Florence July Academy Music Festival – Castelnuovo di Garfagnana Barga Opera Festival – Barga Summer Music Festival – Lucca Medieval Parade – Lucca Medieval Parade & Jousting Tournament – Pistoia Historical Regatta – Livorno Fish and Chips Festival – Barga Beer Festival – Borgo A Mozzano International Folklore Festival – Camporgiano Medieval Festival – Castelnuovo di Garfagnana Palio Horse Race – Siena August Barga Jazz Festival / Jazz in the Piazze – Barga Medieval Festival – Volterra Sagra della Trippa – Ghivizzano Beer Festival – Castlenuovo di Garfagnana Puccini Opera Festival – Viareggio September Festival of the Lanterns – Florence Fall Saracen Festival – Arezzo Medieval Festival – Siena Venice Film Festival – Venice Santa Croce Festival of LIghts – Lucca Murabilia Garden Show – Lucca Fagioliadi Slow Foods Exhibition – Capannori October Lucca Comics & Games – Lucca Wine Festival – Riana Euro-Chocolate Festival – Perugia Chocolate Festival – Montecarlo Feast Of The Thrush / Archery – Montalcino November Festival of the White Truffle – San Miniato IL Desco (Wine and Olive Oil) – Lucca A Night At The Opera – Lucca Chestnut Festival – Castelnuovo di Garfagnana Puccini Festival – Lucca Lucca Digital Photo Festival – Lucca December Live Nativity and Medieval Festival – Ghivizzano Artisan Christmas Market – Florence Arts and Crafts Festival – Lucca German Christmas Market – Florence Sweets and Desserts Fair – Prato Christmas Festivals – All of Italy
Nearby Destinations
There are many day trips you can take from Casa La Pace. Below are Frommers.com introductions to each town.
LUCCA – 30 min
Lucca is the most civilized of Tuscany’s cities, a stately grid of Roman roads snug behind a mammoth belt of tree-topped battlements. It’s home to Puccini and soft pastel plasters, an elegant landscape of churches and palaces, delicate facades, and Art Nouveau shop fronts on wide promenades. The sure lines of the churches here inspired John Ruskin to study architecture, and though the center isn’t the traffic-free Eden many other guidebooks would lead you to believe, cars truly are few and far between. Everyone from rebellious teens to fruit-shopping grandmothers tools around this town atop bicycles.
FIRENZE – 1 hr 45 min
Botticelli, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci all left their mark on Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance and Tuscany’s alfresco museum. With the graceful Duomo as a backdrop, follow the River Arno to the Uffizi Gallery, soaking in the Old Masters paintings. Then wander across the Ponte Vecchio bridge as dusk descends, silhouetting the red rooftops and lengthening the shadows of Florence’s tangled medieval alleyways. Finally, sample seasonal Tuscan cuisine in an authentic trattoria. You’ve discovered the art of fine living in this masterpiece of a city.
PISA – 50 min
Nothing says Pisa more than its Leaning Tower, part of the Campo dei Miracoli — literally, Field of Miracles. Gateway to the Tuscan hills, this medieval city of architectural masterpieces goes against type with its young and upbeat feel. Native son Galileo may be long gone but students still come here to study at the prestigious university where he taught. In its heyday Pisa was one of Italy’s most powerful maritime republics. Follow its past in the Romanesque churches, piazzas and palaces that line the winding Arno River through the city to the sea.
LE CINQUE TERRE – 2 hr 30 min
Olive groves and vineyards clinging to hillsides, proud villages perched above the sea, hidden coves nestled at the foot of dramatic cliffs — the Cinque Terre is about as beautiful a coastline as you’re likely to find in Europe. What’s best about the Cinque Terre (named for the five neighboring towns of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore) is what are not here — automobiles, large-scale development, or much else by way of 20th- and 21st-century interference. The pastimes in the Cinque Terre don’t get much more elaborate than walking from one lovely village to another along trails that afford spectacular vistas; plunging into the Mediterranean or basking in the sun on your own waterside boulder; and indulging in the tasty local food and wine.
