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MUSEUMS, MILLS AND CHURCHES
The medieval origins of the villages in Lunigiana and the
deep respect that the inhabitants have for their past have contributed
to the preserving of the history. This is the reason why the area
features well-preserved mills and churches, and many museums which
preserve the memory of the past. In Lunigiana, an area with lots
of rivers and streams, the mills was part of the daily life and
the landscape. With the stone-wheels of the water-mills the inhabitants
ground the chestnuts from the forests in order to achieve the nutritive
flour, which allowed them to survive during the long winter. There
are still some active mills at Fivizzano, one close to the
Pieve di Sorano, one at the Rocca Sigillina and one
at Zeri, which only is working during the autumn.
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churches, the symbol of religiosity an spirituality, are plotted all
over Lunigiana. Very significant are the capitals inside the churches,
which are decorated with monsters and angels as a sign of sin and
salvation. Sirens, monsters and cut heads can be seen on the capitals
in the Codiponte, close to Casola, while the flower symbols
have been sculptured on the capitals of the San Paolo di Vendaso.
in Vencaso. The decoration and the architecture of the Pieve di Sorano
shows how the Via Francigena worked as a fusion point between the
Longobard Romanesque and the Tuscan Romanesque architecture. Particularly
interesting is the Pognana, located among cypresses from where
you have a superb view over the valley. Among all the museums in Lunigiana,
the most unique one is the Museo Etnografico in Villafranca,
dedicated to the items and tools from the peasant tradition. Located
in a small mill, the museum features the tools needed for grinding
the chestnut, which was the base of the local economy. There are also
tools for the working of iron, wicker, wood and stone, and machinery
for the milk and wine production, measurement tools, photos and descriptions
which show how the peasants lived in Lunigiana.
You also should visit the Museo delle Statue e delle Steli lunigianesi,
at Potromoli, where you can see original or copies of all the statues
and steles in the area. Anthropomorphic sculptures which show the
religiosity and mysticism of the inhabitants in Lunigiana already
200 years before the Roman conquering, and archaic steles dating back
to the 2nd a.C.
At Aulla you can visit the Museo di Storia Naturale della
Lunigiana, opened in 1979 to enhance the knowledge of the local
naturalistic heritage and to protect it. Here you find copses, beech
and chestnut forests, the hill cultivation, the flora of the mountain
and the geologic characteristics of the caves. To complete the museum
there are also aquariums and the habitat of the local animals. Close
to the museum, in the charming premises of the Fortezza della Brunella,
you find the Botanical Gardens.
At Casola you have the l Museo del Territorio dell'Alta
Valle Aulella which comprehends the Parco Archeologico
where you find several statues and steles and the so-called "borgo
in mostra"( the city exhibition). Here you find all the goods
and items found in the area of the Valle Aulella from the prehistory
to the Middle Ages. In the open-air part of the Parco Archeologico
you can see the copies of the most important steles found in the area
to the border with La Spezia, while the "borgo in mostra"
is a walking itinerary in the historical centre of Caserola, with
palaces, mills and ancient medieval settlements. |
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