A weekend in Lunigiana: what to see in two days

Lunigiana is one of those places Tuscans know about and everyone else finds by accident. It is the northernmost tip of Tuscany, where the Apennines meet the sea: a land of stone villages, castles, rivers and a cuisine entirely its own. If you have a weekend and you want an Italy without the crowds, here is a two day itinerary, based in Mulazzo, where we are.

Day 1: Pontremoli and the castles

Start from Pontremoli, the main town of upper Lunigiana: an elegant place of bridges, narrow lanes and old palaces. Do not miss the Castello del Piagnaro, home to the museum of the stele statues, the mysterious prehistoric sculptures that have become the symbol of this land.

In the afternoon, remember that Lunigiana is the country of the Malaspina castles: you find them scattered across almost every valley, left over from the days when this was a strategic crossing between Tuscany, Liguria and Emilia.

Day 2: the villages and Mulazzo

The second day is for the smaller villages, the ones where time seems to have stopped. Mulazzo is one of them, and it has a special link with Dante Alighieri. It was the capital of the Malaspina fief of the Spino Secco and it welcomed the poet in 1306, the only documented episode of his exile: it was from here, on behalf of the Malaspina family, that Dante set in motion the famous Peace of Castelnuovo. The village is still watched over by the Torre di Dante, with the statue of the poet carved by Arturo Dazzi, and it is home to the Museo Dantesco Lunigianese.

Wander through the lanes, climb up to the viewpoints and let the quiet surprise you. It is the kind of place you enjoy slowly, exactly as our snail teaches.

Where to sleep and where to have dinner

To really live Lunigiana it is worth staying the night rather than just passing through. In Mulazzo, El Caracol has eight rooms and a terrace looking over the village: a quiet, central base for exploring the valley.

And in the evening, after a day out, there is our Spanish and Lunigianese kitchen: paella, seafood dishes and local specialities. Have a look at the menu. The paella, as always, is on us.

Practical information

Lunigiana is easy to get around by car (close to the A15 Cisa motorway exit) and well connected to La Spezia, Parma and Genoa. From here you can also reach the Cinque Terre without the crowds in a day trip. For directions to Mulazzo and how to contact us, see the Find us page.