Mulazzo: Culture, Trails and History in Lunigiana

Mulazzo takes you on a journey through the culture, history and landscapes of Lunigiana. In Mulazzo, medieval buildings, museums with diverse collections, religious trails and regional traditions come together.

Culture in Historic Spaces

The cultural offering includes the Museo “Casa di Dante in Lunigiana”. This versatile cultural institution was established to honour the special relationship between Dante and Lunigiana. The museum occupies the piano nobile of the last surviving medieval residential tower within the walls of the historic 13th-century village. Visits are currently possible exclusively by prior reservation.

The Archivio-Museo Malaspina has two permanent exhibitions. It displays material from Alessandro Malaspina’s circumnavigation of the world from 1789 to 1794, including drawings and paintings of animals, plants, places and Indigenous peoples. The collection also includes more than 9,000 books, 600 journal titles and over 25,000 manuscripts relating to the Malaspina family.

The Museo dell’Emigrazione della Gente di Toscana is housed in the Castello di Lusuolo. The Castello itself is a medieval fortification in the municipality of Mulazzo that once controlled the middle Magra Valley and a river crossing.

Religious Places and Trails

The Santuario della Madonna del Monte is a Romanesque religious building. It has been documented since the 12th century and was built around 1100 by Benedictine monks from Borzone-Borzonasca Abbey as a monastery and hospice for pilgrims. The Santuario is located in the Mulazzo area at an altitude of 1,000 metres.

The signs along the Via Dantis are equipped with QR codes and provide an immersive augmented-reality experience with information in Italian and English. The Via delle Maestà is a hiking trail from the area around the Santuario della Madonna del Monte towards Montereggio. Small religious wayside shrines, known as “Maestà”, characterise this trail.

Montereggio and Regional Traditions

Montereggio di Mulazzo is a medieval village of feudal origin on the ridge of Monte Carbone at an altitude of around 600 metres, surrounded by ancient chestnut trees. Montereggio is also part of the European network of Booktowns.

Castagnetoli in the municipality of Mulazzo is traditionally associated with experienced makers of “testi”. These cooking vessels are used for bread, testaroli, Torta d’erbi and potato cakes. The dates of the “Anteprima Bancarel’Vino” and “Premio Bancarel’Vino” events, as well as the meeting of the tasting committee, are set every year by the municipality of Mulazzo. In 2024, the municipality organised the national wine competition “Premio Bancarel’Vino 2024”.

Getting There and Planning Your Stay

The village of Mulazzo can be reached by car via the Pontremoli motorway exit, followed by 7 kilometres on Provincial Road 31. This specific access route may be just as important in deciding where to stay as the question of whether you primarily want to focus on museums, historic buildings, religious trails, regional specialities or the elevation around the Santuario.

More Places for Planning Your Trip

Gavedo, Montereggio, Podenzana, Cantiere-ponticello, Tresana, Pontremoli, Prota, Comano

For the higher-level travel overview: Massa-Carrara.