The view from a tower house - Credit: Sigeric SC
The narrow and steep valley of the Caprio torrent has been a meeting point for important road routes over the centuries: in the Roman period, the Luni - Parma itinerary crossed it from Sorano to the meadows of Logarghena, while in the Middle Ages, the Via Francigena ran along Magra valley floor and the Via Lombarda went up towards the Cirone Pass.
During the Middle Ages, this area marked the border between the fiefdoms of the Malaspina Lords with the dominions of the Free Municipality of Pontremoli, often fighting each other for the control of roads and fortifications.
And it is precisely between the 14th and 15th centuries that, in this particular strip of territory, a particular construction typology, defined as Tower House, developed. This particular building has three main functions: residential, defensive and territorial protection, and also storage and protection of goods and crops.
Sometimes these structures were part of a settlement or village, while in other cases they were located in a dominant position in the center of a farm or agricultural courtyard.
In ancient times, the Tower Houses were defined as caminà or caminate (chimneys), perhaps due to their resemblance to military towers equipped with chimneys, useful for communication through smoke and fire signals for the protection of the territory.
The characteristics of these buildings, located in the villages of Caprio, Ponticello, Canale, Monteluscio, Irola, are quite similar: a square base with thick and imposing sandstone walls, vertical development on three or four floors connected by internal wooden stairs, raised entrances or small windows.
When you find yourself along the suggestive Caprio Valley, try to observe carefully the hills around you and look for these ancient medieval buildings!
