Castiglione del Terziere Castle

From April 2025 Castello di Castiglione del Terziere will reopen its doors, with guided tours of the village and the manor house, restored in the last century by Loris Jacopo Bononi, guardian of extraordinary works of art and symbol of the historical memory of Lunigiana.

Castiglione del Terziere in the municipality of Bagnone in Lunigiana, Massa-Carrara province, is a medieval fortified town.

Its history is intertwined with that of the powerful Malaspina dynasty, which in 1202 acquired the feud previously held by the Corbellari and Estensi families.

In 1275 the village took the name of “Castiglione del Terziere”, because it represented a third of the inheritance of the Marquis Alberto di Filattiera. Under the rule of the Malaspina family, the castle was transformed from a military structure into a lordly residence, and over the centuries the village saw the alternation of different powers, including that of Castruccio Castracani of Lucca. In 1451 it became the seat of the Captaincy of Justice of the Republic of Florence, which made Castiglione del Terziere a strategic centre for the Florentine policy of expansion in the upper Lunigiana.

The link with Florence and the Medici is still evident today in the many documents, relics, portraits and works of art kept in the castle.

After centuries of neglect, the figure of Loris Jacopo Bononi will be decisive in the recovery and restoration of the castle. Born in 1929 and originally from Fivizzano, a man with a deep love of culture, art and literature, in 1969 Bononi initiated the restoration of the Castle of Castiglione del Terziere, which had been in ruins for some time, bringing it back to life and transforming it into a centre for documentary collection and study of the Lunigiana.

After his death in 2012, his partner Raffaella Paoletti continued his work, opening the doors of the castle to visitors and scholars, keeping Professor Bononi’s memory alive.

Today, after almost two years, it is once again possible to discover the castle and its immense heritage. In fact, the ancient fortress houses a library of great value, the Nicolò V Humanistic Studies Centre, founded in 1973, which contains first editions and historical works of Italian literature, as well as numerous works that represent the memory of the Lunigiana identity.

• • Saturday, April 26

  • Saturday, May 31

  • Sunday, June 1th

  • Saturday, June 21

Reservations required at info@sigeric.it – +39 331 8866241