The Val di Magra is a vast territory, with a long history and an age-long culture starting with the Liguri Apuani in the pre-Roman period. These early populations lived on cattle and are famous for their statue stele, now symbol of the valley. In Roman times the Magra river saw Annibal's troops coming down the Alps, directed through the Apennines towards Rome.

A great number of Roman remains witness the importance of the region in old times; among many archaeological sites, the most important is Luni, once a thriving port. In the Byzantine era the importance of the Valle increased even more thanks to its strategic position. In this period, the region was also called Provincia Marittima ("Sea Province").

In the Middle Ages the Val di Magra became a land of feuds continuously fighting against each other. Among the noble families of those times the Malaspinas were the most powerful, famous also to have given hospitality to Dante Alighieri during his exile from Florence. The poet, who was also an important personality in politics, worked for the Malaspina as a diplomatic; he mediated an important peace treaty with the bishop of Luni, known as the "pace di Dante". In this period many historical centres of the Valle (Aulla, Bagnone, Villafranca, Zeri and others) were founded, and the region took a new physiognomy.

After the Middle Ages the region was fought over by many masters: the big European empires, the small Italian republics, some local families, all of them interested in expanding their power over the northern-central regions of Italy. For many years the Spanish ruled the region, then the Germans and then the Genoese; finally, the French controlled the region, until the Regno d'Italia was born as an expansion of the "Regno di Sardegna".