There are over 160 small castles in the Lunigiana. Some of them are private, and a large fraction of them are only visitable during special days.

But on a weekend you can tour the Malaspina Castle in Fosdinovo. It's enormous, the largest of the territory. There are frescoes, ancient weapons, a torture chamber and more.

You can even stay there.

A Little History of the Castle

The Malaspina Castle was constructed in 1340 and retains its original structure for defense. Gabriele and Lorenzo Malaspina added renaissance touches to the castle in the 16th century, and Jacopo Malaspina furthered these changes by enlarging the structure in the 17th century. The central hall is adorned with frescoes depicting the relationship between Dante and the Malaspina family. Tourists may also explore intriguing areas like the dining room with its large fireplace, the throne room, the veranda and garden, and the trap-door room with torture chamber below. There is even a tower known as the "Dante Chamber" where, according to tradition, Dante was a guest during his period of exile.