Barga, The Jazziest Scottish Town in Italy
I’m always a little sad when we drive out of Rome, but this time my sadness was tempered with excitement as we were heading to the Garfagnana, waaaaay up in the mountains of Northern Tuscany, “an enchanted territory, enclosed between the Apuan Alps and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, made up of forests of chestnut trees, small medieval villages and evocative scenery.” Or so says Visittuscany.com
Chestnut trees? Small medieval villages? The most Scottish town in Italy? Seriously?
Seriously. We arrived about four hours later in the village of Barga, a medieval town so picturesque that you might think you’re on a film set. Perched on top of a mountain (the better to see the incoming invaders) and inside thick stone walls (the better to repel them with boiling oil or whatever’s on hand), we found our way to our rented apartment, pushing our suitcases up one side of the steep cobblestoned streets and then held on to them for dear life on the way down the other side because no cars are allowed inside the city gates (unless you have a foxy one like the one in my picture). No, seriously, that’s not true. There are cars allowed for residents, but who in their right mind would drive cars up and down these streets, which are more like wide bumpy sidewalks?
The Italians, of course. We didn’t care. Our apartment had soaring 14-foot ceilings; the church bells rang on no schedule we could ever determine. The risotto was amazing. The mountains were amazing. The town pasticceria was amazing.
We are told that Barga has a strong connection to Scotland because in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when the local industries were declining many Italians immigrated to Scotland, where they thrived. Then they came back, or rather their children did. Or their children’s children. And thrived again. So that’s why you can find in Barga a fish and chips festival, a lot of Tartan, and some bagpipes. Oh…and a jazz festival. That I cannot explain.