The soul of a historic land, between the mountains and the sea of ​​Tuscany and Liguria

Set between Liguria and Tuscany, there is an ancient land that flows from the mountains into the sea.

Lunigiana, a borderland that does not divide but unites apparently different territories which share ancient traditions.

The main Lunigiana towns are Pontremoli, Aulla and the municipality of Fivizzano.

The ancient villages of Filattiera, Filetto di Villafranca, Malgrate, Bagnone, Mulazzo, Podenzana and Verrucola di Fivizzano are worth a visit.

Lunigiana is a region rich in history

In ancient times this historical region, located between northern Tuscany and eastern Liguria, corresponded to the extension of the ancient Diocese of Luni, while today it corresponds to the basin of the Magra River, administratively divided between the provinces of Massa Carrara and La Spezia. Due to its geographic-morphological characteristics and its position, it has always been a crossroads of peoples and a natural corridor between different districts.

A transit area, due to its proximity to Northern Italy and the sea, it’s dotted with historical testimonies of primary importance. The main feature is the legacy of its castles, from Pontremoli to the mouth of the Magra River, unfortunately many castles were destroyed or are now in ruins, but the manors that stand to this date refer to an era of medieval splendor, albeit short, very prolific from an artistic point of view.

The subdivision of this territory according to the majorasco had seen the proliferation of numerous castles in the various Malaspinian fiefdoms of Lunigiana. The fiefs themselves were characterized by medieval villages that nowadays can be visited in all their beauty.

As evidence of the great religiosity pervading ancient times, also due to the passage of the “Via Francigena” along these lands, the very high number of Romanesque churches and parish churches, abbeys and oratories and the presence of the majesties, small chapels erected to contain devotional images, built along paths and communication routes.

The memory of the people of Lunigiana must then be sought in the museums present in the area.

The Museo delle Statue Stele lunigianesi, the Museo Etnografico della Lunigiana, the Museo di Storia Naturale della Lunigiana ad Aulla, the nearby Orto Botanico dei Frignoli, the Museo del Territorio dell’Alta Valle Aulella in Casola in Lunigiana, the Museo dell’emigrazione della Gente di Toscana.