The best city hikes and walks in Parco Della Magra - Vara

The Genius of the Race is a white Carrara marble sculpture, one of the largest statues in existence, standing approximately six meters tall. It was designed by Carlo Fontana of Carrara, who was commissioned to design it in 1907 and completed it in 1914. Its transportation from Carrara to Sarzana required numerous pairs of oxen and was one of the most complicated ever undertaken. The sculpture was intended to be dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi, but Fontana decided against creating a figure of the Hero of Two Worlds, which by then was found on monuments throughout Italy. Instead, he decided to depict a young, muscular giant with one arm resting on an enormous shield featuring the profile of Garibaldi, a symbol of the Italian people facing a future defended by the cult of their popular hero. The statue rests on a four-by-two-meter monolith from the Gioia quarry, which, however, was left unworked and unworked.

In the historic center the streets are full of life, clubs, shops, antique dealers

The Citadel, also known as the Sarzana Fortress or Firmafede Fortress, was the first fortification in Sarzana, built in the 13th century. It was owned by the lord Castruccio Castracani, who made numerous significant modifications to its defenses. After its destruction by Florence in 1487, it was rebuilt on the orders of Lorenzo de' Medici. In 1494, the Republic of Genoa, having regained possession of Sarzana, completed work on the Citadel. The fortress is used as a venue for cultural events and exhibitions and also houses the Fortress Museum, an interactive exhibit that traces the history of Sarzana and the Lunigiana region.

Of the five gates that once provided access to the town, Porta Romana and Porta Parma remain on the opposite side. We are on the ancient Via Romea, and today's Via Mazzini is a vestige of it. Its current appearance, clad in white Carrara marble, dates back to 1783; on the exterior is the coat of arms of Genoa and, higher up, a statue of Mary.

It was built on the area where the parish church of San Basilio once stood, starting in 1204. Construction work ended in 1474 with the completion of the upper part of the façade by Leonardo Riccomanni. Following the completion of the work, in 1735 the statues of Saint Eutychiano in the centre, of Sergius IV on the left and of Nicholas V on the right were placed on the façade. The building, which represents the sum of all the historical-artistic production of Sarzana and the Magra Valley, has been elevated to a minor basilica. It preserves, among other works, the crucifix by Mastro Gugliermo (1138), the first dated example of a painted cross in the history of art.

The Church of Sant'Andrea, an ancient rural parish church belonging to the Diocese of Luni, can be considered the surviving monument richest in historical evidence linking ancient Sarzana with the formation of the new city and its villages. It stands at the confluence of the two main roads that, around 1000 BC, crossed the area: the Aurelia and the Clodia. (c) https://visitsarzana.it/attrazioni/pieve-di-santandrea/

The building of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, erected on the area occupied by the previous parish church of San Basilio, is consequent to the transfer of the bishop's seat from Luni to Sarzana in 1204. È assai probabile che i lavori siano effettivamente iniziati solo alla fine del secolo XIII. In 1355, the lower part of the façade was completed (as recalled by the inscription engraved on the marble architrave of the portal), while in 1474 Lorenzo Riccomanni da Pietrasanta created the rose window that adorns the upper part. The construction of the bell tower also dates back to the 15th century, while between the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century, the two side bodies flanking the marble façade were built to open the six internal chapels. Also dating back to the 18th century are the statues placed at the crowning of the building depicting three important exponents of the Lunigiana church: Pope Sergius IV, St. Eutichiano and Nicholas V. The interior with three wide naves divided by octagonal pillars and covered by a valuable wooden coffered ceiling, created in 1670 by Pietro Giambelli from Pisa, preserves important testimonies of art and faith: among them, the Reliquary of the Precious Blood of Christ and the painted Cross by Mastro Guglielmo, a cornerstone of Italian Romanesque painting, signed and dated 1138. (c) https://visitsarzana.it/cathedral-santa-maria-assunta/

The Oratory of the Misericordia, known today as the Diocesan Museum, was the headquarters of the "Mercy" or "Neri" confraternity, established on April 1, 1578. Located in the small square of the Imo Borgo, which bears the ancient name "Firmafede," a reminder of the Pisan citadel, the church is mentioned in documents relating to the city's history only in the 18th century, but it likely existed, under another name, at least as early as the 16th century. Its side walls, in fact, have remained unchanged despite modifications made over the centuries, reveal a stone facing dating back to around the 13th-14th centuries. (c) https://visitsarzana.it/attrazioni/museo-diocesano-oratorio-della-misericordia/