Pontremoli
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By Dion Protani
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Latest update: 6 January 2023
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The historic town of Pontremoli is situated within the Massa & Carrara province in Tuscany. It's an official municipality which had a population of 6.950 on 1 January 2022. It stands at an elevation of 236 metres above sea level and covers 182 square kilometres.
Main sights in the town include the Stele Statue Museum, a 14th century bell tower and a Roman bridge across the River Magra. |
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Pontremoli is the northernmost town in Tuscany and the centre of the sub-region known as the Lunigiana. The town takes sits name from a trembling bridge across the River Magra that dissects it; put the Italian word for bridge (ponte), next to the verb "to tremble" (tremare) and you get Pontremoli.
The Lunigiana has been dubbed "The Land of a Hundred Castles" due to the proliferation of fortresses in the area. At one time there were said to be as many as 160 castles in the Lunigiana which occupied an important strategic location between the Apennines and the Ligurian Sea. Pilgrims and other visitors were expected to pay tribute when passing through these rocky, forested lands which were relatively simple to defend; even more so from the many castles within them.
In modern times, this is a delightful market town whose centre is full of medieval charm. The River Magra flows on both sides of the centro storico which gradually gives way to a hilltop upon which sits the town's most famous attraction. The Museo delle Statue Stele Lunigianesi exhibits a series of stele: pagan stone carvings that date back as far as 3,000 BC. The Museum is housed in the Castello del Piagnaro which looks down on to the town from its elevated perch.
Back down at ground level, the main focal point in the town is the Piazza del Duomo which becomes a bustling market square every Wednesday and Saturday morning. The main building on the Piazza is of course the Cathedral (Duomo) that it's named after. The 17th century Cathedral exhibits a beautiful Baroque facade, while Looming larger still is the 14th century bell tower known by two names.
The tower which in later years had a clock added to it, is sometimes referred to as the Campanone (Big Tower) or the Cacciaguerra. Using that second epithet: the Torre del Cacciaguerra was so named at a time when Guelph and Ghibelline factions were warring within the medieval town. It was erected in order to keep the two sides at bay and literally translates as "war-chaser", in the sense of driving war away.
A series of bridges across the River Magra embellish the aesthetic charm of Pontremoli with the most famous of those situated to the west of the centro storico. The Ponte Romano della Cresa is a beautiful stone-arch bridge which dates back to 1219 although modified many times over in the intervening years.
The Lunigiana has been dubbed "The Land of a Hundred Castles" due to the proliferation of fortresses in the area. At one time there were said to be as many as 160 castles in the Lunigiana which occupied an important strategic location between the Apennines and the Ligurian Sea. Pilgrims and other visitors were expected to pay tribute when passing through these rocky, forested lands which were relatively simple to defend; even more so from the many castles within them.
In modern times, this is a delightful market town whose centre is full of medieval charm. The River Magra flows on both sides of the centro storico which gradually gives way to a hilltop upon which sits the town's most famous attraction. The Museo delle Statue Stele Lunigianesi exhibits a series of stele: pagan stone carvings that date back as far as 3,000 BC. The Museum is housed in the Castello del Piagnaro which looks down on to the town from its elevated perch.
Back down at ground level, the main focal point in the town is the Piazza del Duomo which becomes a bustling market square every Wednesday and Saturday morning. The main building on the Piazza is of course the Cathedral (Duomo) that it's named after. The 17th century Cathedral exhibits a beautiful Baroque facade, while Looming larger still is the 14th century bell tower known by two names.
The tower which in later years had a clock added to it, is sometimes referred to as the Campanone (Big Tower) or the Cacciaguerra. Using that second epithet: the Torre del Cacciaguerra was so named at a time when Guelph and Ghibelline factions were warring within the medieval town. It was erected in order to keep the two sides at bay and literally translates as "war-chaser", in the sense of driving war away.
A series of bridges across the River Magra embellish the aesthetic charm of Pontremoli with the most famous of those situated to the west of the centro storico. The Ponte Romano della Cresa is a beautiful stone-arch bridge which dates back to 1219 although modified many times over in the intervening years.
Comune di Pontremoli
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Province: Massa and Carrara
Region: Tuscany Population: 6,931 (source: ISTAT 1 January 2023) Total size: 182 km² Elevation: 236 metres Highlights: Museo delle Statue Stele, Piazza del Duomo Market days: Wednesdays and Saturdays from 08:00 to 13:00 Close by: Fosdinovo, Ponzanello, Carrara, Marina di Carrara Recommended accommodation: Cà Del Moro Resort |
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