Arzengio in Lunigiana

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The marble mountains are a nature jewel protected by a regional natural Park, a perfect destination for nature lovers.
This wonderful alpine landscape on the sea contains a marvellous variety of flowers and rare plants.

The Lunigiana has spread out over the Apuan Alps: it is a wonderful land reach of history and traditions whose name comes from Luni. The Medieval itineraries of the via Francigena crossed it along the Magra river: today almost everywhere we can find traces of an ancient and intense civilization, still kept in this charming Apennine valley with its luxuriant nature.

The stele statues, stone idols dating back to two thousand years BC are the mysterious witnesses
to the very old history of this valley.

Along the itinerary of the via Francigena as well as in the smaller valleys there are very numerous traces that can make us dream of the past life: the austere shapes of dozens of castles, the medieval walled villages, the valuable urban palaces and the country-seats, towers and fortifications of all kinds, the Romanesque parish churches and the small country churches.

Traces of an ancient civilization are evident in the landscape of the Lunigiana: the mountain grazing is linked by muletracks studded with wayside shrines and fountains, the mills, the chestnut wood cultivated on terraces, the rural villages and the villages for mountain pasture up to one thousand meters high and over. On the hills and in the inner valleys one can still meet farmers with mules, chestnuts and blueberries pickers, shepherds with their flock, which all are sure traces of a still vital civilization.

This land with sea and mountains offers a large variety of traditions: you might enter a village and let you carry away by an all-medieval atmosphere. You might rather choose one of the local "trattorie" and taste some dishes based on chestnuts or cooked in cast iron " testi ", as well as they used to do one thousand years ago, or even enjoy some fresh fish cooked by the sea and accompanied by the Candia of the Apuan Hills. You can take care of your physical wellbeing, too, thanks to the famous mineral waters that gush out of the Apuan Alps, in S.Carlo and Equi Terme spa.

In the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine, recently recognized as national park, the Lunigiana offers a pure nature to live in.

See the area, dominated by the high ridges, in different ways: walking in the age-old chestnut woods, by mountain bike or on the horse on the grass of the mountainous pastures, canoeing or simply fishing with the fishing rod in rivers, in torrents and in gorges. In the large chestnut and beech wood or in grasslands covered with blueberries you can easily see roe and squirrels as well as hawks and golden eagles.

Faces, several Karst and deep caves in the Apuan Alps draw many people keen on spelaeology and mountaineering.
In the park one can also walk or ride.

Massa Carrara, to the north of Tuscany, is in the middle of some important tourist destinations such as the Cinque Terre and the so called Città d'Arte in Tuscany. Land and sea together make spectacular scenery with natural contrasts: at the foot of the marble mountains, the Apuan Alps, the sea laps on extremely long sandy shores. The variedness as well as its being pleasantly sited make this territory an ideal destination for all kinds of tourism.

In summer time, the beaches of Marina di Carrara, Marina di Massa and Cinquale di Montignoso show an endless row of coloured beach umbrellas and deckchairs, with perfectly equipped bathing establishments offering all services for sport and leisure. In the shade of the coastal pinewood, several campsites offer a stay both for people who like doing sport and for those who like being in the open air. Some cosy hotels with all mod cons are located along the seaboard.

The cities of Massa and Carrara lie in the level area near mountains and sea. Their historic centre shows an extraordinary architectural and monumental patrimony: places, churches, monuments as well as many details in the urban building enable you to rebuild the history of the different dominations over the centuries.

On the Apuan Alps, the spectacular marble quarries reflect a suggestive image. The precious white stone has been extracted since the Roman age and has been used in many ways: from the very simple objects to the most famous art and architecture works.

The blocks of marble were carried on through an ancient technique, called "lizzatura", that is still regularly recalled thank to the courage and the skill of the last "lizzatori". In the artistic workshops of Carrara, as well as at the museum of the marble or in open air exhibitions, the history and the working of the marble can be accurately studied from close up.

The marble mountains are a nature jewel protected by a regional natural Park, a perfect destination for nature lovers.
This wonderful alpine landscape on the sea contains a marvellous variety of flowers and rare plants.

The Lunigiana has spread out over the Apuan Alps: it is a wonderful land reach of history and traditions whose name comes from Luni. The Medieval itineraries of the via Francigena crossed it along the Magra river: today almost everywhere we can find traces of an ancient and intense civilization, still kept in this charming Apennine valley with its luxuriant nature.

The stele statues, stone idols dating back to two thousand years BC are the mysterious witnesses
to the very old history of this valley.

Along the itinerary of the via Francigena as well as in the smaller valleys there are very numerous traces that can make us dream of the past life: the austere shapes of dozens of castles, the medieval walled villages, the valuable urban palaces and the country-seats, towers and fortifications of all kinds, the Romanesque parish churches and the small country churches.

Traces of an ancient civilization are evident in the landscape of the Lunigiana: the mountain grazing is linked by muletracks studded with wayside shrines and fountains, the mills, the chestnut wood cultivated on terraces, the rural villages and the villages for mountain pasture up to one thousand meters high and over. On the hills and in the inner valleys one can still meet farmers with mules, chestnuts and blueberries pickers, shepherds with their flock, which all are sure traces of a still vital civilization.

This land with sea and mountains offers a large variety of traditions: you might enter a village and let you carry away by an all-medieval atmosphere. You might rather choose one of the local "trattorie" and taste some dishes based on chestnuts or cooked in cast iron " testi ", as well as they used to do one thousand years ago, or even enjoy some fresh fish cooked by the sea and accompanied by the Candia of the Apuan Hills. You can take care of your physical wellbeing, too, thanks to the famous mineral waters that gush out of the Apuan Alps, in S.Carlo and Equi Terme spa.

In the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine, recently recognized as national park, the Lunigiana offers a pure nature to live in.

See the area, dominated by the high ridges, in different ways: walking in the age-old chestnut woods, by mountain bike or on the horse on the grass of the mountainous pastures, canoeing or simply fishing with the fishing rod in rivers, in torrents and in gorges. In the large chestnut and beech wood or in grasslands covered with blueberries you can easily see roe and squirrels as well as hawks and golden eagles.

Faces, several Karst and deep caves in the Apuan Alps draw many people keen on spelaeology and mountaineering.
In the park one can also walk or ride.

Massa Carrara, to the north of Tuscany, is in the middle of some important tourist destinations such as the Cinque Terre and the so called Città d'Arte in Tuscany. Land and sea together make spectacular scenery with natural contrasts: at the foot of the marble mountains, the Apuan Alps, the sea laps on extremely long sandy shores. The variedness as well as its being pleasantly sited make this territory an ideal destination for all kinds of tourism.

In summer time, the beaches of Marina di Carrara, Marina di Massa and Cinquale di Montignoso show an endless row of coloured beach umbrellas and deckchairs, with perfectly equipped bathing establishments offering all services for sport and leisure. In the shade of the coastal pinewood, several campsites offer a stay both for people who like doing sport and for those who like being in the open air. Some cosy hotels with all mod cons are located along the seaboard.

The cities of Massa and Carrara lie in the level area near mountains and sea. Their historic centre shows an extraordinary architectural and monumental patrimony: places, churches, monuments as well as many details in the urban building enable you to rebuild the history of the different dominations over the centuries.

On the Apuan Alps, the spectacular marble quarries reflect a suggestive image. The precious white stone has been extracted since the Roman age and has been used in many ways: from the very simple objects to the most famous art and architecture works.

The blocks of marble were carried on through an ancient technique, called "lizzatura", that is still regularly recalled thank to the courage and the skill of the last "lizzatori". In the artistic workshops of Carrara, as well as at the museum of the marble or in open air exhibitions, the history and the working of the marble can be accurately studied from close up.