In Lunigiana for a journey among its 100 castles

Suspended between the sea and the hills of upper Tuscany, on the border with Liguria and Emilia-Romagna, Lunigiana is an ancient land, where, amidst woods and villages, medieval castles tell centuries of history. There are so many fortifications here, almost one hundred, that an event is dedicated to their discovery. The Land of 100 Castles, scheduled from 19 to 21 September 2025, includes three days of guided tours and extraordinary openings of the most evocative historical residences in the Province of Massa-Carrara, Lunigiana and the Apuan Riviera. A real journey back in time awaits visitors, who can book guided tours of private and public castles, and have the opportunity to hear curiosities, legends, stories of intrigues and ghosts, and secrets kept within the walls of these fortifications.

Castello di Lusuolo (Mulazzo)

Castles and historical residences, architectural testimonies of the past, are identity symbols of the Lunigiana and Apuan Riviera territory. It is precisely to valorise this heritage that the appointment with "La Terra dei 100 Castelli" (The Land of 100 Castles), the event dedicated to extraordinary openings and guided visits of the fortifications in the province of Massa - Carrara, returns from 19 to 21 September. A weekend in which visitors and enthusiasts will have the opportunity to get to know the medieval memory of this territory and discover castles rarely open to the public. Bookings are already open. To consult the complete programme and book your visit, visit the website istitutovalorizzazionecastelli.it. Among the extraordinary openings of the weekend of "La Terra dei 100 Castelli" is the Castle of Castiglione del Terziere, located in the medieval village of the same name in the municipality of Bagnone. A place that has become a special cultural centre for the literary heritage it houses, thanks to the intellectual and collector Loris Jacopo Bononi, who started the restoration and redevelopment of the residence in 1969. Visitors will be able to admire the library, the Centro Studi Umanistici Nicolò V (Nicholas V Humanities Study Centre) founded in 1973, which boasts first editions and historical works of Italian literature, and numerous works that represent the memory of the Lunigiana identity. One of the symbols of Tuscany's medieval history is the Piagnaro Castle in Pontremoli, a town that in the 11th century, when the fortress was built, was an important stronghold along the Via Francigena and which Frederick II described as the 'gateway' of communications between northern and central Italy. A visit to this medieval fortress of Piagnaro - which owes its name to the "piagne", or sandstone slabs that were used locally to make roofs - is enriched by the presence, inside, of the Museum of Lunigiana Stele Statues. These are sculptures depicting human figures in abstract forms, carved in stone by the local populations between the 4th and 1st millennium B.C. and make up the most important collection of prehistoric anthropomorphic sculpture in Europe.

Castello Malaspina di Monti (Licciana Nardi)

The link with Dante Alighieri is still alive in Lunigiana, celebrated through monuments and places. Standing out among them all is the village of Mulazzo, ancient capital of the Malaspina family of the Spino Secco, whose historic centre is dominated by Dante's Tower. It is here that a guided tour of the village and the tower, symbol of the Supreme Poet's passage, is planned during the weekend. Dante's presence in Lunigiana is in fact attested to the year 1306, when he was appointed by the Malaspina family as representative for the peace of Castelnuovo, to mediate between this family and the bishops of Luni. The Malaspina Castle in Fosdinovo is also linked to the figure of Dante thanks to the frescoes in the main hall depicting his passage through Lunigiana. Other extraordinary openings scheduled are those of the Lusuolo Castle in Mulazzo, an ancient and coveted fortress built to defend the border of the Florentine domination in Lunigiana; the Aghinolfi Castle in Montignoso, which during the Middle Ages was of considerable strategic importance; the village and Castle of San Giorgio; and the Castle of Bagnone. But also the Malaspina Castle in Monti and the Bastia Castle in Licciana Nardi, a fascinating private manor in the Taverone Valley, still owned by the ancient family of marquises who ruled Lunigiana from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age; the Brunella Fortress and the Pallerone Castle in Aulla and the Ducal Palace in Massa. "The Land of 100 Castles" is organised by the Castles Valorisation Institute and the Sigeric Community Cooperative, in collaboration with the municipalities of the Province of Massa-Carrara and the Lunigiana and Riviera Apuana Tourist Ambit Communities. From 19 to 21 September, the castles of Lunigiana will guide visitors through the most compelling pages of this land's medieval past.