The Garfagnana fortresses not to be missed

Garfagnana is dotted with numerous testimonies of a past that saw it as a borderland, with garrisons to defend and roads to control. Hence the presence of extraordinary fortified structures that tell and hand down the history of the villages in which they are incorporated. Let’s discover together those not to be missed!

The Fortress of Mont’Alfonso

Perched on top of a hill overlooking the village of Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, the Fortress of Mont’Alfonso is one of the most majestic architectural monuments in the Serchio Valley. It was erected in the second half of the 16th century as the last defensive stronghold on the border with the state of Lucca at the behest of Duke Alfonso II d’Este (from whom it later took its name), based on a design by Carpi architect Marco Antonio Pasi. After housing prisons, it became the summer residence of the Italo-Scottish Bechelli family in the 20th century. Since 1980 it has been owned by the Province of Lucca, which returned it to the citizens after major restoration work. Triangular in shape, with walls over a kilometre long, two gates and seven bastions, it owes its charm also to the marvellous sunsets over the Apuan Alps that it dispenses from the bastions. Today it houses the offices of the Provincial Administration and the Apuan Alps Regional Park, as well as exhibitions and cultural events.

The Ariosto fortress

Also in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, about two kilometres from the Fortress of Mont’Alfonso, is the Ariosto fortress, an iconic monument not only of the village but of the entire province of Lucca. Dating back to the 12th century, it has undergone numerous modifications over time. With its trapezium-shaped bulk, lightened by the presence of two small internal courtyards, it dominates the central Piazza Umberto I and owes its name to the poet Ludovico Ariosto (the author of the famous chivalric poem L’Orlando furioso), who stayed there from 1522 to 1525 as governor of the Este province of Garfagnana. Following the damage suffered during World War II, it was restored and its structure modified. It currently houses the Palazzo di Atlante, a museum dedicated to Ludovico Ariosto, which combines contemporary art with the tradition of the Garfagnana and its history.

The Este Fortress of Camporgiano

The Fortress of Camporgiano (an ancient medieval village on the right bank of the Serchio river) is an emblematic example of 15th-century Este military architecture. It was built by the powerful and noble family of Ferrara to defend one of the most important branches of the historic road system in the upper Serchio Valley. It does not retain much of its original structure due to damage suffered during the 1920 earthquake that struck the entire Garfagnana region. The walls have two large towers that form the most significant part of the fortress. It is currently privately owned, but in the main keep it is possible to visit the Civic Collection of Renaissance Ceramics, in which precious ceramics, dating from the late Middle Ages to the Renaissance, are exhibited, most of which come from the fortress’s throw wells emptied during restoration work carried out in the 1970s.

The Verrucole Fortress

The Verrucole Fortress, located in the municipality of San Romano in Garfagnana, is also well worth a visit. It is one of the most representative structures of the system of military fortifications of the Este dukedom in Garfagnana. It was built between the 10th and 13th centuries by the Gherardinghi family, although in its current appearance it almost certainly dates back to two Este periods: the time of Marquis Leonello (circa 1450) and Alfonso II (circa 1564). Perfectly preserved and restored, it houses a medieval archaeopark museum, which reconstructs life inside the fortification as it was when it was inhabited in the past. From the 16th-century bastions of the fortress it is also possible to admire a splendid view of the Garfagnana valley floor and the landscape of the Apuan Alps.

The Este Fortress of Trassilico

The Este Fortress of Trassilico (a hamlet of the municipality of Gallicano on the outskirts of Garfagnana) stands on a hill at a height of 730 metres above sea level, facing Monte Forato and Pania della Croce. As testified by the remains found thanks to archaeological excavations, the hill was fortified at least as early as the 12th century. At the end of the 15th century, the complex was in decay: it was brought back into use by the Estensi, when architect Paslo Pasi drew the new plan at the beginning of the 17th century. In the 18th century there was the final abandonment of the fortress. Today, the walls and keep are restored. From here you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines and the Apuan Alps.

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