Sourroundings of lunigiana

The Lunigiana area is the wild core of a part of Tuscany to be discovered, where nature has created a perfect harmony between land and sea; a boundary area where, over the centuries, various dominations have followed one another, each one leaving precious traces, as testified by the presence of one hundred and sixty castles around the region, reminding us of stories of landlords and feudal dominations. Located in the most northern part of Tuscany, between Liguria to the east and Emilia Romagna to the north-west, the Lunigiana is a boundary land, a connection between north and south, between the Po valley and the peninsular part of Italy: just think to the Via Francigena, the important route that used to connect the north of Italy with Rome, and which here in Lunigiana assumed great strategic importance: it was a centre for adventurers, pilgrims, merchants, armies. Lunigiana: a marvellous world of water. Stone and water in fact represent the deep soul of the Lunigiana. The stone of fortified hamlets, manors and castles contrasts with springs, falls, streams and cascades. The Lunigiana is a land where once upon a time its water courses were essentially a source of life and work: here in fact the mill became the central point of the peasant's life, with the fragrant cloud of freshly milled flour and stories of men and women, arms and lovers, fantastic stories and fairytales, when it was thought that nature was inhabited by witches, evil eyes and spells, traces of which are still visible when walking through winding and narrow lanes of the hamlets: the famous “facin” of Lunigiana, disquieting faces engraved in the stone of house walls, with the purpose to keep away the evil spirits as perceived in a period of poverty, illiteracy, hunger and hard work. Between fears and dangers of those lost times, the men felt the need to pray, to believe in something that transcends earthly existence, to find a place to meditate and be with god: the parish churches, austere buildings of sandstone, abundantly available in Lunigiana. History, nature, spirituality, pagan traditions: this is LUNIGIANA, the VALLEY OF THE MOON, a land of ancient civilizations and ancient traditions, where time seems to pass differently, slowly, whose rural characteristics, intended as traditions, culture, environment, hospitality and way of life, makes it unique at national and European level.

	Castles of the Lunigiana ::www.lunigiana.com
	The land of Luni, the river that flows in it, is the northern part of Tuscany, close to Liguria and Emilia Romagna. This spectacular land, because it is different from any other, gives to the visitor an exclusive and unforgettable mix of nature, sea, small villages perched on very high mountains and hard trades that have deeply marked the area and the people.

	Pontremoli ::www.lunigiana.com/Pontremoli
	A municipality of the province of Massa-Carrara, situated in the upper part of the Magra valley, in the most northern part of Lunigiana. The town, once protected by the impressive castle of Piagnaro, and situated in a basin surrounded by high hills, was considered the northern door of Tuscany and was located along the Via Francigena; still today it has important transport infrastructures, such as the A15 Motorway and the Pontremolese railway line, that directly connects Parma with La Spezia.

	La Spezia ::www.laspezia.com
	La Spezia is a city of Liguria and the capital of the Province of La Spezia. With its 94,192 inhabitants it is the second most populated city of the region, preceded only by Genoa. La Spezia is situated in the centre of the shore of a natural gulf at the eastern end of Liguria, just a few kilometres from the boundary with Tuscany. The gulf of La Spezia is known also as the Gulf of Poets, and is surrounded by a chain of hills, whose highest peak is Monte Parodi.

	The Cinque Terre ::http://www.le5terre.com
	On the rough and charming section of coast of the Riviera di Levante, situated in the Province of La Spezia and located between Punta Mesco and Punta di Montenero, there are five characteristic hamlets that compose the Cinque Terre: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.

	The Apuane Coast :: www.versilia.com
	The Apuane Riviera extends from the south east end of the Province of La Spezia, in Liguria, and the north west part of Tuscany, including almost the whole coastal section of the Province of Massa-Carrara, protruding south into Versilia. The municipalities involved are Sarzana, in Liguria, and Carrara, Massa and Montignoso in Tuscany.

	The Apuane Alps :: www.carrara.net
	The Apuane Alps (Alpi Apuane) are conspicuous from the near Apennines due to their harsh morphology, deeply engraved valleys and impressive and steep slopes. The Apuane Alps are known for the beauty of their marbles and for deep abysses and large cavities in the calcified strata. The geographic position of the massif, its exposure and the varying nature of the rocks determine the presence of varied and contrasting environments, which favour the flora and richness of the territory.