Property for Sale in Aulla, Tuscany
Aulla is the main crossroads town of the Lunigiana, the northernmost corner of Tuscany, in the Province of Massa-Carrara. It sits where the Aulella river joins the Magra, close to the borders with Liguria and Emilia-Romagna, and its homes are generally more affordable than in central Tuscany while still within easy reach of the sea.
The Town and Its Fortress
Above the town stands the Fortezza della Brunella, a sixteenth-century fortress on a wooded hill, which houses a natural history museum. In the centre, the abbey of San Caprasio is one of the historic stops on the Via Francigena, the pilgrim route that crosses the Lunigiana on its way south.
The town itself is a practical, lived-in place, much of it rebuilt in the twentieth century, with apartment blocks and houses along the valley floor and older villages in the hills around it.
The Lunigiana and Nearby Villages
The Lunigiana is a valley of chestnut woods, small castles and stone villages. Podenzana lies just to the west, and Licciana Nardi and Fivizzano are to the east towards the Apuan Alps. Up the valley to the north are Villafranca in Lunigiana and Pontremoli, while the coast at Sarzana and La Spezia is a short drive south.
Property for Sale in Aulla
Villas and detached houses make up most of the listings, usually with gardens and three bedrooms, along with a few apartments and a commercial property. Prices are moderate: a fair number of homes are under €250,000, apartments and smaller houses can be found for less, and even the larger villas rarely go much above half a million.
Everyday Life and Getting There
Aulla has supermarkets, schools, banks and a good range of everyday services, and it is a convenient base for exploring both the Lunigiana villages and the Ligurian coast, including the Cinque Terre and Lerici. Local food includes testaroli, panigacci and chestnut flour dishes.
The A15 motorway between Parma and La Spezia has an exit at Aulla, and the town’s station is on the line between La Spezia and Parma, with a separate line running south-east to Lucca. Pisa and Genoa are the nearest airports.
Buying in Aulla
Aulla lies on the floor of a river valley and suffered serious flooding when the Magra burst its banks in 2011, so check the flood risk map for any property close to the rivers. The Lunigiana is also a seismic area, so ask about structural safety in older buildings.
Hillside houses can be affected by landslips after heavy rain, and narrow mountain roads may be slow in winter. Ask a geometra who works in the Lunigiana to verify that the house is correctly registered and that any additions have the necessary permits.