What's the weather like in Lunigiana now?

[Heiko]

Originally Posted by Persephone

Heiko and Susan, I don't know if you knew this, but I know you move around these parts!!!! In that hill of Ghiandas (photo) is the Castello di Giovagallo (although you can't actually see it). The Marquis Malaspina was the lord of Giovagallo and his son Moroello and wife Alagia are remembered by Dante in the 'Divina Commedia'. Or so the tourist info says. My neigbour says Dante only wrote the 'Purgatorio' whilst he was watching the villagers toil in the fields (but then this is the same neighbour who says Shakespeare got his ideas from Dante).

Anyway, it is soooo famous that you need Ray Mears and Sir Ranulph Fiennes to find it. When the weather gets better I will venture out to take some photos. I may be gone sometime...

Hi Persephone,

No I didnt know that, there are so many historical figures mentioned that it's easy to loose track. I'll have a skim through the book again to see if I can find him. The area up here is mentioned quite a bit: Val di Magra, Carrara, Lerici etc. and the Malaspina clan have built a number of castles around here. Near you the castle at Tresana and the one on the way to Villa spring to mind. How did we get from talking about the weather to sinister castles anyway?

[Persephone]

"this week I 'ave mostly been wearing..."

[Heiko]

There are indeed 2 references to Moroello Marques of Giovagallo and Alagio. The first one brings back to the weather:

Mars brings exhalations from Valdimagra
Which is encircled with dark clouds;
And with impertous and bitter storm

There will be fighting on the Campo Picen;
So the mist will suddenly be dispersed
In such a manner that the Whites will suffer.
Inferno XXIV, 145-50

This according to the commentary is a reference to the Black Guelf Moroello Malaspina, marquis of Giovagallo in the Lunigiana, leader of the Guelf alliance and of the Lucchesi and later patron of Dante. These, with their allies the Black Guelfs of Pistoia and Florence, waged war in 1302 against Pistoia, which had been held by the whites of the city since May 1301. the war ended with the capture of Pistoia in 1306.

The Guelf party were supporters of the papacy, whilst their rivals the Ghibellines were imperialists. However the Guelfs were split into Whites and Blacks. The Whites wished to limit papal interference in general affairs, whilst the Blacks sought closer political identity with papal power.

Alagia is mentioned separately:

I have a niece back there, whose name is Alagia,
Good in herself, provided that our family
Does not make her evil by example;

And back ther she is that is left of me.
Purgatorio XIX, 142-145

Those words are spoken by Pope Adrian V. the commentary describes Alagia as the virtous wife of Moroello Malaspina of the Lunigiana, a friend of Dante in his exile. Other women of her clan were notoriously immoral.

So there you! Dante himself has probably passed where you are now. Is your house old enough to have stood in Dante’s day?

[Persephone]

From what I can gather, Moroello was quite some hero!

Nice to think they (Dante and the Malaspina clan) 'touched' our walls. But I doubt the house is that old. Although, when I asked my village 'elders' how old the house was they said 'well, it's always been there' (that's good enough for me).

I have, however, found the ruins of a very very very very old church in Pietrasalta (next door village). My friend Angela keeps her chickens in what is left of the walls. Amazing what you find on a dog walk...

[Ghianda]

I've just bought bread from Sara who delivers to the village and have been reliably informed that this morning is not fredo, it is fredissimo

Don't you just love this language