Travel writer Eric Newby had a house, called “I Castagni” near the castle town of Fosdinovo described in his book A Small Place in Italy. You’ll know Newby from his Love and War in the Appennines, an autobiographical book made into a very popular movie about Newby as a prisoner in the Lunigiana who escapes with the help of his eventual wife, Wanda.
You can enjoy this area too. I sure do. The vistas are incredible at any time of the year. This year there is still snow on the mountaintops.
Rent a house like the Fosdinovo hideaway shown on the right, and you’ll get the benefit of these mountain views. It’s an easy ride into the town of Fosdinovo, you’ll see the castle from far away as you approach. The Cinque Terre is but 45 minutes away by car, or you can take the train.
The area around Fosdinovo, mainly to the north, is the Lunigiana. There are around 160 small castles to visit here. To the south are the Apuane Alps, where the famous marble used by Michelangelo and other sculptors is quarried. You’ll find many museums telling you about the process of marble’s creation, its many uses, and the art that’s come out of the marble.
Be sure to take a drive up to little Colonnata, where the famous Lardo di Colonnata is produced. Yes, thinly cut strips of spiced and cured fat kept the marble guys going, especially in winter. Yum. Really. Melted over a piece of toasted bread, lardo makes a bruschetta into a sublime experience.
Now don’t turn up your noses, all you folks who slather butter over warm bread. The Italians think that’s nuts.
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