San Pellegrino in Alpe is a fraction, divided between the municipalities of Frassinoro (province of Modena) and Castiglione di Garfagnana (province of Lucca), of which it constitutes an exclave, located at 1525 m a.s.l., on the Apennine side of the valley.
The place is linked to a local legend: it is said that San Pellegrino delle Alpi, tempted by the Devil, after losing his patience, gave him a terrible slap, making him cross the entire valley, until he crashed into the Apuan Alps. These were passed and pierced by the body of the Devil, leaving as a trace the Monte Forato (1234 m a.s.l.), a natural stone arch 15 m long and 12 m high visible, precisely, from San Pellegrino in Alpe.
It can be reached from Emilia through the Passo delle Radici, 1529 m a.s.l. (one of the passes at the highest altitude in Tuscany) and from Tuscany through the provincial road that climbs very steeply from the Garfagnana and from it you can enjoy a wide view of the Garfagnana and the Apuan Alps: it is the inhabited center of the Municipality of Frassinoro placed at the highest altitude of the entire Apennine mountain range, lying on one of the slopes of the Alpe di San Pellegrino (1701 m asl), easily accessible from the town via
hiking trails.
Built in the Middle Ages around the homonymous Sanctuary of San Pellegrino, still a pilgrimage destination, currently open to visitors and in excellent condition, built halfway between the two provinces of Modena and Lucca. In the village, near the sanctuary, a museum dedicated to the local peasant civilization is set up.
San Pellegrino is also known for "The climb of San Pellegrino in Alpe", which has extremely difficult stretches and slopes of 18% that characterize it as one of the most difficult climbs in the entire Apennines, chosen several times for the Giro d 'Italy.
