The most beautiful villages in the Lunigiana area

The Lunigiana, the border area between Tuscany and Liguria, is famous throughout Italy for its considerable number of medieval villages. An area that seems to have escaped the influence of modernity, which has enclosed and protected the signs of the past, making them "living witnesses".

A visit to the small villages of the Lunigiana can bring you closer to the past and make you rediscover customs and ways of life completely different from those of today. The following are the four most beautiful medieval villages of the Lunigiana, but there are many other places that you can visit with curiosity and interest.

Village of Colonnata

Colonnata, the village famous for the production of lard and the processing of marble, is nestled between the Apuan Alps. It is located about 8 km east of the city of Carrara, between the Monti Maggiore, Spallone, and Saguaro.

As it is easy to imagine, marble is the undisputed protagonist of the small village. The main churches and monuments were built with exposed marble, left with its characteristic white color.

Historically, the village of Colonnata was for years the site of a settlement of slaves brought by the Romans to take care of the extraction of marble.

Village of Pontremoli

The village of Pontremoli is known as the "clavis et ianua" of Lunigiana, the "door and key". This is because it is the northernmost village in Tuscany, a sort of gateway to the region.

The medieval streets and bridges have remained almost intact, making the village one of the most characteristic of all Lunigiana. By visiting its streets, and entering to observe the Piazza del Duomo and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, it is possible to breathe the air of the past, immersing yourself completely in the history of what has been.

Bagnone village

The village of Bagnone affects the northern area of ​​Lunigiana, characterized by the hills and the signs of unspoiled nature.

The whole village revolves around the stronghold of Bagnone - from which it then took its name - which was once used as an observation point and border fortress.

Small houses and buildings of medieval origin surround the stronghold, building an intertwining made even more fascinating by the narrow streets, which still show their original structure and stone cladding.

Hamlet of Filetto

Located in the municipality of Villafranca, the hamlet of Filetto is one of the few to have kept the original fortification. Its link with the past is visible both along the streets of the village and within the historical monuments in perfect medieval style.

Every year, during August, the "Medieval Market" is held in Filetto, a costume festival that invites all visitors and inhabitants of the village to dress like their ancestors.