Lunigiana

Paleolitic, Neolithic and Iron Age
The oldest human settlements in Lunigiana are linked to Neanderthal man and evidenced by the findings in the Tecchia of the Grotta di Equi Terme, dating back to the Paleolithic period (between 120,000 and 36,000 years ago).   Durante il periodo Neolitico, si insediarono popolazioni della Pianura Padana Occidentale. Mentre risalgono all’eneolitico i reperti delle Statue Stele, datate dal IV millennio a.C. fino all’età del ferro (VII-VI secolo a.C.), che potrete ammirare nel Museo delle Statue Stele Lunigianesi presso il Castello del Piagnaro. During the Neolithic period, populations of the Western Po Valley settled. While the finds of the Stele statues date back to the Eneolithic period, dated from the fourth millennium BC. up to the Iron Age (7th-6th century BC), which you can admire in the Museum of Lunigianesi Stele Statues at the Piagnaro Castle. During the Iron Age, the Lunigiana area was inhabited by the Apuan Ligurians, who resisted the conquest for a long time, never surrendered and deported en masse to allow for the definitive Roman conquest in 180 BC. The Diocese of Lunae was then founded (today near Ortonovo, in the province of Spezia). The territories between Luni and Lucca were thus gradually colonized.

Middle Ages and Charlemagne
With the end of the Western Roman Empire in 476, the Huns, Ostrogoths, Byzantines, Lombards and Franks arrived. It was in this period that the concept of “Historic Lunigiana” began to form, which in the 11th century extended its control from Massa to Spezia up to Albareto in the province of Parma and up to Versilia and Garfagnana in the province of Lucca. Thus it was that for most of the Middle Ages when we spoke of Lunigiana we were referring to the huge territory of the Diocese of Luni. Thanks to the Abbey of Bobbio (province of Piacenza) monastic foundations began to be formed in Lunigiana. Thus began the resumption of trade with the Po Valley (Via degli Abbati) and agriculture developed, laying the foundations for what characterizes Lunigiana agriculturally today: vineyards, chestnut groves, olive groves, ancient mills and oil mills. An outpost of the trade route for oil, salt, timber and spices. In 802 it was Charlemagne himself who invested the Adalberti family with control and possession of the Lunigiana. From this family descend the Obertenghi, from which the whole Malaspina lineage comes. In 1201 with Obizzino and Corrado Malaspina the territory was divided by the natural border of the Magra River. Thus the two historic families were created: Malaspina dello Spino Secco to the right of the river and Spino Fiorito to the left, with two capitals: Mulazzo and Filattiera. This is the era of Dante hosted in Lunigiana by the Malaspina dello Spino Fiorito. Subsequently the territory was divided over and over again among the different descendants: so many territories were created, each with its own castle.

The uniqueness of Pontremoli: from the Malaspinas to the Napoleonic Era
The only territory to remain outside the Malaspinian dominion until 1319 was Pontremoli.   From the 6th century under the Lombard rule through the Monastero di Bobbio, ceded by Henry IV in 1077 to the Este family, Pontremoli was recognized by Federico Barbarossa himself in 1167 and then passed several domains from Giovanni I di Boemia to the Visconti of Milan, to the Genoese Fieschi to return later under the dominion of Milan again with the Visconti family first and then the Sforza. In 1777 Pontremoli became an autonomous community while always remaining within the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In 1847 it was annexed to the Duchy of Parma and remained so until 1859 with the unification of Italy.

Leaving Pontremoli aside, it was only with the Napoleonic era (18th century) that the typically medieval socio-economic and cultural structure of Lunigiana disappeared.