When you arrive in Mulazzo, a small stone village nestled in the woods of Lunigiana, you can't help but turn your gaze towards what remains of the ancient medieval castle: a solitary tower, imposing in its essentiality, and some ruins that, like silent traces of time, tell stories of power, poetry and hospitality. It is precisely here, in this intimate and evocative place, that the memory of the "castle of Dante" is intertwined, so called because it is linked to the stay of the Supreme Poet in 1306.
The castle, once the vital center of power of the Malaspina dello Spino Secco, was the beating heart of the political and administrative life of Mulazzo. The Malaspina family, among the most influential in medieval Italy, had made Lunigiana a mosaic of castles and courts, and that of Mulazzo was one of the most representative gems. Today, what remains above all are the remains of the tower, commonly called "Tower of Dante", which watches over the town from above, like a guardian of ancient memories.
But why “Dante’s Castle”? Because in this place, over seven centuries ago, Dante Alighieri was hosted during his exile from Florence. Far from his city and immersed in the complex political intrigues of the time, Dante found in the Malaspina court not only refuge, but also a rare example of nobility and culture. It was Moroello Malaspina who welcomed him, and it is to him that Dante dedicates words of sincere gratitude in Canto VIII of Purgatory, praising the “courtesy and value” of the family that had hosted him.
Imagining Dante looking out from the castle walls, observing the woods of Lunigiana and perhaps composing in his mind the verses that would have crossed the centuries, adds an emotional dimension to this now bare fortress. Despite the centuries, the charm of the place is intact: the surrounding landscape is still the same, wild and majestic, and the silence that envelops the tower seems to guard the poet’s thoughts.
Today the site is part of a cultural itinerary that Mulazzo has strongly wanted to keep alive. At the foot of the tower is the marble statue of Dante, sculpted by Arturo Dazzi in 1965, on the occasion of the seventh centenary of the poet's birth. With its gaze turned towards the horizon, the statue is a visual and symbolic reminder of the living presence of Dante in the history of the village.
Translated by Google •
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