Finally, I visited this ghost village!

Hello, my dearest friends,

For quite some time now, I’ve been visiting Tuscany, and as you may have seen, I’ve really immersed myself in exploring its villages. These places are brimming with history and, above all, stunning from an architectural point of view. However, the ones that intrigue me the most and ignite my curiosity for discovering new spots are those that, unfortunately, are in a state of complete abandonment.

A few weeks ago, during another work-related trip to Tuscany, I used a special Google Maps list I had created myself, marking abandoned places. One of these was Bergiola, now known as the "ghost village."

I was quite lucky because I managed to find the spot—labeled on Google Maps as the "ruins of Bergiola." Although I had to park my car a bit far from the site, perhaps the eerie abandonment of the place made it feel even more unsettling.

What’s more, I was fortunate that it was a beautiful sunny day, so I took the opportunity to snap some photos of this ghost village. Naturally, driven by my curiosity, I searched online for information to understand how such a fascinating place ended up meeting such a tragic fate. That’s when I discovered that the village was originally founded back in the 2nd century BCE due to its highly strategic position. From here, you can enjoy a stunning view of the valley, and it used to serve as an important defense point.

Sadly, the inhabitants of Bergiola likely had no idea of the cruel destiny that awaited them. On September 7, 1920, a devastating earthquake struck the Garfagnana and Lunigiana areas. The earthquake caused over 200 deaths, destroyed the village, and led to its complete depopulation.

From what I gathered, at some point in the past, there was an effort by an association to restore the ruins. If you look at the photos, you can see that the church, the well, and some houses seem to have been partially recovered—they are still in relatively good condition.

But it appears that the project was ultimately abandoned, which is such a shame. In my opinion, this place could become a wonderful tourist attraction if it were better preserved. Regardless, it was both peculiar and moving to walk through this village that met such a tragic end and was ultimately left completely abandoned.
I hope you can visit this place for yourself because I’ve marked it on my map, making it easy to locate. Plus, I also found it via Google Maps, so it’s straightforward to find and truly worth a visit.

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll see you in the next one, and as always, I wish you all a beautiful day!