Nestled on a hilltop overlooking the lower Val di Magra, Bolano is a small village in the province of La Spezia, on the border between Liguria and Tuscany. Its medieval origins can still be felt as you stroll through the stone alleys and the houses in a compact sequence, with panoramic views that range to the mouth of the Magra and, on clear days, to the Apuan Alps.
The historic center, kept intact in its medieval urban layout, has a slightly triangular shape and opened at the vertices with three defensive gates: Porta Castello, Porta Stazon and Porta Chilosi (ancient Porta Fontana), which tell the story of the fortified past of the village.
Among the main monuments, the following stand out:
- Piazza Castello, the civic heart of the town and home to the town hall: a small square, framed by historic buildings, from which the narrow streets branch off towards the Church and the gates.
- The parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, the ancient Romanesque parish church enlarged in Baroque style in the 18th century, with frescoes, Serassi organ and Romanesque-Gothic bell tower.
- The Oratory of Saints Antonio and Rocco, a 16th-century convent complex with a valuable 18th-century Ligurian organ and paintings by Simone Barabino and Stefano Lemmi.
- The remains of the ancient medieval castle (of the Malaspina) in the “Poggio”, between walls and towers visible close to the narrow streets.
I stopped in Bolano almost by chance, during my bike ride, and the discovery of Piazza Castello, so intimate and symbolic of the village, immediately struck me. Crossing the ancient medieval gates, and walking “behind the walls”, added a feeling of traveling through time.