Castello di Malgrate

The Castello di Malgrate is a medieval fortress situated in the municipality of Villafranca in Lunigiana, Italy. The site has origins dating back to the medieval period and was built by the Malaspina family, a prominent noble dynasty in the Lunigiana region.

Significant fortifications were established on this strategic location above the Bagnone valley as early as the 12th century. The first written record of the castle appears in 1351 during the division of Niccolò I Malaspina’s lands among his five sons, marking its importance as the center of a feudal district. This fief included not only Malgrate and nearby Filetto but also several surrounding villages and hamlets. The section of the fief comprising Malgrate was granted to the four children of Bernabò Malaspina, who maintained control over the territory for roughly two and a half centuries.

Throughout this period, the Malaspina family navigated shifting political alliances amidst growing tensions between the powerful city-states of Florence and Milan. In the 15th century, the castle played a role in the regional conflicts between Duke Filippo Maria Visconti of Milan and the Florentine Republic. After changing allegiance from Florence to Milan, the Malaspina briefly hosted Milanese forces and local rebels, who occupied the castle for three years. Following the Peace of Ferrara in 1433, the family once again pledged loyalty to Florence. This change provoked Milan’s animosity, leading Milanese troops to assault and largely destroy the castle’s defenses in 1445.

In the early 17th century, Cesare II Malaspina, burdened by debt and lacking male heirs, sold the fief to the Ducal Chamber of Milan in 1615. The Milanese administration held the property for twenty-six years before transferring ownership in 1641 to the Ariberti family, a noble house from Cremona. The Ariberti governed the estate with a more peaceful and civil approach, repurposing the medieval stronghold into a residence reflecting bourgeois tastes rather than military needs.

After the Ariberti lineage ended, the estate passed to the Milanese Freganeschi family in 1745, who were related through marriage. They maintained control until the upheavals of the French Revolution. During the 19th century, the castle fell into decline as its fortifications were dismantled and many structural elements were stripped, leaving much of the site in ruin. In modern times, the Castello di Malgrate has been secured under state ownership and restored through European Union funding and heritage conservation initiatives focused on the castles of Lunigiana.