Barga, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy

Barga is a thousand year old hilltown about 20 miles north of Lucca. There are approximately 10,000 residents spread across the hillsides with commanding views of the southern part of the Alpi Alpuane (the Apuan Alps). It's a great medieval town to wander about. They host both an annual opera festival and a jazz festival in addition to enjoying a beautiful location above the Serchio River valley.

Yes, that is still a bit of snow remaining on the peak of a nearby mountain (not sure the exact height but certainly less than 6000 feet).

This view is looking uphill behind the town.

Terraced hillsides host both cash crops and family gardens.

One of Barga's streets snakes off into this narrow valley.

One of the advantages of being tall is that I can occasionally sneak a peak over someone's fence.  If this home ever went up for sale I would consider becoming an expat and moving in (but I wouldn't really do it). What a setting!

Whether it's a shade of golden ochre or Tuscan pink, houses that border the narrow lanes blend together seamlessly in a way that creates that special Tuscany feel.

Yes,  I saw a car drive through this street.  I had to stand flat-backed against the wall to allow it to pass.  No wonder very small cars are popular here.

Over the course of this visit to Italy, I stopped into many churches and cathedrals.  Whether large and ornate or small and unadorned on the outside, it was difficult to predict what might be inside.  For example, this beautiful gold leaf detail covered much of this small neighborhood church in Barga..

An older model Fiat 500, a popular car of any year.....

.....although this Fiat seems to have been sitting still long enough to have developed a good case of mold.  Perhaps too many good memories to part with it?

This stone and brick work harkens back to a time long gone by. A great place to visit, Barga.