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La Lunigiana
Archaeology and fortifications
The Lunigiana is a territory between Liguria, Emilia and Tuscany bordered by the sea, the Apuan Alps chain, the Apennine spine and the mountains that form the head of the Vara Valley. The name comes from the Roman colony of Luni founded by the Romans in 177 A.D. at the mouth of the Magra river. The area is a strange fusion between the cultures, histories and landscapes of Liguria and Tuscany.
There are many and varied pathways in the hills and mountains from which the Apuan Alps appear as marble sculptures on the horizon. Along the way there are many historic and artistic itineraries which add to the interest of the route. In the Piagnaro Castle of Pontremoli there is the museum of the stelae, prehistoric statues of rare beauty and coherence. The Magra Valley area has delivered up 59 enigmatic monuments erected in prehistory from the third millennium B.C. until the dawn of the sixth century. The so-called stone cult was widespread in the Lunigiana from the end of the Stone Age until the beginning of the Iron Age as in many other parts of Europe. A number of stelae representing armed warriors, large busted women, real people and divine entities were constructed in the tradition of the menhirs and dolmens. They probably represented and personified the entire cultural and spiritual baggage of a people that had ceased to become tribal. Their true meaning, whether they were idols, guardian divinities, heroes who had really lived, will remain a permanent mystery.
By travelling along the Via Francigena, once used by pilgrims, popes, emperors and armies, it is possible to visit towers, over a hundred castles, walled towns, and villas which were once owned, fortified and enlarged by the Malaspina family. These include the Castiglione del Terziere with its solid square tower at Bagnone, the 14th century Castle of Malgrate, and the splendid at Brunella Fortress in Aulla, a grandiose square structure built at the beginning of the 16th century and perhaps based on a design of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, which is surrounded by a park of great botanical interest. The medieval town of Fivizzano is also of great interest as is the Castle of Verrucola with its spectacular medieval architecture and the splendid 14th century Malaspina Castle of Fosdinovo perched on the ridge of a hill which dominates the entire valley.
Food and wine: Vermentino, Testaroli pasta with pesto sauce, herb pie, mushrooms, chestnuts, chestnut honey and Morocca di Casola (bread made from chestnut flour).
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