The bell tower of Sassi, which overlooks the provincial road of Arni, is part of a fortified system, begun around the year 1000, which includes the church of San Frediano built, according to tradition, by the Countess Matilde.

The fortress, originally belonging to the Porcaresi nobles and later purchased by the Lucchesi, was destroyed in 1370 due to a rebellion by its inhabitants. It was immediately rebuilt by the Lucchesi because of its strategic importance, and it then passed in the fifteenth century to the Este Duchy who made it one of the cornerstones of the system of fortifications erected to defend the “Province of Garfagnana”. In 1537 due to high management costs, Duke Ercole II demilitarized the fortress. From then on its decline began and by 1600 it was partially-destroyed.

Today, thanks to the intervention of the State with the “Estense Duchy Project“, the ruins of the fortress have been recovered. Don’t miss the walk from the town to the top of the cliff and the panorama that opens from there on the Panie group and the Valley.