Montereggio

Montereggio a village of booksellers ! It is a very strange thing that in the past (XVI century) the economy of a very little hamlet merged in dense forests was based on trade of books. Furthermore Montereggio business was widespread throughout Europe.

Inhabitants of this hamlet located in Lunigiana – a land in Massa Carrara district and closed between Liguria, Emilia Romagna and Toscana regions – left their houses to sell books in squares of Europe instead of agricultural products of their small farms.

Thanks to this rather strange activity at that time, all of Europe had the opportunity to know many books, and people of Montereggio during several years of this particular job became very famous booksellers and publishers.

So when you visit this hamlet missed in a lonely and unspoiled nature, completely surrounded by forests, it is very difficult to imagine that its inhabitants had the chance to survive thanks the market of books ! But that’s the reality.

Montereggio is on a hill of Valle del torrente Mangiola along which there was a medieval road between Val Magra and Val di Vara. So it was in a very strategic position. For a long time Montereggio was a fief under the rule of the powerful Malaspina family and then it was incorporated with the major fief of Mulazzo.

The hamlet is fantastic, completely refurbished and well maintained. Its alleys are beautiful and walking through them you breathe an unbelievable medieval atmosphere. Of course any alley has a name of an important Italian publisher or bookseller.

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