Malaspina Castle, Medieval fortress on hill in Massa, Italy
Malaspina Castle is a medieval fortress on a hilltop above Massa, made up of a residential palace, a defensive keep, bastions, and internal courtyards. The outer walls follow the natural shape of the rock, and inside, the courtyards connect the different sections of the complex.
A castle here is first recorded in 1164. In 1269 troops of Lucca razed it during disputes with the local inhabitants. Castruccio Castracani, lord of Lucca from 1316, rebuilt the central keep, added towers and a drawbridge and enlarged the curtain wall. The Malaspina held it from 1442, and Antonio Alberico I and his son Jacopo added fortifications and built the palace at the end of the 15th century.
The castle was the seat of the Malaspina and Cybo-Malaspina rulers of Massa. The Malaspina lordship began on 8 December 1442, when the Boni Homines swore submission in the church of San Jacopo; Marquis Antonio Alberico I granted freedoms of trade and the right to set duties. From the 17th century the castle served as a prison until 1946.
The site can be visited on your own or with a guided tour that opens up more of the rooms and walkways. There are stairs and uneven surfaces throughout, so sturdy footwear makes getting around easier.
Instead of digging foundations into flat ground, the builders smoothed the natural rock surface to create a stable base for the walls. This approach used the hill's existing shape directly, which made construction faster and less costly.
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