Barga, a beguiling 10th century hilltop town, sits on the edge of Tuscany’s Garfagnana region, nestled beneath the towering peaks of the Apuan Alps and the Apennines. It’s a champion of ‘slow food’ – think locally grown porcini mushrooms, pecorino cheeses, sublime chestnut-inspired desserts, indulgent black truffles and leisurely lunches – but it sticks in my mind for an entirely different reason.