Montefegatesi is situated 842meters above sea level,its the highest village of Bagni di Lucca and is 15 kilometers from the town.There are two roads to the village,the first along the road of La Controneria and to the right at the ruins of the oratory of San Rocco, the second is from Ponte a Serraglio, passing through Granaiola, Pieve di Monte di Villa, Monte di Villa and going towards the church of Sant' Anna. Looking at Montefegatesi it seems to be attached to a rock. It's name comes from the colour of the clay present in most of the territory(liver-fegato), and mountain(monte) that rises from the stream Fegana,making the name place Montefegatesi.
The Legend of the Devil's Bridge
Once upon a time a clever and respected master builder lived in a village on the banks of the Serchio River. The inhabitants of the
village approached him, asking him to build a bridge to connect their village with the one across the river. He immediately set to
work, but he soon saw that the work was not progressing as quickly as he'd promised his fellow citizens it would, and being a man of
his word and one who always fulfilled his obligations, he became very unhappy and desperate. He continued to put great effort into the
work day and night so as to finish the task within the time allowed for in the contract, but the work continued to proceed very slowly
while the days flew by. One evening while the builder was sitting alone on the banks of the Serchio looking at the work and thinking
of the shame and discredit he would suffer for not having completed it in time, the devil appeared to him in the form of a respectable businessman.
He went straight up to the builder telling him that he'd be able to finish the bridge in a single night. The man
didn't believe what the devil was saying, but listened anyway, and in the end accepted his proposal. Naturally the devil wanted something in
return: the builder was to undertake to give him the soul of the first person that crossed the bridge when it was completed. The builder accepted
and the following day the village had its beautiful bridge that can still be seen today in Borgo a Mozzano.
The people were stunned and unable to believe what had been accomplished, and went to congratulate this craftsman who
ordered them not to cross the bridge before sunset. In the meantime, the builder got on his horse, a little worried if the truth be told, and set off
for Lucca to ask the Bishop for advice. At that time the Bishop was Saint Frediano. This saintly man told him not to worry and to allow the devil to take
the soul of the first person to cross the bridge, and told him to let a pig cross first. This was done and the devil, furious at having been tricked,
threw himself into the waters of the Serchio, and has not been seen in the area since.
|
|