Malaspina Castle

44.032224°N 10.14603°E / 44.032224; 10.14603

Malaspina Castle, as it appears on 2023.

The Malaspina Castle is located in Massa, Italy. It crowns the top of a rocky hill and dominates the wide underlying plain and part of the Tyrrhenian coast. From the 17th century the main purpose of the castle was military and it served as a prison until 1946.[1] The castle was subsequently restored and reopened to the public.[1]

History
Coat of arms of the Spino Secco branch of the family, Malaspina Castle "Rocca Malaspina"

The first record of a castle here dates back to 1164.[1] In 1269 because of political discords with local inhabitants it was leveled to the ground by the army of the nearby city of Lucca.[1] The castle became the seat of the marquises of Massa.[1] It was visited by Dante Alighieri, who supposedly envisioned the descending circles of Hell, that inspired the corresponding part of his Divine Comedy.[2] According to legend, Dante saw the great funnel-shaped cave lying below, surrounded by a series of ledges with the slopes converging to the stream.[2]

Notes
  1. "Malaspina Castle - Massa". Castellitoscani.com. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  2. Lucio Galletto, David Dale, Paul Green, Soffritto, Allen & Unwin, 2008, p. 157 ISBN 1-74175-076-8
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