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  Ortonovo and Luni  
 

Ortonovo is characterised by a radial structure, with the outer ring delimited by the city walls. Just like many other towns in the Valle, Ortonovo has two entrances: one in the lower part of the town opening towards the plain, and the other one facing the surrounding hills. Here is the the Guinigi tower, which take its name from a nobleman from Lucca who fought to impose Lucca's supremacy on the Val di Magra. In the place once occupied by a castle there is now a XVII century church dedicated to San Lorenzo; the origins of this church is visible from the belfry, a rounded tower with corbels. The tower roof is a sort of a cap, covered by scale-shaped tiles.

   
         
   

Entering the church one finds: an XVII century statue representing S. Antonio Abate, an XVI century sculpture of San Rocco and an XVIII century statue of S. Antonio da Padova. In the vicinity of Ortonovo there is the Mirteto sanctuary, built in the second half of XVI century. The face, very wide, is entirely made of marble and features a sculpture with Jesus, Holy Mary and saints Anna and Gioacchino. In the inside there are different altars; among them, one in baroque style with 15 panels with the Rosary Mysteries.

 
         
 

Luni, located in Ortonovo municipality, features some important Roman remains excavated in recent times. A museum is devoted to the town's history, from foundation to early medieval times; it hosts a collection of marble and bronze statues, pieces of buildings, common use tools (body care tools, clothing), coins, mosaics, earthenware and other items that made it possible to reconstruct the life of the ancient inhabitants of this region.

   
         
   

Under the museum are located a number of architecture pieces, once part of the town's main buildings. Among these the "Capitolium", a temple whose massive dimension can still be hinted at from the remains of its "podium" (basement), covered with stone blocks dressed in shell mortar and coated with stucco. The "Capitolium" was devoted to the triad Jupiter-Giuno-Minerva, and was modified during the first centuries a. C. following Hellenistic criteria; the wooden structures were replaced with stone elements and a portico with Doric and Ionic pillars was added. A large section of the museum is devoted to the "Capitolium" temple and to its evolution through the centuries.

 
         
 

A great number of parietal decorations were found in two buildings, which were consequently named "the Fresco House" and "the Mosaic House". In the first, a number of important frescos from the Clodio-Nero period were brought back to their splendor by a careful restoration work: on the north side of the building, different fragments were linked together into nine meters of flower decoration on a black background. In the Mosaic House, late republican (I century b. C.) mosaics embellish the floors: in a characteristic Roman style, they depict the "Circo Massimo" in Rome, Hercules, dancing scenes, flowers and birds.

   
         
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