Castello di Pietragavina, Medieval castle in Pietragavina, Italy.

Castello di Pietragavina is a stone fortification at 860 meters above sea level on the hill above the village of Pietragavina, in the municipality of Varzi. It has a semicircular layout wrapped around a massive keep with Guelph battlements and small loopholes. A lower building stands on the north side, and a garden of about 1,000 square meters with an old well extends to the north.

The fortress appears in an imperial diploma from Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1164, marking its early significance in the region. It later passed to the Malaspina family, who controlled it through the 15th century as a key position in local politics.

The castle gave its name to a branch of the Malaspina family, the Marquises of Pietragavina, created when Azzolino Malaspina granted it to one of his sons in 1319; the line died out in the 15th century. The keep's Guelph battlements and small loopholes are the details to look for.

The castle is a private residence and cannot be visited inside. It stands on a hill above the village of Pietragavina, in the municipality of Varzi, on the right side of the Staffora valley near the ridge dividing it from the Tidone valley. The climb from the village is on foot and the altitude is 860 metres.

The keep was built as a lookout and carries Guelph battlements and small loopholes; the castle still keeps its old bastions and is ringed by remains of walls and fortifications. A garden of about 1,000 m² on the north side holds an old well.