The Castle Malaspina di Terrarossa in Lunigiana is among the fortifications erected with the precise aim to control the traffic at the bottom of the valley. The settlement develops along the Via Francigena and was started during the Twelfth century. The large fortified palace was built four centuries later, during the second half of the Sixteenth century, by Fabrizio Malaspina, the first Marquis of Terrarossa. After the death of his only male descendant, Fabrizio Malaspina sold the castle to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, who in 1628 gave it to Bernabò Malaspina di Filattiera.
The imposing building is one of the largest Malaspina residences. It is built on a square plant and fitted with four corner bastions. However, not all the bastions are completed, as other architectural elements, since the building is so large that none of the lords who owned it were able to complete the works. The central courtyard is accessible through an arched portal made with sandstones. The interiors are enriched with noble vaulted salons and apartments for a total of 43 rooms. Large internal areas were also employed to grow silkworms to produce silk. The exterior walls consist of river pebbles and larger stones, squared on the corners of the building. The simplicity of the exteriors is also found in the large rectangular windows that were originally framed with sandstone.
Today the castle has been partially included inside a larger group of houses that were built through the centuries using it as support. It now hosts recently renovated guest rooms, meeting rooms, and the municipal tourist information office.
For more info:
Phone +39 0187 474911 (Mr. Puppi) or +39 339 8296074
e-mail: comune.licciana@licciana.ms.it, www.comunelicciananardi.ms.it or www.istitutovalorizzazionecastelli.it
The map to the Malaspina di Terrarossa Castle:
View Malaspina di Terrarossa Castle in Lunigiana in a larger map
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