Hotel Serena is about half an hour’s drive from the village of Fosdinovo. This ancient hamlet is one of the magnificent villages of the valley of the Magra’s river, door to the Lunigiana historical region, in the province of Massa Carrara. Boasting a strategic geographical position, it reached its maximum splendour between the fourteenth and eighteenth century thanks to the Spino Fiorito Malaspina family which has left its mark on architecture, art and local culture. In the bucket list of places to visit there is the Malaspina Castle (1304), also quoted by Gabriele D’Annunzio in his selected Prose, Sauxillanges with its fountain and the Malaspina Tower, the Malaspina Villa (1724) and the Rossi Oratory (1581/1865). Besides, try out these experiences: Fosdinovo Adventure Park and the Audiovisual Museum of the Resistance. The municipality of Fosdinovo is Orange Flag since 2014.

From our Hotel Serena you can reach Ortonovo in about 40 min by car. This village is perched on a hill at the foot of the Apuan Alps: it boasts a fantastic view over the Magra’s Valley. It was erected between the XI and XII centuries and immediately became episcopal property in Lunigiana. Of particular interest is the Castle of Volpiglione, commissioned by the lords of Boggiano. The use of this isolated castle was unusual: in fact, wood was used here for every purpose, being an important source for the local economy. Concerning the places to visit, you’ll find, in your bucket list, the winery “Baia del Sole - Federici” with the mythical “Vermentino dei Colli di Luni”, The Ethnographic Museum of the Colombara – a former olive mill – that gathers plenty of memorabilia on rural life in the area and the Sanctuary “Del Mirteto”, a church dating back to the XXVI century made of white marble: here the view sweeps over the valley that housed the ancient Luni, the Gulf of Poets and the country below.

Albergo Serena is only 30 minutes by car from the town of Nicola: a beautiful village included in the town of Luni, in the Magra Valley. It belonged to the counts-bishops of Luni. Moreover, between XIV and XV century, the town was owned by several lordships, from the Visconti to the Spinola family up to the Florentine Medici. Among the monuments and places of interest to visit: Church of Saints Filippo Maria Galli and Giacomo, restored in the 21st century by the “Parisi” family; The Castle of Nicola, seat of the “garrison”, built outside the historic center of the village, The Church Square and the “Piazzetta dell’Acacia”. According to reliable historical sources, the defensive post was built in a period between XIII and XV to control the territory around the village including that of the lower Val di Magra.

Albergo Serena is located just 25 minutes from the centre of Castelnuovo Magra: an ancient medieval village located on the mount Bastione. It enjoys a strategic position on the Magra Valley and a fantastic view ranging from the Tyrrhenian coast to the Vara’s Valley. The village is remembered in many history books thanks to an important event that saw the protagonist Piazza Querciola. Here on October 6, 1306, thanks to Dante’s mediation, the “Peace by Dante” was signed, a peace treaty between the Marquis Malaspina and the Count-bishop of Luni that ended an exhausting war and the temporal power of the Lunense curia on the territories. To visit: the stately palaces of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Castle of the Bishops of Luni and its Medieval Tower, the Church of “Santa Maria Maddalena”, The “Oratorio dei Rossi” with a marble bas-relief depicting two angels on the main portal while inside, on the altar, a wooden crucifix that the legend wants had been taken from the French troops of Charles VII in retreat towards the Apennines. Not to be missed: the historical re-enactment of the “Peace of Castelnuovo”, every year, the fourth Sunday in August in Piazza Querciola. Walk along the “carrugi” of this beautiful Old Town, under the ancient vaults, to relive the glorious past of this village and make peace with the world.

From Hotel Serena you can easily reach Campocecina: it takes about 1 hour drive. I’s a lovely mountain village located in the municipality of Carrara, in the northern Apuan Alps, on the border with the village of Fivizzano. Before arriving in Campocecina, from the “Piazzale dell’Uccelleria” you will enjoy an unusual panorama of the Apuan Alps, the suggestive marble quarries, Carrara, the commercial port of Marina di Carrara and all the Versilia Riviera. From Rifugio Carrara (1320), surrounded by mystic woods, you go up to reach a small valley with fantastic green meadows, destination of many young people who, in summer, stay over in a tent. There awaits a fairy-tale atmosphere and an incredible view. In addition, from Campocecina there are many hiking trails, including those that lead to Pizzo d'Uccello, Pisanino, Mountains Borla (20 min) and Sagro (2h.). We recommend to venture into the Educational Path “Anello del Monte Ballerino”. Campocecina can be reached by car from Carrara, Fosdinovo and Castelnuovo Magra.