Segni presenti di un passato perduto. Ponti medievali nel territorio della Garfagnana, Lucca. Memoria di un patrimonio da recuperare. Signs present of a lost past. Medieval bridges in the territory of Garfagnana, Lucca. Memory of a heritage to be recovered.

The project stems from the desire to promote and safeguard the medieval heritage of Tuscany, starting from the ancient itineraries and bridges that characterize a large part of the Lucca landscape. In order to do so, it is necessary to analyze and study such paths, which are essential for their own valorisation and consequent recovery. The territory involved in the research project is located between the Serchio river bed and its tributaries, precisely in the Municipalities of Fabbriche di Vergemoli, Gallicano, Molazzana and Castelnuovo di Garfagnana. It is a homogeneous system of internal areas characterized by a weak rural economy, which insist on a landscape, as well as an environmental and archaeological-historical context, of considerable value. The first stage of research that we carried out consisted of a surveying project, using 3D laser scanner digital technologies, for the realization of digital models in architectural scale and detail, tools necessary for subsequent critical analysis. The study has highlighted a widespread precariousness of the conditions of the medieval and sixteenth-century bridges and has allowed us to deepen our knowledge on those of San Michele, Castel Nuovo in Garfagnana, Pontecosi and several others. The aim of the research is to set valid premises so that the territory, with its monumental heritage, can obtain a renewed visibility, and to start a recovery of the numerous bridges along the route, allowing residents and tourists to return to use the ancient roads of communication.