Luni, Italy
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Luni is a frazione of the comune (municipality) of Ortonovo, province of La Spezia, in the Liguria region of northern Italy. It gives its name to Lunigiana, a region spanning eastern Liguria and northern Tuscany (province of Massa and Carrara).
Founded by the Romans in 177 BC with the name Luna, it was a military stronghold for the campaigns against the Ligures. In 109 BC it was connected to Rome by the Via Aurelia. It flourished when exploitation of white marble caves in the nearby Alpi Apuane began in the first century BC.
In the 5th century it was still notable, as it was chosen as episcopal see. Captured by the Goths in the following century, it was reconquered by the Byzantines in 552, who however lost it to the Lombards in 642. The latter damaged the city's economy, favouring the trades routes that passed through the nearby Lucca. Luni had reduced to a small village at the time of King Liutprand, later, it was a countship see under Charlemagne, exactly on the border between the Kingdom of Italy and the Papal States.
In 849 and in 860 it was sacked by sea pirates, respectively Saracens and Normans. In the mid 10th century it lived the last period of splendour under count Oberto I, who was lord of the whole Ligurian Mark, and momentarily pushed back the pirate threat. However, in the 990s the situation worsened again, and the episcopal see was moved to Carrara (and, definitively, to Sarzana in 1207). In 1015 it was conquered by the caliph Mujāhid al-‘Āmirī with his Sardinian ships: when Pisa and Genoa beat back his forces, Luni was left destroyed. The spreading of malaria in the area and the silting up of the port contributed to the steep decline of Luni. In 1058 the whole population moved to Sarzana, while other refugees founded Ortonovo and Nicola. The title of bishop and count of Luni remained in use for various centuries.
[edit] Main sights
Points of interest include remains of the elliptical Roman amphitheater (1st century AD) and the Archaeological Museum.
