Holiday apartment in Carignano: discover village history and old paths

Carignano: traces of time between alleyways and paths

Carignano combines historic village scenery with old route connections. If you choose a holiday apartment in Carignano, you can orient your stay around the tangible traces in the village and along the old mule track to Canepari. Here, culture and activity do not appear as separate themes, but in visible details throughout the village and along its paths.

In the oldest part of Carignano, covered sections of alleyway with portals dating from the late Middle Ages and the early modern period form part of the village scenery. The village square is characterised by notable buildings and numerous Maestà. A marble portal from 1669 and an inscription on the sandstone window lintel, dated to 1557, add to this series of visible traces of the past. Details such as these give a walk through Carignano various points of historical interest.

Church, inscriptions and interior furnishings

At the entrance to Carignano stands the church dedicated to the Natività di Maria. Its interior furnishings and frescoes date entirely from the 20th century. The church also has a remarkable wooden choir from 1911. Another trace of contemporary history can be found in an inscription: it commemorates the construction of a sacellum by Giovanni Andrea Santi dei Cargiolli from Ponzanello in 1532. Thus, younger interiors, craftsmanship and an inscription from the 16th century come together in one place.

The location on an old route is also part of Carignano’s history. The village lies on a route that connected the episcopal possessions of Ponzanello with the episcopal seat of Sarzana. This relationship between the two places makes the historic route connections a fitting complementary theme when visiting the church, the village square and the older alleyways.

Holiday apartment in Carignano and regional orientation

There are two specific approaches for your journey: Carignano can be reached from Fosdinovo via Giucano or Canepari. From Sarzana, Carignano is reached by continuing along Via dei Mulini. When choosing your accommodation, you can therefore consider whether you would like to approach the village from the direction of Fosdinovo or from the direction of Sarzana, without assuming any distances or journey times.

An old, partly paved mule track leads from Carignano to Canepari. There is a fountain along this old path. A small bridge also crosses the stream that runs beside the path, and an old washhouse is still clearly visible next to the mule track. This gives you a route where you can perceive not only the connection to Canepari, but also several tangible reminders of earlier everyday life and transport routes.

Walking routes in the municipality of Fosdinovo

For further excursion planning in the municipality of Fosdinovo, the network of paths includes CAI hiking trails, two stages of the Trekking Lunigiana, two stages of the Sentiero dei Ducati and part of a stage of the Via Francigena. The variety of path types and stages can help you tailor your regional orientation to your desired daily plans. In Carignano itself, outside the Natività di Maria church, is the former cemetery, which is now used as a playground. This specific local feature can fit particularly well into a village visit if you are travelling with children.

Other places

Borghetto-melara, Tendola, Giucano, Marciaso

For the higher-level travel overview: Fosdinovo.