WALK THROUGH DARK SECRETS...
 Discover a glorious castle, perfect, powerful and patrician in its structure and excellent in its self sustenance. Come down to the historical Castle of Aghinolfo which is above the county of Montignoso about three kilometers from the center of Massa lying northwest of the Tuscany region. Explore the stately and majestic castle that can also be accessed from Pratovecchio, which is two kilometers from the southwest direction. Walk around its beautiful surroundings and from the vantage position of the castle with a height of 621 meters built on the hill watch the Arno meandering into its many rivulets.
Wander through the ancient Montignoso which is a small commune of Lunigiana, the name given to this part of Tuscany.  Turn the pages of an old dusty tome and find that the castle was documented in the year 753 A.D., as a gift from the famous Longobard royal king Astlofo to his brother-in-law, the Abbot founder of the Abbey of Nonantola. The castle was named Aghinolfo after its royal origins and its powerful place as a refuge and a fortress in Montignoso. Set above a beautiful valley with a clear stream running through, the castle and its occupants commanded a position of supreme power all the way down to the Tyrrhenian coast four kilometers down. The story disappears into the ravages of time when the area was inhabited during the Dark Ages by the Etruscan civilization. This is evident in the fragments of pottery and bronze urns that were unearthed. Then at the beginning of 1008, the Marquises of Spoleto occupied the castle and Count Guido Alberto in 1055 extended rule over the entire area. The descendants of the family especially Adamo da Brescia were documented in Dante's 'Divine Comedy' of the minting of counterfeit gold Florins which made a strong mark in medieval history.
 The mists of time have erased the number of times that the castle was restored and re-restored. But it certainly harbored its citizens in times of invasions of the Free Companies and the brigands. Go through the history of the Aghinolfo castle and find that its royal descendants were in possession only till 1376. Then this strong barricaded façade passed into the hands of the province of Lucca who in turn reinforced its structure to protect themselves against enemies. The Viscounts of Milan attacked it in 1440 and destroyed some of its fortifications. It landed in the hands of Charles VIII, King of France in 1494. In 1579, the castle was a victim o the earthquake which reduced the magnificent castle to shambles and ruins. Later it was passed on to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and eventually to the Counts of Goretti de'Flamini in 1768. The Goretti family started an immense work of restoration and brought it back to life. In the year 1889 houses for farmers were built along its second walls and the outer grounds were used for cultivation of crops. But the Second World War brought in much damage as the German troops invaded the castle and the allied army bombed the structure.
 Explore the stunning Castle Aghinolfo and find that its fortification included two huge towers called the Tower of St. Francesco and the other the Tower of St. Paolino with a walled area which extended over a hectare. Come into its first enclosure and discover three fortified areas that included 43 buildings that were occupied by the inhabitants of Montignoso during turbulent times and as storehouses during the peaceful harvest season. Walk over the drawbridge into an array of 87 houses in its second enclosure. The third enclosure sloping up the hill you will find the immense octagonal tower, the Mastio, covered with a series of stone walls. The castle housed a huge cistern which was replenished with rain water and a source of water supply with a mill.
 Come and discover a secret passage to the tower from its surrounding grounds. Imagine a time when it teemed with life before it was sold to the Republic of Florence for 9600 Florins. Acquaint yourself with the war strategies of the ancient Castle of Aghinolfo which originally had 14 towers and triple curtained stone walls. Self sufficient with the ambience of a township, the castle had among its many faceted advantages, residences for the people, a refuge and a hospital. Make your way through the ruins of the castle and find only three towers left with some of its walls. Let the drawbridge open its way to the sentries' walkway with the prison tower with four floors. Explore the eerie tower with the top floor for the guards and the lower floors for the prisoners and the wretched floor for those doomed to death.
 Read Dante's lines on its beautiful position in the midst of a lovely valley with the castle towering over the countryside lush and verdant with green poplar trees with the mountains as silent sentinels. But as usual, all is not well in paradise as in the 16th century the town was besieged with malaria. Adding to this, the Lucchesi abandoned the castle during the invasion of the Giacobine in 1799. Following this, the inhabitants looted its wooden beams and bricks. But the Lord of Lucca, Ludovico di Borbone tried his level best to re-structure the castle. But it still remains in ruins in spite of the on-going restorations.
Come and give your mind a rest from the modern world and enter the museum housed in the main hall of the castle ruins. Lose yourself amongst its antiquities and its Armory. Fill the imagination with objets d'art from a time long gone by and sit on its medieval walls as the sun pours through.
RESTORE A PRECIOUS HISTORY... |
