20 Villages in Lunigiana, Northern Tuscany

Lunigiana sits at the point where Tuscany, Liguria, and Emilia-Romagna meet — a valley region crossed by the Via Francigena and controlled for centuries by the Malaspina family, whose castles and fortified towers still mark almost every hilltop. The villages here are small, largely unvisited, and well-preserved. These twenty are worth knowing about.

1. Filetto — A well-preserved walled village with a monumental gate leading through to an upper and lower square. One of the most intact examples of a medieval planned village in the region.
2. Ponticello — A Via Francigena village that runs partly through a tunnel, with sandstone houses lining the covered alleys and a tower-house at the entrance that sets the tone before you enter.
3. Caprigliola — Visible from the A15 motorway, perched on a hill with Medici walls and an ancient castle tower that now serves as the bell tower of the Church of San Michele.
4. Castiglione del Terziere — A castle and cluster of meticulously restored stone houses on a hillside. The medieval tower is intact and the surrounding lanes are some of the best-kept in Lunigiana.
5. Equi Terme — The most varied village on this list: prehistoric caves, a thermal spa, trekking routes into the Apuan Alps, and a living nativity scene at Christmas that draws visitors from across the region.
6. Ponzanello — A hilltop village with views toward the sea. The climb from the monumental gate to the castle ruins takes about fifteen minutes and is the point of the visit.
7. Borgo della Verrucola — A village that is also a castle: Verrucola is the fortified nucleus from which the town of Fivizzano later grew. The tower and surrounding buildings are among the best-preserved castle complexes in Lunigiana.
8. Malgrate — A small hilltop village with views over the Magra valley. The church is tucked into the upper section of the village, easy to miss and worth finding.
9. Taponecco — A tunnel village: the main path runs through a vaulted passage beneath the stone houses. Best explored slowly — the alleys and stairways between the covered sections show how compactly a medieval hilltop settlement was organised.
10. Ugliancaldo — On the border with Garfagnana, the approach to Ugliancaldo opens suddenly on a ridge. The walk up to the Church of Sant’Andrea and back is short and worth the detour.
11. Bibola — Another tunnel village along the Via Francigena. The remains of the castle above the village are distinctive — the towers and walls read from below like the fingers of an open hand against the hillside.
12. Lusuolo — Visible from the Cisa state road, Lusuolo’s castle dominates the hillside above the Magra river. It was built to control the medieval ford below and is nearly as large as the village it was built to protect.
13. Virgoletta — The houses here are built into a steep hillside, with lanes at different levels entering the same building on different floors. A local tale held that livestock on the ground floor appeared to be on the upper storey of the house below. A well-maintained village and a good example of Lunigiana’s vertical hillside architecture.
14. Tavernelle — Positioned along the Lagastrello road, Tavernelle was a stopping point for merchants and pilgrims on the Apennine pass. The prosperity that brought is still visible in the noble palaces lining the main street.
15. Treschietto — Castle ruins, a stream with swimming spots in summer, and a local variety of onion the village is known for. The ruins are extensive enough to explore without a guide.
16. Vinca — Set under the Apuan Alps with views across toward the marble quarries. The local bread — dense, long-keeping, baked in a wood-fired oven — is worth buying if you pass through on a baking day.
17. Sassalbo — A larger village just below the Cerreto pass, with stone houses stacked against each other, carved portals, and wayside shrines along the main lane. A transit village in the old sense: people stopped here because the pass was close.
18. Camporaghena — A small rural village just below the Apennine ridge, used mainly as a starting point for trekking routes into the national park. Little infrastructure, outstanding walking.
19. Gragnola — The Aquila Castle sits above, the village of Gragnola below, a network of stone lanes overlooking the Aulella stream. The castle is the draw; the village gives you somewhere to park and walk up from.
20. Pulica — One of the smallest on the list: ruins of a medieval castle, two churches, and very little else. For those who have already covered Lunigiana’s main sites, that is precisely what makes it worth the detour.

Each of these villages is part of a wider story — explore our Lunigiana travel guide for practical information on getting around the region.