Referred to as “the only key and gateway to Tuscany” in the Middle Ages, throughout its glorious history Pontremoli has been a Free Commune, a Noble City of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and an Episcopal See. But what about today?

Pontremoli is a small but important city of about 8,000 people in the administrative and historical region of Lunigiana, a natural corridor for peoples, trade and ideas stretching from the Cisa Pass to the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian seas. The Municipality of Pontremoli extends from the cliffs of the Tuscan-Emilian Appennines, at about 2000 m above sea level, to its charming old town, located at 250 m above sea level. Its territory belongs to the UNESCO Appennino Tosco-Emiliano Biosphere Reserve and to the Comunità del Cibo di Crinale.

The old town is located in a wide basin that opens up to the valleys crossed by the Magra river and the Verde and Gordana creeks. It developed in ancient times within the boundaries of a strip of land between the Magra river and the Verde creek, overlooked by the Piagnaro castle.

Throughout the centuries, Pontremoli has been a crossroad of ancient routes and a strategic hub along the roads connecting the Po Valley, the region of Liguria and Central Italy, such as the Via Francigena, the Via degli Abati and the Via del Volto Santo. Today, the city is well connected to the north and to the south, thanks to the presence of a well-developed infrastructure network, including State Highway SS62 and multiple provincial roads, the A15 Parma-La Spezia Motorway and the Parma-La Spezia railway line.

Its unique position and the road network make it “close” to many important tourist destination, such as the Cinque Terre and the Gulf of Poets, the Apuan Alps, Versilia or cities like Lucca, Pisa, Parma, Florence, Genoa and Milan.