Lunigiana

Encyclopedia : L : LU : LUN : Lunigiana

Lunigiana is an historical territory of Italy, which today falls within the provinces of La Spezia and Massa Carrara. Its borders derive from the ancient diocese of Luni, which no longer exists.

Lunigiana covers an area from the Apennines to the Magra river, belonging in part to Tuscany and in part to Liguria. It takes its name from the Luni, an Etruscan tribe of moon worshippers whose curiously appealing stele remain the symbol of this ancient land. These late pre-historic and Bronze Age stone statues have been found in large numbers in this part of Tuscany. They are the first expression of the art and of the religious beliefs of the peoples that inhabited Tuscany from the Bronze Age to start of the Roman Empire.

The history of Lunigiana is one of passion; of intense creativity but also ferocious battles. The nearby Gulf of Poets saw the Romantic poets Shelley and Byron set the artistic world on fire and follow in the Renaissance footsteps of Dante and Michelangelo.

Castles in Lunigiana

During the Middle Ages, there were 160 castles in Lunigiana, only thirty of which have reached our times in a good state of preservation. The historical origins of these castles date back to times when the Langobards dominated most of the Pianura Padana and, seeking an outlet on the Ligurian/Tuscan coast, they found in the Passo della Cisa the natural way to cross the Appennines.

On the other hand, when Luni (which has disappeared) was a flourishing city and harbour, the Romans had already built solid defensive posts along the road which linked up Northern Lunigiana. On the traces of this Roman road the Langobards built the Via Francigena, for the control of which there was a bloody and ferocious struggle among the little feud .

The most important castles in Lunigiana, including the castle of the Piagnaro in Pontremoli, the Rocca of Villafranca and the fortified village of Filetto, were built during this period. When the Malaspina played an import part in the politics of Lunigiana, they built a great number of castles, which were used as residences and defences of territory by the several branches of the family.

Concerning this we must say that the Malaspinas followed rules which were quite different from those applied in other Italian feuds for the succession of the heirs to the feudal power: the property, the estates and the power were divided into equal parts among all sons, without a special treatment for the eldest one. That led to the formation of dozens of little feuds, each requiring a new castle, on the occasion of every succession. Thus many small (and picturesque) castles were built in Lunigiana, but at the cost of weakening the power of the family at each generation.

External links

[Tuscan Hills] Traditional and stylish accommodation in Lunigiana
[Lunigiana] Castles in Lunigiana
[Terre di Lunigiana] Lunigiana travel guide
[Stylish properties for sale in Lunigiana] Real estate in Lunigiana
[Traditional accommodation in Lunigiana]
[Bagnonemia] History and traditions of Bagnone, a little village in Lunigiana (Italian site)

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.