Lunigiana
Lunigiana is an ancient historic area at the northernmost edge of Tuscany, nestled between the Apennines and the Apuan Alps
Updated 20 July 2026
Lunigiana
Towns in the area
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What to do in Lunigiana now
The story
The story of Lunigiana
Geography and location in Tuscany
Lunigiana occupies the northernmost tip of Tuscany, within the province of Massa-Carrara, and takes its name from the Magra river, which runs through it from north to south down to the Ligurian Sea. It borders Liguria to the west, Emilia-Romagna to the north-east and the Garfagnana to the east, in a territory that has long been a crossroads between the Tyrrhenian coast and the Po Valley. The landscape alternates between the Tosco-Emilian Apennine chain, with peaks above 1,800 metres, and the northern foothills of the Apuan Alps. The main towns, including Pontremoli, Fivizzano, Aulla, Villafranca in Lunigiana, Fosdinovo and Bagnone, are scattered along the Magra valley and its tributaries, linked by roads of ancient origin.
History and identity
Lunigiana owes its name to the Roman town of Luni, founded in 177 BC as a coastal colony and today an archaeological site. In the Middle Ages the territory was split into a dense network of fiefdoms controlled by the Malaspina family, who built dozens of castles to control the routes connecting Tuscany, Liguria and Emilia; this is why Lunigiana is known as the "land of a hundred castles". Crossed by the Via Francigena, the pilgrim route to Rome recorded by Archbishop Sigeric in the 10th century, the area was for centuries a borderland and transit zone, preserving a cultural identity distinct from the rest of Tuscany.
Landscape and nature
The Lunigiana territory is dominated by chestnut woods, high-altitude beech forests and valleys crossed by clear streams flowing into the Magra. To the north rise the peaks of the Tosco-Emilian Apennines, brushing against the ridge of the National Park, while to the south-west the landscape slopes down towards the northern spurs of the Apuan Alps, famed for their marble quarries. A network of hiking trails, partly overlapping with the Via Francigena and with ancient ridge routes, winds through small rural villages, historic water mills and Romanesque parish churches set in greenery, offering a slow, nature-based travel experience away from the region's busier routes.
Villages and places to see
Pontremoli, the historic capital of Lunigiana, is home to the Piagnaro Castle, which houses the Museum of the Lunigiana Stone Statues, and a historic centre crossed by bridges over the Verde stream. Fivizzano, nicknamed "little Florence" for the Medici influence and its early Renaissance printing press, unfolds around arcaded squares. Aulla preserves the San Caprasio Abbey and the Brunella Fortress; Fosdinovo overlooks the valley from its imposing Malaspina castle; Villafranca in Lunigiana hosts the Ethnographic Museum in the Manfredi Mill; Bagnone retains a medieval village with stone bridges over the stream of the same name.
Food, wine and traditions
Lunigiana's cuisine is rooted in the culture of the chestnut tree and the noble poverty of the mountains: testaroli, thin batter cooked on cast-iron griddles and dressed with pesto or oil, and panigacci, discs of batter cooked between heated terracotta plates, are the territory's signature dishes. Also common is torta d'erbi, a savoury pie filled with vegetables and wild herbs, alongside chestnut flour, honey and porcini mushrooms gathered in the Apennine woods. Local wine production, more modest than in other parts of Tuscany, is complemented by mountain-pasture cheeses and cured meats, celebrated at village festivals that mark the Lunigiana autumn.
Not to be missed
- Museum of the Lunigiana Stone Statues in the Piagnaro Castle, Pontremoli
- Malaspina Castle in Fosdinovo
- Brunella Fortress and San Caprasio Abbey in Aulla
- Historic centre of Fivizzano and Verrucola Castle
- A stage of the Via Francigena through the villages of the Magra valley
To see
What to see in Lunigiana
Routes · Trovido Route
Routes in Lunigiana
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