I Luoghi della 1000 Miglia

Villafranca

Along the “Postumia” route

Villafranca lies along the “Postumia” route, a Roman road that connected the north of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Adriatic.

The symbol of the town is the Scaligero Castle: construction work began in 1199, but continued for a further two centuries, giving it the structure we see today, with the central keep surrounded by walls with walkways and a museum that can be visited. This building became the cornerstone of the Scaligeri defence system, which connected castles and fortresses in the surrounding area.

During the Italian Risorgimento, Villafranca was the site of a historic meeting: in 1859, in Palazzo Bottagisio, home to the Museo del Risorgimento, the emperors Franz Joseph and Napoleon III signed the “Peace of Villafranca”, the prelude to the Unification of Italy.

Villafranca’s commercial vocation has a long tradition: the weekly market has occupied the centre every Wednesday since 1592”.