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.