Sarzana
Sarzana is set a few kilometers from the estuary of the river Magra, at the base of the hill Sarzanello.
Is the second town in La Spezia province, boundary between Liguria and Tuscany. It’s the most important old town in the area, has given birth to Pope Nicholas V, the Vatican library founder. Its story is full of reminds to famous people and dynasties: from Dante Alighieri poet to Medici family onwards. It rised after Luni downhill, the ancient roman town only 5 km away. Sarzana, since its foundation has been a crossroads of communication. Today is railway junction on the Rome-Pisa-Genoa-Turin-Milan.
In the heart of the historical center, in the neighborhood of the church of St. Andrew, are still visible traces of the Roman castrum.
The city still maintains the image of the original medieval town, on despite of the later works of fortification such as the walls, the towers and overall the Citadel, which heavily modified the urban layout of the original town, giving it the appearance of a walled city, dominated by the massive fortress Firmafede.
The gastronomy on Sarzana follows, with some minor variations, the Ligurian cuisine. Particoularly baked goods such as farinata, cakes, testaroli. However Sarzana is known for the originality of its typical sweet, Spongata, a cake made of puff pastry and filled with fruit.
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