The town of Barga developed as a castle surrounded by a circle of protective walls, of which only two entrances have survived to this day (Porta Reale and Porta Macchiaia). The town was very well known during the Middle Ages for the local production of silk threads – from here exported to larger cities such as Florence – thanks to the mills that exploited the water power of the surrounding streams. During the Middle Ages, Lucca and Pisa often fought each other for the conquest of this rich town and the surrounding territories.
If you decide to take a walk in the old town centre, you will be catapulted into a timeless dimension, made up of historic buildings – Palazzo Balduini, Palazzo Angeli, Palazzo Pancrazi and Palazzo Podestà, just to mention a few – and churches such as the Church of the Santissimo Crocifisso and the Church of Santissima Annunziata, where prestigious works of art are kept.
