In the municipality of Mulazzo, nestled among the first hills of the Val di Magra, stands the ancient Malaspina Castle of Castevoli. Founded around the year 1000 by the House of Este (Estensi), it later passed to the Marchesi Malaspina, who are said to have hosted Dante Alighieri among their guests. After becoming an autonomous fief under the rule of Tommaso Malaspina, a popular uprising brought an end to the Signoria, and the castle fell into two centuries of abandonment.
In 1990, painter and sculptor Loris Nelson Ricci, together with his wife, Swiss artist Erika H. End, began the reconstruction of the ancient castle from its ruins. After eight years of impressive restoration work, the “new” castle was inaugurated. Today, it houses numerous sculptures, paintings, drawings, and architectural projects.
