The stately castle that still today dominates the city of Massa owes its present appearance to numerous building phases that followed each other in time, staring from a fortified curtis dating to the 11th century. Contended by numerous potentates, it was transformed into a genteel residence by the Malaspina family which took possession of it towards the mid 15th century. Despite the modifications it underwent, the complex maintained its original defensive function through time, also thanks to its bailey which englobed the medieval keep and the marquises’ palace.

Still today, the impressive structure can be admired with its two bastions, the rows of embrasures, and the complex and efficient defence system of the castle’s only access. Among its architectural curiosities, note the peculiarity of the fourteenth-century keep, which is outstanding for being constructed directly in the rock and not in masonry.