Devil's Bridge

This narrow footbridge that connects both sides of the river Lima at Borgo a Mozzano, near

Lucca in Tuscany, is properly called the Ponte della Maddalena. As with many ancient bridges of

this type, a local legend surrounds the building of it, in this case that of Saint Julian (or,

alternatively, the villagers) who made a pact with the devil to complete the bridge. The Devil's

payment was to have the soul of the first to cross the bridge, whereupon the villagers (or St

Julian) duly sent a dog across when the bridge was completed. Today it's a highlight on the

otherwise dull road from Lucca to Bagni di Lucca, a well-known spa town made famous by the

likes of Byron, Keats, etc who once lived there. The bridge takes you from a rather good pizza

restaurant on the south side of the Lima, into the small town of Borgo which has little else to

recommend it. You have to wonder about the bridge's solid, not to say massive construction,

when there is no evidence of, nor room to build, a town on the south bank, but presumably

there was good enough reason once, lost in time. Here is the bridge in rain, with a young woman

in red fortuitously crossing it with an umbrella.

This narrow footbridge that connects both sides of the river Lima at Borgo a Mozzano, near Lucca in

Tuscany, is properly called the Ponte della Maddalena. As with many ancient bridges of this type, a

local legend surrounds the building of it, in this case that of Saint Julian (or, alternatively, the villagers)

who made a pact with the devil to complete the bridge. The Devil's payment was to have the soul of

the first to cross the bridge, whereupon the villagers (or St Julian) duly sent a dog across when the

bridge was completed. Today it's a highlight on the otherwise dull road from Lucca to Bagni di Lucca,

a well-known spa town made famous by the likes of Byron, Keats, etc who once lived there. The

bridge takes you from a rather good pizza restaurant on the south side of the Lima, into the small

town of Borgo which has little else to recommend it. You have to wonder about the bridge's solid, not

to say massive construction, when there is no evidence of, nor room to build, a town on the south

bank, but presumably there was good enough reason once, lost in time. Here is the bridge in rain, with

a young woman in red fortuitously crossing it with an umbrella.

The Devil's Bridge