The theatre complex stands apart on its own with passageways on either side. To the left and behind it runs the Vicolo del Duomo which starts from Via di Mezzo and ends at the Via del Pretorio near the Casa Salvi. On the right Vicolo del Teatro leads up past Vicolo del Duomo on the left and Vicolo Gherardi on the right, and ends at Via del Pretorio in front of the entrance to the Conservatorio of St. Elisabeth.

Piazza Angelio and its Palazzi.

Facing Vicolo del Duomo, on the left of Via di Mezzo, is Vicolo di Solco. If you walk down this passageway you will pass the former Bertacchi kitchen gardens and a section of the wall that is said to form part of the first circle of defense of the old fortified town and which was destroyed by Lucca during one of its many sieges against Barga. The Vicolo di Solco finishes after having crossed the Via di Solco which leads up to the Avenue Guglielmo Marconi, the road that circles around the historic town centre outside the walls, at its westernmost limit.

Back on Via di Mezzo, past the theatre and up a short rise you arrive at Piazza Angelio, certainly the most beautiful piazza in the old part of the town.

 

Piazza Angelio - The bust of Pietro Angelio, also known as Bargeo.

This piazza, once known as Piazza Aiaccia, owes its present name to two buildings built by the Angeli family, who were reknown for producing poets, writers, prelates and soldiers. The most famous of these, Pietro Angeli (1512-1573), also known by his knickname "Bargeo", was a poet, a brave soldier and a professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Pisa.

One of the Angeli buildings on this piazza is the home of the "Pro Loco" Association and formerly of the journalist, writer and typographer Pietro Groppi (1831 - 1908), who wrote a biography of Pietro Angelio and founded the weekly newspaper "The Serchio Echo".

In the 14th Century, there was a church annexed to a monastery of Augustinian monks which stood on the righthand side of the piazza, on the corner by the flight of steps which marks the beginning of Via del Duomo.

An "Opera Barga" performance.

Because of its particular shape and almost perfect acoustics the Piazza Angelio is used in the summertime for exhibitions and entertainment and has been many a time the setting for performances for the international lyric festival "Opera Barga". This festival was originated and run by the English couple Peter Hunt and Gillian Armitage in 1967 and is currently directed by their son Nicholas. The piazza is also used for "Barga Jazz", the international competition in composition and music arrangement.

A "Barga Jazz" performance

Accommodation in Barga By popular request: the list of hotels in Barga, plus, links to houses and apartments to rent or buy in Barga

Giovanni Pascoli 1855-1912 I Canti di Castelvecchio - complete text (In Italiano)

Osteria Angelio peek in at the people eating in the osteria . What does a plate of farro look like ? The Osteria Web Cam reveals all. ( in English, Italiano)

Low Resolution Poetry
Tiziana Fontana is the only artist in Barga using this almost invisble form of poetry ( In Italiano )

2001 winner: SURPRISE "OUTSIDER" WINS