The territory of Villafranca in Lunigiana offers a fascinating example of rural life in the historic Tuscan region. Immersed in landscapes of chestnut groves, oak woods, vineyards and crops, the village and its surrounding hamlets reflect its rich medieval history along the Via Francigena.
The historic center of Villafranca, located in a strategic position near the ford of the river Magra, houses the suggestive ruins of the Castle of Malnido, built by the Malaspina in 1100. The walls and other medieval fortifications, next to the church of San Giovanni, contribute to the charm of the village. The Ethnographic Museum of the Lunigiana, located in the fourteenth-century mills, exhibits agricultural tools, craft tools and objects of common and religious use.
Villafranca in Lunigiana is characterized by several hamlets, including Filetto, a medieval village with a quadrilateral urban footprint and circular corner towers, Virgoletta, a beautiful village perched in control of the stream Bagnone and Malgrate, one of the oldest villages in the region with its majestic castle.
