Sarzana

Cittadella Fortezza Firmafede

Of the two castles in Sarzana’s territory, Fortezza Firmafede is the one you can see in the town centre, located at the city walls.

This imposing structure, perfectly preserved, is a magnificent example of Florentine military architecture. It was built in the late 15th century on the orders of Lorenzo the Magnificent following an important victory against the Genoese.

With Liguria’s annexation to the Kingdom of Italy, the fortress lost its defensive role; it was first used as a police barracks and later as a prison. Today it houses a museum and hosts events.

MUDEF – Museum of the Fortresses

Fortezza Firmafede is home to MUDEF, a state-of-the-art museum entirely dedicated to Sarzana’s two fortresses, spanning 27 rooms.

There are no artefacts or historical documents in the Museum of the Fortresses: the story of these two emblematic buildings is told through interactive displays, animated models, immersive cinema and other technologies that make you feel like a character in History itself.

You’ll feel as though you’ve stepped back in time and found yourself face-to-face with knights, soldiers, lords, merchants, priests, pilgrims and peasants who once passed through the fortress halls.

Sarzanello Fortress

The Sarzanello fortress sits outside Sarzana’s town centre, perched on the hill of the same name. It seems to emerge from nowhere amid the greenery covering the hilltop, but it certainly wasn’t built in this spot by chance: the position is highly strategic. From here, it dominates the Val di Magra, making it possible to control the communication routes between northern and central Italy.

Its origins are probably older than those of Fortezza Firmafede, but its current appearance dates back to the late 15th century, and once again Lorenzo de’ Medici had a hand in its construction.

Today the fortress is open to the public and can be visited independently or with guided tours; there’s also an inn inside that opens for events, themed dinners and by request for groups of at least 20 people.

Piazza Matteotti

Piazza Matteotti is Sarzana’s main square and the beating heart of town life. It has an irregular, trapezoid shape, the result of a careful adaptation of the landscape that transformed a former flood plain into an elegant civic square.

Facing onto it are some of Sarzana’s finest buildings, including the Palazzo Roderio, home to the town hall, and the neoclassical Palazzo Podestà-Lucciardi. The historic Caffè Costituzionale, a bar that during the Risorgimento was a gathering place for lively political and cultural discussions, also overlooks the square.

At one end of the square a colonnade opens up, where numerous craft shops once had their premises: perhaps this is what the carved shoe on the capital of one of the colonnade’s pillars is referring to.

Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is Sarzana’s most renowned church and is considered one of the most important in all of Liguria for the artistic value of the works it contains.

The “star piece” is Mastro Guglielmo’s crucifix, the oldest painted cross in Italy. Created in 1138, it’s regarded as one of the most important works of Italian Romanesque painting and depicts Christ with a suffering, human expression, in keeping with the simple spirituality of the 12th century. The cross was repainted in the 14th century but still retains the distinctive features of the original artwork.

Other notable works you can admire inside Sarzana Cathedral are paintings by Francesco Solimena and Domenica Fiasella, as well as some Renaissance sculptures.

The cathedral also houses a relic of the blood of Christ, kept in a chapel to the right of the high altar.

Don’t leave the church without admiring its magnificent organ. Built in the mid-19th century, it has 2,500 pipes and about seventy stops.

Il Genio della Stirpe

A statue that certainly doesn’t go unnoticed in Sarzana’s town centre is Il Genio della Stirpe, a gigantic and in its own way original monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi.

The enormous sculpture, carved from a single block of Carrara marble, depicts a giant holding a shield bearing Garibaldi’s likeness: it’s the symbolic image of the Italian people looking confidently to the future, guided by a great hero.

The sculptor of this towering statue in the centre of Piazza Garibaldi is Carlo Fontana, one of the most important Italian sculptors of the 20th century.

The project dates back to 1907 but the work wasn’t inaugurated until 7 years later.

Porta Romana

Porta Romana represents one of the ancient entrances to the town, specifically the southern entrance along the Via Francigena. The gate underwent numerous modifications over the centuries; its current appearance dates to the late 18th century.

Casa Bonaparte

As you stroll through Sarzana’s town centre, seek out a picturesque corner with a curious history: the Casa Torre Bonaparte. It’s a building with a lower section in marble featuring two large arches.

It wasn’t the famous Napoleon who lived here, but his distant ancestors – the Buonaparte family who settled in Sarzana in the 13th century. A mercenary member of the family, Francesco Buonaparte “il Mauro”, moved to Corsica at the end of the 15th century, thus establishing the Corsican branch of the Buonaparte family from which the French emperor is descended.

Look for a plaque on the arches between the two windows commemorating these historical events.

Archaeological Museum and Site of Luni

Less than 10 km from Sarzana lies one of Liguria’s most important archaeological sites. The official name is quite a mouthful to remember (National Archaeological Museum and archaeological zone of the ancient city of Luni), so the simple name of Luni (or Luna, the city’s original Roman name) is much better. It’s unmistakeable: the historical significance of the finds from this ancient Roman city is unparalleled in the surrounding area.

A visit to the archaeological site takes you inside the ancient walls and also includes a visit to the amphitheatre.