A daring medieval hump-backed bridge over the Serchio
At Borgo a Mozzano, about twenty kilometres north of Lucca, the Ponte della Maddalena spans the Serchio with a highly asymmetrical arch, so steep that it looks impossible. Built in the eleventh century and rebuilt in the fourteenth, it was a key crossing on the Via Francigena route through the valley.
Everybody calls it the Devil's Bridge. According to legend, the builder, unable to finish it in time, made a pact with the devil, who would complete it overnight in exchange for the soul of the first to cross it; the clever builder sent a dog across first. On misty evenings, locals say, a white dog can still be seen on the bridge.
Tip: the bridge is pedestrian and free; the best photos are from the riverbank on the village side, especially when the arch is reflected in still water.
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