Codiponte

My father’s village of Codiponte lies in the high valley of the Aulella, in the Comune of Casola in Lunigiana, in northern Tuscany.

Evidence of settlement by hunters and farmers on the ground adjacent to the Romanesque Pieve di Codiponte (parish church) dates back to the iron ages, with further settlements dating to Roman times and up to the middle ages. The Pieve itself, which is dedicated to the two saints, San Ciprianno and San Cornelio, dates back to 793 in the early middle ages, and is considered one of the most significant medieval monuments in Lunigiana.

The old stone bridge which crosses the River Aulella was built in 1100. It is this strategic crossing which gives the village its name -Codiponte.

The settlement expanded to the southern side of the river in the 1300's when the now dilipdated castle and surrounding village was built.

Today the village is home to about 300 people. After the second world war the rural way of life, based on the mezzadria or share-cropping sytem, collapsed and many villagers moved to the larger cities and towns.

The Lunigiana

The remote and beautiful region of the Lunigiana in Northern Tuscany differs markedly from the gently rolling hills and plains of Florence and Siena to the south. It is a rugged area of high mountains and deep valleys bounded by the peaks of the Appenines and the Apuan Alps, and divided by the river Magra and its tributaries which flow down to the scenic Gulf of La Spezia.

The heavily forested hillsides are scattered with small villages with grey stone houses topped with red tiles. The area is also famous for its fortified castles which can be seen on the hilltops above many of the villages. These date back to medieval times and there are over one hundred in the region, many still in good condition.

The history of the region dates back much earlier to palaeolithic times, with the remains of now extinct cave-bears and neanderthal man found in the limestone caves of Equi Terme.

Many unique sculptures, called Statue-Stellae’s, dating from 1800 to 1000 BC have also been found across Lunigiana.

It is also where my father’s village of Codiponte is located, in the high valley of the river Aulella, in the Comune of Casola in Lunigiana.