Exploring the Hidden Gems of Taponecco: A Medieval Village in Massa Carrara

Hello dearest friends,

This morning I managed to publish this post before dedicating myself to my usual exploration of new places around, but during this workweek, I have been in the Massa Carrara area. Therefore, I was able to take my time to see some places that I think are very interesting and probably quite off the usual tourist route, but as you know well, I love sharing them with this community.

By the way, I read Pinmapple's post published yesterday, and I am really happy that this project continues because a nice community has formed here. It's also great to gather all the most interesting points of our explorations on this map.
Anyway, back to us, today I bring you to the discovery of Taponecco, a hamlet of Licciana in the province of Massa Carrara, a small village at 610 meters above sea level in the Apennines. It is built against the reliefs of these mountains.

Taponecco is located at 610 meters above sea level, and those who visit this place will surely come into contact with a suggestive scenario. It is very beautiful scenically because as soon as you arrive in this place, you find yourself in front of these houses where the paths passing by are almost carved into tunnels. This is because people in the past were very clever and tried to make use of every useful space to live in these places.
We can already understand by seeing this village that it has medieval architecture, preserved in its buildings. It is a real pity that most of the castle has been destroyed, leaving only the tower, which today also serves as a bell tower.
I was struck by how well-maintained these houses are. I must say that in these artificially dug caves, it's very pleasant because you are sheltered from the sun, so I can imagine that on hot days, it is really cool here.

It was a weekday, and there was practically no one around. Some things indicate that this place hasn't been used much in a long time.
Visiting this place, I discovered that this village was once famous for growing cannabis for textile use, and there were also important chestnut cultivations here. In many cases, these chestnuts were transformed into flour inside these houses, unfortunately, these traditions have been lost over time.

It is always nice to come and walk in these places. In reality, when I come here, I don't have high expectations, but I like to observe every corner of this village. Sometimes it really feels like going back in time, as if everything here has stopped.

I hope the photos I shared were to your liking and conveyed the same emotions these places gave me. See you in my next post, and I wish you all a good weekend.