The best traffic-free bike rides around Santo Stefano Di Magra

The Magra River is an important watercourse in central Italy, 62 kilometers long, flowing between Tuscany and Liguria. It represents the main watercourse of Liguria in terms of average discharge at its mouth. It originates at an altitude of 1,401 meters from Monte Borgognone, crosses the fertile Val di Magra, and flows into the Ligurian Sea at Bocca di Magra.

Bocca di Magra is a charming coastal hamlet in the municipality of Ameglia, located in the province of La Spezia at the mouth of the river of the same name, Magra. An ancient fishing village, the locality lies on the border between Liguria and Tuscany, immersed in the greenery of the Montemarcello-Magra-Vara Regional Natural Park.

The view of Lerici from the surrounding mountains offers spectacular panoramas of the Gulf of Poets, stretching as far as Portovenere and the islands of Palmaria and Tino. The hilltop villages such as La Serra, Pugliola and Solaro, along with the trails of the Montemarcello-Magra Park, offer the best and most evocative viewpoints.

The Citadel, also known as the Sarzana Fortress or Firmafede Fortress, was the first fortification in Sarzana, built in the 13th century. It was owned by the lord Castruccio Castracani, who made numerous significant modifications to its defenses. After its destruction by Florence in 1487, it was rebuilt on the orders of Lorenzo de' Medici. In 1494, the Republic of Genoa, having regained possession of Sarzana, completed work on the Citadel. The fortress is used as a venue for cultural events and exhibitions and also houses the Fortress Museum, an interactive exhibit that traces the history of Sarzana and the Lunigiana region.

Of the five gates that once provided access to the town, Porta Romana and Porta Parma remain on the opposite side. We are on the ancient Via Romea, and today's Via Mazzini is a vestige of it. Its current appearance, clad in white Carrara marble, dates back to 1783; on the exterior is the coat of arms of Genoa and, higher up, a statue of Mary.

The church of San Francesco and the convent of the same name stand in the square just outside the walls of Sarzana. According to tradition, it was Saint Francis himself who founded them upon his visit to the town. The first document attesting to the presence of a Franciscan community above the village dates back to 1238, but it was only towards the end of the 13th century that a larger convent and the current church were built. In the 15th century, the building was expanded with the addition of a dormitory and cloister. Today, the convent is deconsecrated and its premises house the offices of the Sarzana court. (c) https://visitsarzana.it/attrazioni/chiesa-e-convento-san-francesco/

Porta Romana is one of the historic entrances to the center of Sarzana, dating back to the 15th century, once an entry point along the Via Francigena. It preserves the city's identity and is a symbol of continuity between past and present.

The beautiful and imposing marble monument, carved from white Carrara marble from the Apuan Alps, dates back to 1914. It is dedicated to the legendary Giuseppe Garibaldi and is the work of the sculptor and artist Carlo Fontana. Overlooking Piazza Garibaldi (namesake of the great hero of two worlds), founded in the 19th century, is the Impavidi Theatre, built on the initiative of a group of private citizens of Sarzana, on an area previously occupied by the church and the Dominican Convent. The theatre was inaugurated in 1809 and is among the oldest historic theatres in the Liguria region. (c) https://share.google/BfaHC76OuiZolWCMB