ゼリの洞窟・トップ7

ステラ像（Statue Stele）は、大きさは様々ですが、一般的に高さ2～3メートルの直立した人型の石像です。 これらの神秘的な芸術作品は、ルニジャーナに住んでいた古代の人々の文化と精神性を物語っています。その正確な機能は、研究者の間で依然として議論の的となっています。ステラ像が古代の神々や地元の神々を表していたと仮定する人もいれば、埋葬のシンボルや記念碑であった可能性を示唆する人もいます。彫刻された人物は、しばしば同心円、コッペラ（くぼみ）、線状の刻み目などの謎めいた抽象的なシンボルを特徴としており、これらは宗教的、天文的、または儀式的な意味を持つ可能性があります。これらのシンボルの理解は、考古学者や専門家による研究と調査の対象となっています。

The name Calice al Cornoviglio combines two distinctive elements of the village: "Calice," of uncertain origin but perhaps derived from the Latin calix (cup), referring to the site's concave shape, and "Cornoviglio," the mountain (561 m) that overlooks the village and lends its name to the entire ridge. This toponym appears in medieval documents and recalls the village's ancient connection with the surrounding Apennine territory. Calice was long ruled by the Malaspina dello Spino Secco family, who built a strategic castle there, documented since the 11th century and modified several times over the centuries. Today, the fortress houses the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art and the Chestnut Documentation Center, two testimonies to the profound intertwining of history, spirituality, and the territory's resources. A short distance away is the parish church of Santa Maria Lauretana, an elegant 18th-century Baroque building with exquisite decorations and a polychrome marble high altar. The village comes alive throughout the year with traditional events such as the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto (September), the Chestnut Festival (October) and various summer festivals, which highlight the historical and cultural roots of the place.

The Piagnaro Castle is a fortress built in a strategic point to protect the Apennine passes and around which the first medieval nucleus was formed, built around the year 1000. For centuries it has been an integral part of the city's defensive system. In its thousand-year history it has undergone numerous destructions and subsequent reconstructions that have brought it to its current appearance. The Castle maintained its military function until the end of the 18th century. Its name derives from the so-called piagne, the gray sandstone slabs used in Lunigiana to cover the roofs of buildings, including that of the castle.

The hike up to the castle is worth it. Great views!

The construction of the castle probably dates back to the 14th century, when it was erected as a simple quadrangular fortification, entirely in stone with mortar joints. During the 15th century, the structure was expanded with the addition of two cylindrical towers placed diagonally at opposite corners, equipped with slits for firearms, evidence of the evolution of the defensive techniques of the time. The Castle of Villa di Tresana was part of the vast defensive system of the Malaspina, a powerful noble family that dominated Lunigiana. Located along the Via Francigena, the castle had a strategic function in controlling the communication routes and offered hospitality to pilgrims and travellers in transit. Over the centuries, the castle underwent various vicissitudes. In the 17th century it came under the influence of the Medici, while remaining under the control of the Malaspina. Subsequently, it was used as an agricultural building and fell into a state of abandonment. Only recently has it been the subject of careful restoration, which has preserved its original structure and restored its ancient splendor. Currently, the Castle of Villa di Tresana is a private property and is not open to the public. However, it is possible to admire it from the outside, especially during the autumn, when the climbing ivy that covers it takes on suggestive colors, giving the castle a fairy-tale appearance.

The toponym Suvero seems to derive from the Latin word supernus (superior, placed above) and recalls its privileged strategic position of control, between the Vara valley and the Lunigiana. Dominating the village of Suvero is the castle, along the road that leads to the Passo dei Casoni. When the Marquis Rinaldo Malaspina received the investiture as lord of the fiefdom of Suvero in 1549, he decided to expand and renovate the previous castle, already four centuries old. A defensive and then residential position for the Malaspina family, the castle was abandoned by its owners after 1797 with the end of the imperial lordships decreed by the new Napoleonic French domination. In recent years, the castle of Suvero, for the third time in its very long history, has been completely restored and is currently used as a private residence. Therefore, the castle cannot be visited. The church of San Giovanni Battista, stands right in front of the castle, and shows clear traces of subsequent renovations. It has a cross-shaped structure and in the crypt it preserves a white marble bas-relief of the Virgin and Child surrounded by music-making angels, which bears the date 1497 engraved on it.

Campanone is a term used in Pontremoli to refer to a medieval tower, the only remaining part of a medieval fortress called Fortezza di Cazzaguerra. The tower was built in 1322. Its purpose was to keep the Guelph and Ghibelline factions of the city separated. The central tower was equipped from the beginning with a bell to warn the citizens of possible dangers. Only later was the tower raised and the actual bell tower built.

The Lunigiana stele statues on display are worth seeing. I found it quite interesting. From the top you have a beautiful view of the city