Pontremoli guards the northern approach to the Cisa Pass, the gateway between Emilia and Tuscany, and its very name, 'trembling bridge', speaks of the river crossings that made it vital to pilgrims. The hilltop Castello del Piagnaro now houses a celebrated museum of prehistoric stele statues, mysterious carved menhirs from the Lunigiana. Stone bridges and a tangle of medieval lanes recall the town's long role as a Via Francigena waystation.
Highlights
- Prehistoric stele statues of the Lunigiana in the Piagnaro castle museum
- Pons Tremulus, the trembling bridge that named the town
- Blank-faced sandstone figures carved up to five thousand years ago
- Testaroli, the ancient Lunigiana pasta long linked with travellers
- Slate rooftops tumbling to medieval bridges over the Magra and Verde
At a glance
| Period | Medieval (10th century onward) |
|---|---|
| Stage | 12 — Péronne to Tergnier |
Take care
- Steep lanes and castle steps — take the climb steadily
- Cobbles turn slippery in rain
History
A watchtower stood on the Piagnaro hill by the first half of the 10th century, and the castle grew around it as the town below prospered. In 1322 Castruccio Castracani built the Cacciaguerra fortress in the town centre to keep its feuding factions apart. Swiss troops of Charles VIII set Pontremoli ablaze for three days in June 1495, consuming the civic archives; the merchant wealth of the 17th and 18th centuries rebuilt the town in Baroque style, and the restored castle received the stele statue museum in 1975.
Myth & legend
Pontremoli's name comes from the Latin Pons Tremulus, the 'trembling bridge' said to have quivered beneath the carts that crossed its rivers. In the Piagnaro castle stand the enigmatic stele statues of the Lunigiana, blank-faced sandstone figures carved up to five thousand years ago, whose meaning remains a prehistoric mystery.
Geology
Pontremoli's dark building stone is Macigno, a thick Oligocene sandstone poured into a deep marine trough by submarine avalanches of Alpine sand, then folded and heaved up into the Northern Apennines. The Magra and its tributaries have carved this sandstone country into the steep, narrow valleys that funnel roads and rivers together through the town.
Wildlife & nature
The Magra and its tributaries run below the castle through willow, alder and oak on gravel islets, with dippers and grey wagtails on the shingle. The Lunigiana hills above are cloaked in sweet chestnut woods that turn copper in November and shelter wild boar, roe deer and, higher on the Apennine ridge, wolves.
The view
From the Piagnaro ramparts, slate rooftops tumble towards medieval bridges over the Magra and Verde rivers, with the wooded Lunigiana hills and the Cisa Pass ridge beyond.
Photography
Climb to the castle terrace for golden-hour rooftop views; down in town, the stone bridges give strong reflections and foregrounds in soft morning light along the rivers.
When to visit
May, June and September suit the Cisa Pass stages best; summer heat builds in the valley, and autumn turns the chestnut woods of the Lunigiana a glorious russet.
Getting there
Pontremoli has a station on the Parma to La Spezia railway, convenient for joining or leaving the trail; walkers descend into town at the end of the Cisa Pass stage.
Where to stay
Convent and parish lodgings in town welcome pilgrims with the credential, while small hotels and agriturismi in the surrounding Lunigiana hills offer quieter comfort.
Food & water
Fountains and cafes in the old town make refilling straightforward; carry plenty for the long wooded stretches between villages on either side of the pass.
Safety
Steep lanes and castle steps, slippery cobbles in rain — take the climb steadily. In an emergency dial 112.
Accessibility
The castle is reached by a steady climb on stepped cobbled lanes, and the stele museum inside involves stairs; the lower town along the rivers is mostly level.
Visitor tips
See the mysterious prehistoric stele statues in the castle museum, stamp your credential in town, and try testaroli, the ancient Lunigiana pasta long linked with travellers.
The guide, in full
The written guide to this site.
The valley narrows, the hills close in, and the town appears wedged between two rivers with a castle on the ridge above it. This is Pontremoli, the last town before the Cisa Pass and the doorway between Emilia and Tuscany, and it has been holding this gap for a very long time. Even the name is about crossing water: Pons Tremulus, the trembling bridge, said to have quivered under the carts that rumbled over it. Cross one of the old stone bridges yourself, feel the Magra running fast beneath you, and you will understand why a town grew exactly here. Take the climb to the Castello del Piagnaro steadily; the stepped cobbled lanes are steep, and they turn slippery in rain. A watchtower stood on this hill by the first half of the nine hundreds, and the castle grew around it as the town below prospered on traffic. Inside is the reason people come from far beyond the trail. Ranged in the museum are the stele statues of the Lunigiana, sandstone figures carved by people of these valleys as much as five thousand years ago: flat slabs shaped into shoulders and heads, some with weapons, some with breasts, their faces reduced to the barest suggestion, or to nothing at all. They stand there blank and patient and utterly unexplained. Nobody knows who made them or why. You have walked past cathedrals full of confident meaning, and here is a room full of the opposite, and it is unexpectedly powerful. The town below has had a lively history. In thirteen twenty-two Castruccio Castracani built the Cacciaguerra fortress right through the middle of it, a stone wedge to keep the feuding factions apart, which tells you all you need to know about medieval Pontremoli. In June of fourteen ninety-five the Swiss troops of Charles the Eighth set the town ablaze for three days and the civic archives went up with it, so much of what happened before that date is simply gone. Merchant wealth in the sixteen and seventeen hundreds rebuilt Pontremoli in handsome Baroque, and the restored castle received its stele museum in nineteen seventy-five. From the ramparts, look at the country you are about to cross. Slate rooftops tumble towards the bridges over the Magra and the Verde, and beyond them the wooded Lunigiana hills climb to the Cisa ridge. The dark stone of these buildings is Macigno, a deep Oligocene sandstone poured into a marine trough by submarine avalanches of Alpine sand, then folded and heaved up into the Northern Apennines; the rivers have since carved it into the narrow valleys that funnel every road and every traveller through this one town. Down on the shingle you may see dippers bobbing on the stones and grey wagtails working the shallows. Above, the chestnut woods turn copper in November and shelter wild boar and roe deer, with wolves along the higher ridge. Eat before you go on. Testaroli is the thing here, an ancient Lunigiana pasta cooked on a hot earthenware plate and cut into diamonds, food that has fuelled travellers over this pass for centuries and still does the job. Get your credential stamped in town, fill your bottles for the long wooded stretches ahead, and take a last look at those stone faces in your memory. Tuscany begins on the far side of the pass. Go carefully on the cobbles, and go well.
Common questions
How old is Pontremoli and the Castello del Piagnaro?
Pontremoli and the Castello del Piagnaro dates from the Medieval (10th century onward) period.
How do I get to Pontremoli and the Castello del Piagnaro?
Pontremoli has a station on the Parma to La Spezia railway, convenient for joining or leaving the trail; walkers descend into town at the end of the Cisa Pass stage.
Is Pontremoli and the Castello del Piagnaro accessible?
The castle is reached by a steady climb on stepped cobbled lanes, and the stele museum inside involves stairs; the lower town along the rivers is mostly level.
When is the best time to visit Pontremoli and the Castello del Piagnaro?
May, June and September suit the Cisa Pass stages best; summer heat builds in the valley, and autumn turns the chestnut woods of the Lunigiana a glorious russet.
Is there food and water at Pontremoli and the Castello del Piagnaro?
Fountains and cafes in the old town make refilling straightforward; carry plenty for the long wooded stretches between villages on either side of the pass.
Where can I stay near Pontremoli and the Castello del Piagnaro?
Convent and parish lodgings in town welcome pilgrims with the credential, while small hotels and agriturismi in the surrounding Lunigiana hills offer quieter comfort.
What should I know before visiting Pontremoli and the Castello del Piagnaro?
See the mysterious prehistoric stele statues in the castle museum, stamp your credential in town, and try testaroli, the ancient Lunigiana pasta long linked with travellers.
Is Pontremoli and the Castello del Piagnaro safe to visit?
Steep lanes and castle steps, slippery cobbles in rain — take the climb steadily. In an emergency dial 112.
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