Casa Cordati is a 17th-century palazzo in the historical centre of Barga (not far from the main entrance to the village) that hosts the permanent exhibition of Bruno Cordati’s paintings and occasional exhibitions of contemporary artists.
Since 2003, Casa Cordati has made available an apartment and four of its many rooms to visitors to Barga.
Originally used only by the annual Music Festival organisers to accommodate journalists, artists and staff, these tranquil rooms give the visitor a magical vantage point from which to appreciate this extraordinary town.
Barga is quiet yet refined town, and Casa Cordati is an ideal place to come for a period of concentration, study or rest. The house can lodge up to 16 people, and offers a large hall for lessons, seminars or rehearsals.
Common living spaces for tourists who sleep in the house are the concert hall, the rooms of the exhibition, the Altana (a covered roof terrace with a rich history) and the garden.
This wonderfully located palazzo filled with works of art provides the perfect ambience for courses of specialisation, for small music and theatre ensembles to rehearse for their performances and for tourists and art lovers.

The Serchio Valley extends north of the city of Lucca, in Tuscany, toward the Appennines and the city of Modena in the Northern region of Emilia Romagna. Situated between two rich areas - the Lucca plain and Versilia Riviera, with its fashionable beaches and the marble quarries of Carrara – our region has long been overlooked, since the new business routes have bypassed it. Its steep hillsides and cooler climate are not especially suited to agriculture, and the great riches of lower Tuscany - olives and wine – do not grow here. For these reasons, it remained undeveloped and this is now proving to be an advantage: the ancient villages are virtually intact, our hills are not disfigured. And our lesser known regional specialities are : firm, fleshy sheep cheese, flavourful mountain honey, and abundant vegetables – still produced using traditional methods. The summer events, now gaining in popularity amongst foreign visitors, in-the-know, feature a curious mixture of high-level cultural events and popular fairs for example : Opera Barga and Barga jazz festivals and “la festa delle piazzette” (Feast of Little Piazzas) when, in July, Barga’s squares are full of music and little outdoor restaurants.
Right in the middle of the valley, Barga surveys its surroundings proudly from the top of its hill: not too high, but still distinguished enough, and strategically well-positioned as a connection between the mountains to its the north and the City of Lucca in the plain. The ancient town is miraculously intact. The serenity of its 11th cathedral at the top of town is a rich reward for the short 10 min climb through the winding and colourful streets to its door. This is not an austere town. It’s robust and rugged with a hearty laugh and a big heart. It has suffered struggles and the scars exist if you know where to look. For the casual visitor, it is a town with plenty of good eateries, a warren of miniscule streets to explore, a few galleries, the Cordati Museum and several little boutiques. Most of its small piazzas have outdoor tables and cafés for people watching and relaxing.