Lunigiana

Описание: Land of a hundred castles, it is a historical Italian region corresponding roughly to the Val di Magra.
It takes its name from the ancient Roman city of Luni, located at the mouth of the Magra river.
Lunigiana, a territory still partly unknown to most, is that strip of land located right on the border between 3 regions: Liguria, Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. Surrounded on one side by the Ligurian Apennines, on the other by the Apuan Alps and on the other by the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines mountains. A border territory, with eras of immense splendor, with all its valleys, mountains, streams, waterfalls and woods, where medieval castles and its small stone villages dot the immense territory

00:00 THE STELE STATUES represent the oldest and most fascinating artistic heritage of Lunigiana. The first Stele Statue was found in Val di Vara in 1827. In the long space of time preceding the arrival of the Romans in Lunigiana, the Stele Statues provide us with important information on the culture and religiosity of the Copper, Bronze and iron: weapons, ornaments, inscriptions tell us about a complex world, rich in contacts with different civilizations and yet still mysterious and largely to be discovered.

00:33 APELLA in the heart of Lunigiana, surrounded by the centuries-old chestnut groves of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines National Park, where, once upon a time, the Malaspinas were undisputed lords of the entire territory. A still virgin and intact landscape, where History joins Nature, in an area recognized as a UNESCO MAB Reserve since May 2015.
It is here that the farmhouse https://montagnaverde.it/ of the Mario Maffei family stands, and as a lookout, a watchtower built in 1000 AD appears. which was then expanded into a defense fortress in the thirteenth century, while in 1700 it was elevated to a bell tower and abbey. After years of abandonment and neglect, thanks to the idea and commitment of Mario Maffei, in 1995 the monastery regained its ancient splendor, and today its grandeur stands on over 600 hectares of reserve

04:00 MONTE ACUTO, locally known as Pizzacuto, dominates the Lagastrello basin, the extreme western offshoot of the Alpe di Succiso group. Enormous glacial landforms have generated numerous peat bogs and lakes of great interest. The Sarzana Refuge was built in 1980 near the only real lake

05:15 BAGNONE rises in the narrow valley through which the stream of the same name flows. The ancient part of the village stands out on a rocky spur, dominating the flat town, enclosed by the course of the stream. The strategic position highlighted its importance over the centuries, from the Middle Ages and even more recent times, being at the crossroads of important communication routes.
Bagnone was the dominion of the Malaspina family, already mentioned in 1124, belonging to the Spino Fiorito branch, first under Filattiera, then independent from 1351. On several occasions the inhabitants tried to surrender to Florence, until in 1471 the Republic occupied the castle and the village, then following their destinies.

08:34 EQUI TERME
The CAVES are an underground karst complex and arise inside a cavity in the Apuan Alps, very close to the town of Equi Terme, which is located on the slopes of Monte Pizzo D'Uccello. A work carried out by nature for thousands of years thanks to the flow of water. Inside these caves there are numerous cavities and tunnels, stalactites, stalagmites and underground lakes.
The Equi Caves are considered a Geosite by the Apuan Alps Regional Park and recognized as a Geo-Park within the "European Geoparks Network" by UNESCO. The group of caves extends for over 1000 metres.
In the past, the SOLCO constituted a wild and almost inaccessible valley, it was the natural gateway to what is one of the most impressive sights of the entire Apuan chain: the North Face of Pizzo d'Uccello.