CASTLES OF LUNIGIANA

Malaspina Castle - Massa
..... suddenly they appear, perched on hilltop or nestled among the green valleys of the Linugiana, mute witnesses to years gone by .... The seven castles described here are a significant, aboit small, sampling of the over one hundred to be found in the Lunigiana. The earliest reference to this fortress of Massa dates back to 1164, in the investiture of Obizzo Malaspina by Federico I. However, it is likely that a fortified structure controlled by the Obertenghi family had already straddled the same hilltop during the previous century.

The imposing structure standing today is a composite of centuries-long modifications and additions. Just north of the renaissance palace, one can still admire parts of the original structure - the base of a square ashlar tower and, further down, three cylindrical turrets within an embattled curtain, as well as some remains of the Marquis' residence. The original medieval structures underwent substantial restructuring in the 14th century by order of Castruccio Castracani of the Antelminelli family. From the late 15th to the early 16th centuries the fortress was expanded through construction of a new palace for the Marquis, to which were added such refinements as the verandas, loggias and colonnades characterised by stylistic and decorative details in the renaissance style.

Alberico Cybo, lord of Massa from 1553, brought to completion the process of fusion between the old fortress and the renaissance residence; the palace facade was embellished with unique painted polycrome and marble-inlay decorations. Over the course of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the fortifications themselves were modernised and expanded through the addition of a new and imposing rampart, built to satisfy the requirements of "modern" battle fronts, with numerous embrasures and artillery positions.

Fosdinovo
The first nucleus of the castle at Fosdinovo was erected, probably during the High Middle Age, on the slopes of Mount Grosso in order to guard the access roads leading from the inland valleys of the Lunigiana to the sea. In the 13th century the nobles of Erberia, vassals of the Malaspina, chose Fosdinovo as the focal point for their fief and thus had improvements made to the pre-existing fortifications. Spinetta Malaspina, who acquired the fief in 1340, ad his nephew, Galeotto, ordered renovation of the fortress and expanded its defensive structures, characterised by the rounded flanking turrets, to the configuration which is largely conserved to this day. Over the next century (in particular from the 16th to the 17th centuries) the powerful local dynasty of the Malaspina family rendered the castle more suitable for its residential and diplomatic functions. The new palace which they had built with renaissance style portico and small loggias was included within the fortress walls by adding both the edifice proper and courtyards over the glacis and ramparts.

Still today the castle is the property of the Marquis Torregiani-Malaspina, who has overseen its restoration, wishing to reconstruct, for its educational and historic value, one of the most outstanding examples of ancient feudal residences.

Verrucola Castle - Fivizzano
The magnificently fortified hill called the Verrucola, situated between the Mommio stream and the Collegnago canal, dominates the route leading from the Magra River Valley to the mountain passes of the western Lunigiana and the planes of Parma and Reggio Emilia beyond. As far back as 1044 there are records referring to the existence of this "caminata domini Bosonis" , the fortified residence in which, prior to the ascendancy of the Malaspina, the noble Bosi family had estabilished the seat of their dominion.

Vestiges of the original structures remain unmistakable in the arrangement of the imposing central keep, built in the manner of the classic tower houses of the High Middle Age, as well as in several south-eastern sections of the encircling wall. In the mid 14th century, with the advent of the seigniory of the Marquis Spinetta Malaspina, the castle took on the dimensions and appearance visible today: the support towers of the central donjon (or keep) were built, and the perimeter walls completed. The collapse of the domination of Spinetta, the disastrous earthquake of 1481 and the progressive assertion of the political and mercantile power of Fivizzano, a city within the Florentine sphere of influence, all combined to determine the gradual decline of Verrucola.

The ancient fortress eventually lost all strategic importance; one sign of which was the use of its south-western wall as a supporting structure for construction of the Church of Santa Margherita, with its graceful and harmonious renaissance arcade. Today the castle belongs to the sculptor Pietro Casccella, whose atelier has become a site of prime interest to travellers.