When italian friends come to visit, it is a pleasure to take them around and show them the beautiful Tuscan lands. Let alone if friends come from the other side of the world! In this case our friend is Japanese and his name is Takao. My daughter Lena and I have known him in Greece, and we have been in contact for two years now.
Today we are not far from Lucca, precisely in Borgo a Mozzano.
Here, the two shores of Serchio, a river that originates in the Garfagnana Mountains, are joined by a very special bridge: its shape is unmistakable, a donkey-back bridge but with its broadest arch asymmetrical and steep. It is the famous Magdalene Bridge or Devil's Bridge.
The official name comes from the presence, in the sixteenth century, of an oratory dedicated to Saint Marie Magdalene.
But the bridge is much, much older... it was built no less than by Matilde of Canossa, our "old" knowledge (see post about Rocchetta Mattei) at least three hundred years before, to allow the pilgrims to reach Lucca and thus connect them to the Via Francigena, an ancient road of strategic importance, and not only for pilgrimages itself but for the transport of people and things.
The bridge project, really complicated and worthy of an engineering excellence, was so daring for the time being, that - and here starts the legend - the poor construction manager was afraid of failing to carry out work in the given times. The poor man was so terrified not to hand over the work and to become the laughing stock of his category that he even called the Devil in person to help him!
And the devil itself, appearing in a cloud of sulfur smoke, willingly accepted and promised that he would end the bridge in one night, as long as he was paid the soul of the first passer by.
Our man accepted, not that he had so many other choices… and the bridge was over, with great ceremonies.
On the day of the opening, the master builder came up with an idea, because he did not want to give the Devil the soul of some of his compatriots or, worse, that of some high prelate who came there to bless the work. So he decided to let a poor dog (some say a pig) be the first passer by on the brand new bridge. Lucifer realized that too late and he was so frustrated, even though unable to do anything, that he angrily took the dog in his arms and threw himself into the river. Today, he’d just dislocate a shoulder, the water is very low.
The Madeleine Bridge suffered a bit of damage in the mid XIX century because of a flood, but nothing compared to what would happen if the Germans had to blast the charges they had already installed on the bridge during the withdrawal from the stations on Gothic Line at the end of World War II.
Why at the last moment they changed their mind? We do not know exactly, it is said that the bridge was too tight the Allied means couldn’t circulate, so they would decide to spare it. Maybe there is the Devil's snare here too, who maybe, this time handed out without asking for souls? Who knows. However, it is said that from time to time a mysterious white dog appears mysteriously and crosses the bridge, still looking for the soul of the master builder…
