he Magdalene Bridge joins the two banks of the Serchio River at the height of the village of Borgo a Mozzano. Its construction dates back to the time of Countess Matilda of Canossa (1046-1115), who had great influence and power over this area of Tuscany, the Garfagnana, but its present appearance is due to the reconstruction carried out by Castruccio Castracani (1281-1328), leader and lord of nearby Lucca, in the early 1300s. The appearance of the bridge is the classic medieval ‘humpback’ one, with the difference, which here becomes a unique feature, that its arches are asymmetrical and the central one is so high and wide that its solidity seems to defy the law of gravity. The bridge is commonly called ‘del Diavolo’ (of the Devil) by virtue of a popular legend in the area, reinforced by the bridge’s discombobulated appearance: a chief mason had started to build it but soon realized that he would not be able to complete the work by the appointed day, and gripped by fear of the possible consequences, he turned to the Evil One asking for help in order to finish the job. The Devil agreed to complete the bridge in one night in exchange for the soul of the first passerby to cross it. The pact was sealed, but the builder, full of remorse, confessed to a local cleric who advised him to let a pig cross the bridge first. The devil was thus mocked and disappeared into the waters of the river.
