Villafranca in Lunigiana

Villafranca in Lunigiana
Country	Italy
region	Tuscany
province	Massa-Carrara  (MS)
Coordinates	44 ° 18 '  N , 9 ° 57'  E Coordinates: 44 ° 17 '44 "  N , 9 ° 57' 0"  E
height	138  m slm
surface	29.5 km²
Residents	4,675 (Dec 31, 2019)
Population density	158 inhabitants / km²
Post Code	54028
prefix	0187
ISTAT number	045016
Popular name	Villafranchesi
Patron saint	San Giovanni Battista (June 24th)
Website	Villafranca in Lunigiana
View of Villafranca in Lunigiana

Villafranca in Lunigiana is an Italian municipality with 4675 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019) in the province of Massa-Carrara in the Tuscany region .

geography

Location of the municipality in the province of Massa-Carrara

The municipality is located about 150 km northwest of the regional capital Florence , about 40 km northwest of Massa and 35 km northwest of Carrara in the Val di Magra . It is part of the ancient Lunigiana region and lies on the Via Francigena . In the municipality, the river flows Bagnone the Magra to.

The districts include Filetto, Fornoli, Irola, Malgrate, Merizzo, Mocrone and Virgoletta.

The neighboring municipalities are Bagnone , Filattiera , Licciana Nardi , Mulazzo and Tresana .

history

The first inhabitants of the area were the Ligurians and the Apuans . Since the Middle Ages, the place was a fief of the Malaspina family . In 1221 the family split into two lines and Villafranca became the dominion of the line of the Malaspina dello Spino Secco , from which the Malaspina di Villafranca emerged in 1266 . In addition to the Castello di Malnido in Villafranca, the castles of Tresana, Lusuolo and Castevoli were owned by the family. After the occupation of Napoleon , the place was assigned to the Duchy of Modena and in 1848, together with the other localities of the Magratal, it was placed under the Duchy of Parma . The Kingdom of Sardinia annexed the area in 1859, and with Sardinia the place became part of the province of Tuscany with Italian unification . Villafranca became an independent municipality in 1863.

Attractions

City view with ethnographic museum

• Castello di Malnido , built in the 11th century
• Chiesa di San Niccolò , first mentioned in 1285
• Museo etnografico della Lunigiana , ethnological museum , opened in 1977

Sons and daughters of the church

• Flavio Baracchini (1895–1928), fighter pilot
• Alberto Silvani (* 1946), Bishop of Volterra

Web links

Commons : Villafranca in Lunigiana  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the Municipality of Villafranca in Lunigiana

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT. Monthly population statistics of the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica , as of December 31 of 2019.
2. ↑ Official website of the municipality of Villafranca in Lunigiana, accessed on February 21, 2010 [1]
3. ↑ Official website of the municipality of Villafranca in Lunigiana, accessed on February 21, 2010 [2]
4. ↑ Official website of the municipality of Villafranca in Lunigiana, accessed on February 21, 2010 [3]
5. ↑ Official website of the municipality of Villafranca in Lunigiana, accessed on February 21, 2010 [4]
6. ↑ Official website of the municipality of Villafranca in Lunigiana, accessed on February 21, 2010 [5]
7. ↑ museimassacarrara.it: ETHNOGRAPHICAL MUSEUM IN LUNIGIANA , accessed on July 30, 2019

" Via Francigena " navigation bar

← Previous location: Filattiera 10.9 km  | Villafranca in Lunigiana  | Next town: Aulla 15.3 km  →