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VILLAFRANCA
The remains of the castle called Malfido, at the entrance
of the village of Villafranca, witnesses its glorious past, when
the government of the Malaspina family was one of the most important
centre in the area around Val di Magra. The Castle controlled the
confluence of the river Magra and the stream Bagnone, and the traffic
along the Via Francigena. There are only ruins left of this imposing
fortress as it was destroyed by the bombs during WWII. Anyway, Villafranca
is still one of the most beautiful towns of Lunigiana, so beloved
by the Malaspina family who did not want to loose the control of
this strategic settlement and actually built a family chapel which
can be visited in the Chiesa di San Niccolò.
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Malaspina family surrounded Villafranca with a boundary wall and a
water-grave. It is worth the time to take a walk in the historical
centre, lined with nice artisan workshops, and the Museo Etnografico,
housed in the old mills from the 15th century, where you find collections
of the rural life in Lunigiana.
Between Villafranca and Bagnone, you have to visit the Fortress
of Filetto, probably the best preserved fortress in the whole area,
in the middle of a forest where the archaeologists have found many
stele statues, religious idols sculptured in stone by the Ligurians.
From the beginning the fortress was a military fortress against the
Longobards, and it still preserves this architecture. During the 16th
century the Ariberti family bought the building from the Malaspina
family and enlarged and divided it. In the new part you can see the
Palazzo dei Marchesi, the parish church and the hospital. In the old
part you find the Chiesa di San Francesco, featuring marvellous art-works
in glazed terracotta by the Robbia school, the Piazza del Pozzo and
the great stone portals which line the streets and the squares.
The Byzantine village of Filetto celebrates one of the most
charming markets in July and in August. In the streets of the nice
medieval centre you find artisans working the iron, wood, leather,
stone and clay. There are people dressed in old costumes, accompanied
by musicians and street-artists. The Fiera di San Genesio is held
the 24th of August, and is one of the most important festivals of
the area with local food.
Leaving Villafranca, you have to visit the old village and
castle of Malgrate, one of the most significant settlements in Lunigiana.
Dominated by one of the oldest and most elegant cylinder-shaped towers
in Italy and protected by a well-preserved boundary wall, the village
was founded in the 14th century.
Few tourists get to visit Virgoletta, though it is worth a stop as
it is one of the most fascinating and best preserved villages of Lunigiana.
Dominated by a Malaspina castle, the villages lies in the middle of
a green forest with many water springs and offers a small church which
preserves an infinite number of relics. From Fornoli, near Villafranca,
you descend to the ford of Chiesaccia, on the Magra river to look
over the village of Lusuolo.
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