fortezza delle verrucole - archeopark

It's a leap back in time at this place and the guided tour was worth the 5€ each that we paid. If I had known beforehand, I would've scheduled a visit on the dates when a special event took place, but even on a quick tour like we did, the fortress appeals to all ages. Note: not adapted for the frail or wheelchairs. A pity that their website is not available in several languages.

We saw this described on a leaflet as one of the top dozen or so things to see in Garfagnana, so we went to look for it. No signs - nothing. One fort was signposted out of Castelnuovo, but it wasn't this one. We didn't give up. Even in Verrucole - no signs indicating where to park or get up there (we now realise that there are arrows painted on the ground (once you're on foot).Once there - wow ! The folk that run it are so friendly, amusing & interesting. Diego's 'tour' was very enlightening - I thought I would have heard it all before. We left very happy (albeit with a sore head after a collision with a low beam)

We found the Fortezza because we could see it on the hill from Castilione di Garfagnana. The drive there was beautiful. For minimal admission fee we were treated to a tour by Diego. Diego's knowledge of the period allowed us to step back in time to understand how the inhabitants lived. Diego's obvious passion for history has led him to recreate many of the artifacts and completely brings the Fortezza to life. If you are in the area this is not to be missed! Great for children and teens too. Beautiful views

We stumbled upon the Fortezza on our way to one of the nearby lakes. What a wonderful place to visit! The tour was interesting and informative. Our tour guide, Diego, was very knowledgeable and obviously totally enjoyed his work! The views from the castle were stunning! The Fortezza is carefully maintained, restored, and refurbished. It was a delightful way to spend the morning!

I visited the Fortezza today, and I was literally stunned by the beauty of the place as well as the care taken in the details. The visit was exhaustive and the beauty of it was the fact that our guide is actually involved in the refurbishment of the place as well the creation of all the artefacts in the castle itself. A lot of culture, preparation and passion involved in here. I strongly advice visiting the place to anybody wishing to make a serious time lapse in the real Italian Middle Ages. Simply awesome.

We've been to Fortezza delle Verrucole as part of a daytrip around the area of San Romano and Barga. The castle has much charme and is restaurated with much care. The guide took a lot of time to lead us around and explained many details. One gets a good insight of medieval everyday-life: Kitchen, captain's room and also the herbal garden is nicely set up. The display includes also an impressive collection of historic swords and other ancient weapons. We enjoyed our stay, not to mention the chestnut cake ;o)

La Fortezza delle Verrucole is a fort smack in the middle of the Garfagnana, the mountainous area north of Lucca in Tuscany. As you know, forts are all around and were used for protection against invading forces; from Pisa, Livorno, etc.This fort is in the tiny town of Verrucole which is after the hill town of San Romano. It's very well kept, has a tower and beautiful views of the area since it's high on a hill. Park your car at the end of town and walk a short distance up to the fort, 10 minutes?Pack lunch and a blanket and enjoy the quiet and beauty of this majestic area.

We looked on trip adviser before we went to see what was available for our visit. No archery or classes on day we visited but the tour was enjoyable. Stunning views of the beautiful landscape around us. Toir guide can speak some english and kept us informed even though it was a mixed lanuage tour. The walk up can be a strugle for anyone unfit or with a stroller but there is various resting places all the way up.

Spectacular 360 degrees panorama over the Apuan Alps, Garfagnana Valley and the Apennines National Park. Well preserved and excellent restoration.

What a thoroughly enjoyable and educational visit! The enthusiasm of Diego and Juliana pervades this castle. The setting is fairytale and the almost tailor-made tour a joy to take part in.When in northern Tuscany make sure and visit. With a minimal entrance charge you will love to find out about the history of the fortress and in great detail about life there and in the medieval period.

An excellent afternoon spent exploring this marvellous castle with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide who is part of a project trying to create a living history site. There is something here for all the family, try on chain mail (heavy and hot believe me), visit the armoury or visit the herbal garden, talk about dyeing and weaving of cloth generally get a feel for life in a medieval castle for both the military and their families. Almost forgot to mention the views - spectacular.There is a café which was shut on the weekday we visited as the season wasn't quite in full swing. There is a bit of a climb on a decent path to the castle but that's true of just about everywhere in the Garfagnana valley, however, the road access was easy. Do go to this castle.

We stayed in a villa in the valley near San Ramano in Garfagnana and the Fortress delle Verrucole glared down on us the entire time we where there. No matter where you go in that valley it seemed like it was watching you. This omnipresence drove us to visit the castle. It was a wonder tour and for 5 Euros a person a good deal. The castle was built over top an original tower and was completed in the 1200s. Well maintained and staffed with characters from the era we learned a lot about that time in Italy. You can spend an hour there (like we did) or a lot longer depending on how in depth you would like to go. The tour guide was more than willing to entertain any questions we had about the castle, life during that period, or places we should see while in Tuscany. You will have to hike a ways to get up to the entrance, and there are no elevators in the castle, but well worth the trip in my opinion. We took our two year old along with us and had no problems getting around. Obviously, there are wonderful view from this location.

La fortezza è intatta, e dentro c'è la ricostruzione storica di come era la vita un tempo, dallo spazio per gli allenamenti al tiro all'arco, alla cucina, alla sala, alla camera e altro. Ma la cosa che lo contraddistingue è che ogni ambiente interno del castello è spiegato nei minimi dettagli da delle guide vestite con abiti dell'epoca. Le spiegazioni sono fatte molto bene anche con aneddoti molto interessanti. Senza spiegazioni sarebbe una fortezza qualsiasi e ci staresti massimo un ora, ma con le ricostruzioni dei vari ambienti interni e le spiegazioni non andresti mai via!!!Lo consiglio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Questo bellissimo monumento è assolutamente da VISITARE! La guida che mi ha accompagnato ci ha illustrato nel minimo dettaglio tutte le caratteristiche della vita che scorreva nei tempi passati all'interno della fortezza e mentre parlava si aprivano le scene davanti agli occhi... veramente BRAVO, molto PREPARATO ma soprattutto ci ha raccontato tutto con una PASSIONE IMPAREGGIABILEConsiglio di andare a visitare il monumento durante i periodi di "NON APERTURA" in quanto, previa prenotazione, è possibile accedervi previa prenotazione telefonica al numero 340-3586862.Resterete meravigliati.......

Tutti i quanti hanno contribuito nel restauro di questa fortezza hanno fatto davvero un lavoro eccellente. La visita guidata è il tocco di classe: la storia della Fortezza delle Verrucole viene narrata con precisione e con un po' di sano umorismo. Bella anche la dimostrazione di tiro con l'arco. Grande idea anche la tavernetta a tema dove si può anche degustare dell'ottimo ippocrasso.Fa un po' strano associare al nome "Fortezza" una costruzione comunque di queste dimensioni, perché la parola a me suggerisce qualcosa di poderoso e grande, ma di sicuro anche considerando la posizione meritava il titolo perché difficile da espugnare.Purtroppo dopo pochissimi giorni dalla nostra visita avrebbero fatto la rievocazione dell'assedio di cui fu vittima la Fortezza che avrei avuto grandissimo piacere di vedere...