What is Castelnuovo Magra known for?

Dante Alighieri signed the 6 October 1306 Peace of Castelnuovo here on behalf of the Malaspina, ending the long war with the bishops of Luni. DOC white wine grown on the terraces below the village, the signature pour of the Liguria-Tuscany border. Surviving tower of the bishop-counts' castle-palace, the medieval anchor of the centro storico and the silhouette visible from the Magra plain.

When is the best time to visit Castelnuovo Magra?

Apr–Oct. April through June and September into October are the dry months on this ridge above the Magra. The vineyards green in spring and color in autumn. The Vermentino harvest runs from late August into September. La Pace di Dante reenactment falls in early October on the anniversary of the 1306 treaty, with period costume and procession through the centro storico. July and August are hot at 188 meters but the sea breeze reaches the ridge. November through March is quiet. The Francigena pilgrims thin out. The wine cellars open by appointment.

Where is Castelnuovo Magra?

Castelnuovo Magra is a comune in the province of La Spezia, Liguria region of Italy, about 58 kilometers from Pisa.

How do I get to Castelnuovo Magra?

From Pisa, Castelnuovo Magra is roughly 58 km by road.

Liguria · La Spezia

Castelnuovo Magra

A ridge village on the Liguria-Tuscany border where Dante Alighieri signed the 1306 Peace of Castelnuovo on behalf of the Malaspina marquises.

Known for

PACE DI DANTE
Dante Alighieri signed the 6 October 1306 Peace of Castelnuovo here on behalf of the Malaspina, ending the long war with the bishops of Luni.
VERMENTINO COLLI DI LUNI
DOC white wine grown on the terraces below the village, the signature pour of the Liguria-Tuscany border.
TURRIS MAGNA
Surviving tower of the bishop-counts' castle-palace, the medieval anchor of the centro storico and the silhouette visible from the Magra plain.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

The festa: Fedele di Como, 24 April

Why come

Castelnuovo Magra sits on the last ridge of Liguria before the Magra river marks the Tuscan border. The bishop-counts of Luni built the stronghold here between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries; the surviving Turris Magna anchors the centro storico above the surrounding vineyards. On 6 October 1306, Dante Alighieri, in exile and a guest of the Malaspina, signed the Peace of Castelnuovo as procurator for the marquises, ending decades of conflict between the Malaspina and the bishops of Luni and effectively closing the bishops' temporal power.

The Via Francigena passes through on its descent toward Sarzana and the Magra plain. The terraced slopes around the village grow Vermentino DOC Colli di Luni, the sapid white that defines this corner of eastern Liguria. La Pace di Dante reenactment, in period costume, marks the anniversary of the 1306 treaty each October.

We've been

Feature from our free newsletter

Magra Delta Roadtrip | A Tagine, a Lighthouse, and a Dead Roman City

It has the best panorama in Liguria, full stop, and I do not think it is close. The reasons are two. The first is the obvious one. You are 266 meters up, the cliff is high enough that there is no rocky beach below to draw a crowd, the sea on one side is the Gulf of La Spezia with Portovenere across the water and the Cinque Terre fading north, and the view on the other side is the Magra running into its delta with the white Apuane behind it and Tuscany beyond.

From the Castelnuovo Magra letter, June 2026

Read the full feature on anywhereitaly.com

What to see

Turris Magna
Surviving tower of the twelfth-century castle-palace of the bishop-counts of Luni, the dominant feature of the centro storico skyline.
Castello dei Vescovi di Luni
Ruins and surviving wing of the bishop-counts' fortified residence, where the 1306 Peace of Castelnuovo was signed in Dante's presence.
Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena
Parish church of the centro storico, holding a fifteenth-century Calvary attributed to the Brueghel circle.
Via Francigena
The Sigeric route passes the ridge on its descent toward Sarzana and the Magra crossing, with marked sections through olive groves.
Vigneti Colli di Luni
Terraced vineyards on the slopes below the village, producing Vermentino DOC Colli di Luni.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Castelnuovo Magra fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

Living here

Population 8,262
In-betweeni
Pharmacy in town
High school within a 30-minute drive
Nearest airport Florence / Pisa, 1 h 8 min drive
Regional capital Genova, 1 h 29 min drive

Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

Elevation: 188 m
Population: 8,262
Surface area: 15.02 km²

On the map

Google Maps Apple Maps Directions from Pisa

These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

Close by