Licciana-Nardi: Castles, Trails and Lunigiana Culture

Licciana-Nardi combines the landscape of Lunigiana with castles, historic churches, scenic areas and regional specialities. In the village and valleys, the town lies within the scenic surroundings of the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano National Park. If you are looking for accommodation in northern Tuscany and want to combine culture, nature and more peaceful discoveries, the municipality offers several clearly distinct themes for this.

Landscape between the Taverone and Lunigiana

The Torrente Taverone crosses the Licciana Nardi area and is one of the larger tributaries of the Magra. A dense network of paths is available for walks between the villages and can be used year-round. The areas around Monti and Apella are also known for particularly impressive landscape views. This means that a stay can be shaped not only around individual sights, but also around the combination of valley landscapes, trails and viewpoints.

Castles and medieval traces

The Castello Malaspina Monti, a medieval fortress, stands in the Monti district. Its complex includes a massive square tower and round towers of different sizes at the corners of the surrounding wall. Arrow slits and fittings for a drawbridge are still visible on the entrance tower. Another distinctive structure is the Castello di Bastia. The fortification stands on a hill in the Taverone Valley, dates from the 13th century and displays architectural features of the Renaissance. In Licciana-Nardi, you can therefore discover different historical periods side by side: a medieval fortress in Monti and an older fortification with later Renaissance features in the Taverone Valley. Religious architecture also forms part of the local character. The Pieve di Santa Maria Assunta in the Venelia-Monti district was built in the 11th century. A Romanesque apse made of Pietra serena remains from the earlier building. The Pieve di San Nicolò Varano also contains an altarpiece by the Lucca painter Angelo Puccinelli from the 14th century. The two sites each have a different focus: here, the Romanesque apse made of Pietra serena; there, the surviving work of a 14th-century painter.

Apella, cycling route and regional specialities

Apella is regarded as the birthplace of the Risorgimento figure Anacarsi Nardi. Since 1995, Apella’s old tower has housed the Agriturismo Montagna Verde and now serves as a visitor centre for the National Park. From Apella, you can continue by mountain bike or e-bike along the 230-kilometre Lunigiana Trail circular route. The route passes through villages and by castles, thereby creating a connection between landscapes, village scenery and historical heritage. The regional side of a stay includes pork products that you can taste in Licciana Nardi and throughout Lunigiana. Spalla cotta and Mortadella della Lunigiana are among those mentioned.

Historic centre and other places

La Castagna racconta is a historical re-enactment held on the second and third weekends of October in the two main squares and along the historic town centre. For further orientation, you can also include [Amola](Amola), [Apella](Apella), [Tavernelle](Tavernelle), [Pontebosio](Pontebosio) and [Monti](Monti) in your plans.

For the broader travel overview: Massa-Carrara.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Gragnana, Villafranca In Lunigiana, Colonnata.