Photo © Davide Papalini

Camporgiano

Small village dominated by a majestic Este fortress

Camporgiano stands on the right bank of the river Serchio, in a green valley that divides the mountain ranges of the Apuan Alps and the Apennines. Of Roman origin, the town was contested from the Middle Ages by numerous families and seigniories; in 1446 it became part of the domains of the d'Este family until the Unification of Italy. The small and charming villages that are part of this municipality have maintained a medieval urban layout, and each one shows remarkable evidence of Garfagnana culture and history. The area is dotted with churches, parish churches and maestaine, the typical small stone shrines that one encounters here and there and that bring to mind that simple and profound spirituality that one can only breathe in places that have always been immersed in nature.

What to see in Camporgiano

Camporgiano's undisputed "star" is the Rocca Estense (Estense Fortress), erected on a rocky spur and whose bulk dominates the town's main square. At the top of the Rocca is a kind of hanging garden where a number of conifers stand out, giving the fortress an unmistakable character, talking from afar with the fir trees that cover the heights of the surrounding hills. The fortress was built for defensive purposes in the 15th century only to be enlarged between the 12th and 13th, and is an synbolic example of Este military architecture of the 15th century, with its trapezoidal-plan walls and truncated-conical corner towers standing out from the plan profile. Once the medieval center of the city, today the fortress does not retain much of its original structure due to the earthquake that struck the entire area in 1920. A stone fountain traditionally called pilon can also be seen at the foot of the fortress.

The main keep of the fortress houses the Civita Raccolta di Ceramiche Rinascimentali (Civic Collection of Renaissance Pottery), which brings together pottery going from the early 15th century to the second half of the 17th century, most of which were found in the wells of the fortress during the restoration works.

In the surroundings

The territory of Camporgiano is dotted with small villages, such as the charming village of Roccalberti, and churches and parish churches, such as those of San Biagio in Poggio, Santa Maria Assunta in Vitoio, Santa Maria Assunta in Puglianella, San Nicola in Sillicano, and San Tommaso in Casciana.

This is where the ancient trade route known as the Via Vandelli runs through the Tuscan territories of Garfagnana and Media Valle del Serchio. This centuries-old route, whose origin dates back to the 18th century, was built as a commercial crossroads to connect the lands of the House of Este with the Duchy of Massa and Carrara, crossing, for security reasons, only Este territories. Today the Via Vandelli is a major hiking route measuring about 150 kilometers.

Camporgiano is also on what used to be called the Via del Volto Santo, one of the best-known branches of the Francigena, an alternative to the route traced by Bishop Sigeric of Canterbury.